Almond Croissant Twists: Flaky, Buttery Pastry Recipe

By
Nicky Corbishley

Flaky croissant pastry filled with almond paste and drizzled with a creamy almond frosting.

Croissant dough:

• 250 g strong white bread flour, plus extra for rolling
• 40 g golden caster sugar
• 5 g instant/easy yeast
• 5 g salt
• 150 ml water
• 150 g unsalted butter, chilled

Frangipane:

• 60 g unsalted butter, softened
• 50 g golden caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 35 g plain flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 60 g ground almonds
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

Also:

• 80 g toasted almond slivers
• 1 small egg, whisked (for egg wash)

Almond Frosting:

• 140 g confectioners’ sugar, sieved
• 4–5 tbsp double/heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract

• Place the flour in the mixer bowl. Add the salt and caster sugar to one side and the instant yeast to the other (avoid direct contact between yeast and salt). Add the water and mix on slow with a dough hook for 3 minutes, then increase to medium and mix for a further 5 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap loosely in clingfilm and chill for 1 hour.
• On a floured surface, roll the dough to a rectangle about 25 x 20 cm. Bash the chilled butter flat into a rectangle roughly 16 x 19 cm and place it to cover the bottom two-thirds of the dough, leaving a small border.
• Fold the top third of the dough over the butter so the bottom third of butter is exposed. Lightly score the exposed butter (being careful not to cut into the dough) to make folding easier, then fold the bottom layer up over the top to create a parcel of three layers of dough and two layers of butter. Seal the edges, wrap loosely and chill for 1 hour.
• With the fold at the sides, rotate the dough 90 degrees, then roll again to 25 x 20 cm. Fold the bottom third up and the top third down. Chill for 1 hour. Repeat the turn, roll, fold and chill two more times. For the final rest, refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight to develop flavor and structure.
• Make the frangipane: beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy, add the egg and beat for a minute, then add the flour, baking powder, ground almonds and almond extract. Mix for 2 minutes, transfer to a piping bag and chill while you work on the dough.
• Roll the chilled dough to a 25 x 20 cm rectangle, trim the edges and cut into 14 strips. Place strips on baking trays lined with parchment, leaving room for rise.
• Pipe a line of frangipane along each strip and sprinkle with toasted almond slivers. Gently twist each strip and place on the trays.
• Place the trays inside a large carrier bag or covered container and leave the dough to rise for about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Brush each twist with the whisked egg and bake for 12–15 minutes until puffed and golden.
• While the twists bake, make the almond frosting by whisking the confectioners’ sugar with 3 tbsp cream, the vanilla extract and half the almond extract to a pipeable consistency. Add more cream if needed; taste and add the remaining almond extract if you prefer a stronger almond flavor.
• When the twists are baked, cool on a rack. Once completely cool, pipe or drizzle the almond frosting over the twists and serve.

Nutritional information is per twist.

Calories: 328 kcal |
Carbohydrates: 34 g |
Protein: 5 g |
Fat: 19 g |
Saturated Fat: 9 g |
Cholesterol: 61 mg |
Sodium: 152 mg |
Fiber: 1 g |
Sugar: 16 g