Almond Halwa Croissants
This fusion of a classic Indian dessert, almond halwa, with French bakery-style almond croissants is perfect for brunch. These Almond Halwa Croissants combine a rich, nutty eggless almond cream flavored with saffron and green cardamom and the buttery layers of a flaky croissant.
Servings: 8 croissants
Calories: 520kcal
Ingredients
- 8 medium croissants (or 6 Costco large-sized)
- ½ cup water
- ¾ cup sugar divided (½ cup + ¼ cup)
- 10 strands saffron divided
- 4 green cardamom pods (or ½ teaspoon ground)
- 4 tablespoons whole milk divided (2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons)
- 1 cup almond meal / flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground green cardamom
- 6 tablespoon ghee softened
- ⅓ cup almonds sliced
- ⅛ cup confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Warm 2 tablespoons of milk in a small heat safe bowl. Add half of the saffron strands. Allow the saffron to bloom for 5-7 minutes.
- In a sauce pan on medium heat, bring water up to a boil. Add the crushed 4 green cardamom pods, the other half of the saffron strands, and a ¼ cup of sugar and stir. Lower the heat to a simmer for 5 minutes. Then, switch off the heat and let the sugar syrup cool. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, ground green cardamom, salt, and ½ cup sugar. Then, add the saffron milk, the other 2 tablespoons of milk, and the ghee. Vigorously whisk everything together for 3 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Transfer the almond cream into a piping bag.
- Slice the croissants in half using a serrated knife. Dip the insides of the croissants in the saffron cardamom syrup.
- Cut an inch off the bottom of the piping bag. Pipe the almond cream on the bottom half of the croissants. Close the croissants. Pipe additional almond cream on the top of each pastry.
- Dip the top of each croissant with the almond cream in the bowl with the sliced almonds. Place them in a half sheet pan with an inch between each pastry.
- Place the sheet pan in the preheated oven. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the almond cream and sliced almonds have lightly browned. Remove from the oven.
- Allow the croissants to cool to room temperature. Dust the confectioners sugar on top of each croissant. Enjoy!
Notes
Store the almond croissants in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Pop them in the microwave for 15 seconds to revitalize them.
To freeze - Once the almond croissants are baked, cool them to room temperature. Wrap each individual croissant in cling wrap to prevent freezer burn. Store the wrapped croissants in a freezer bag. Mark the current date on the freezer bag. Keep them in the freezer for up to a month.
To defrost frozen almond croissants, leave them at room temperature overnight.
