These Almond Croissant Cookies are easy almond flour cookies made with just a few ingredients that deliver a delicious almond croissant flavor. Plus, these cookies are egg-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
As a French person, I love almond croissants. Almond paste, like the one I used in my Vegan Almond Croissant Pastry, is such a decadent treat, sweet, with a touch of bitterness from almond extract that I adore. But I am also a lazy baker, and I don’t have the energy to bake my almond croissant recipe.
So, instead, I created an easy 4-ingredient almond croissant cookie recipe inspired by my 3-ingredient almond shortbread. My goal when creating this recipe was to create an easy cookie recipe that tastes like the almond filling in a traditional almond croissant.
Inspired by my previous recipes, I increased the amount of plant-based butter, decreased syrup, and added almond extract. I also covered the cookies with sliced almonds that were grilled in the oven, and with a dust of powdered sugar, which reminded me of a classic almond croissant topping. Finally, as my mum is diabetic and was visiting me on that day, I also tested the recipe using sugar-free sweeteners and can confirm that these are easy to make low-carb as well.
While the whole recipe is just below, don’t miss all my tips further down, including ingredient swaps, my cooking tips, and step-by-step shots!
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Almond Croissant Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups Almond Flour - (note 1)
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup - (note 2)
- ½ cup Dairy-Free Butter (Unsalted) - melted (note 3)
Optional
- ½ teaspoon Almond Extract - (note 4)
- 3 tablespoons Sliced Almonds
- 1 dust Powdered sugar - (note 5)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Grease with cooking oil spray. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add almond flour, melted cooled plant-based butter, maple syrup, and almond extract if used. I recommend the extract. It adds a delicious almond flavor like in a bakery-style almond croissant.
- Use a rubber spatula to stir the ingredients together and form a smooth almond paste.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Roll each portion into a small cylinder of about 1.5 inches (4cm).
- Place each cylinder on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a thumb of space between each, then use your fingertips to bend each cylinder on its extremities and form a crescent shape.
- Press some sliced almonds on top of each.
- Bake the cookies on the center rack of the oven for 13-15 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until golden brown on the edges.
- Cool down at room temperature for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then cool down on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
- Dust powdered sugar on top before serving to decorate.
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Ultra-Fine Almond Flour – You can also use almond meal, but the color and texture will be different. The cookies will be darker and a bit gritty.
- Maple Syrup or any liquid sweetener you love, like agave syrup, coconut nectar or sugar-free maple-flavored syrup.
- Almond Extract – This is the key to adding a rich almond flavor to the cookies, which mimics almond croissant paste. You can skip or use vanilla extract if you don’t have this ingredient at home.
- Plant-Based Butter – Add a buttery flavor to the cookies. You can also use coconut oil, but the coconut flavor will be noticeable.
- Sliced Almonds to decorate – This is optional but I like them to mimic a croissant toppings.
- A dust of powdered sugar or sugar-free powdered allulose.
How To Make Almond Croissant Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slightly oil the paper with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add almond flour, maple syrup, melted plant-based butter, and almond extract.
- Stir with a silicone spatula until the batter comes together into a paste.
- Oil your hands to grab some of the batter and roll a small cylinder.
- Place the cylinder of cookie dough on the baking sheet, then bend it to form a crescent shape. Pinch the end of each cookie to mimic a croissant. Sprinkle and lightly press some sliced almonds on top of the cookie.
- Repeat this process until you shaped all the cookie dough into cookies.
- The cookies will expand in the oven so leave a thumb space between each cookie.
- Bake the cookies in the center rack for 13 to 15 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until lightly golden brown.
Serving
Serve these cookies for an afternoon snack with anything tea or coffee, it goes so well with almond patisserie.
- A cup of skinny vanilla latte.
- A cup of coffee
- Vegan latte
- A cup of black or green tea
Frequently Asked Questions
The recipe will work but you will miss the buttery taste typical to almond croissants. If you choose coconut oil, I recommend using refined coconut oil, it has no coconut flavor compared to unrefined coconut oil.
The recipe work with almond meal but the cookies are darker in color and a bit gritty.
Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days in the fridge.
You can freeze the cookies in airtight zip-lock bags for up to one month and thaw at room temperature the day before.
Loved this recipe! I used real butter and vanilla extract and it came out great! Thanks for this inspiration ❤️
Glad you liked it!!
I love this simple but flavorful cookie. I’ve made them twice. It’s a thumbs up for me
Can I use grass fed butter? Sounds delicious and easy!
I haven’t tried but it should work fine!
Loved it!
Can you roll into ball and bake the cookies? Instead of making them
In cylinder?
Absolutely
Hi, do you know what I could replace the vegan butter with? I eat WFPB SOS free, so no oil. Do you think aquafeba, soy yogurt, applesauce, or something else would work? Thanks!
Oh that’s tricky, the closes would be applesauce, that’s what I would try!
Can you use honey for the sweetener?
Absolutely!
This recipe sounds delicious. Kinda reminds of German moon cookies (vanillekipferl cookies). I’ll try both side by side for a comparison.
Was curious about the nutritional factors. listed below recipe, it says 262 kal for 1 cookie (something like that or 232)? This can’t be accurate right ?
Ha, I grew up in Germany and Austria, and I believe these will be completely different than Vanille KIpferl cookies both from a flavor and texture perspective. (Kipferl are very small, dry, and vanilla-y; I suspect these will turn out to be chewy and quite almond-y).
I know it sounds like a lot, but it’s correct.
Haven’t made the cookies yet! Am gathering ingredients as I write! Yours look so amazing! I hope mine come out half as good!
You are a great chef and love your recipes.
Thanks for sharing
Helena
Thank you !
I love this recipe. Thank you so much for this.
Please, what other plant based butter can be use? Thank you.
Any plant-based butter, margarine, or even coconut oil can be used!