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These pistachio croissants are an extra special breakfast or brunch idea. They’re quick and easy (as long as you have a food processor or almond meal). Everything comes together in 30 minutes (including baking time!). They taste just as good as something you’d find at a bakery at a fraction of the price!
Literally a fraction. I bought twelve of these croissants from Costco for $5. The rest of the ingredients I already had in my pantry. Just one pistachio croissant from a local bakery costs $5.25. I mean the savings here are exponential. You’re basically making money. You’re welcome.
The top secret hack for these pistachio croissants is that we aren’t making them from scratch. I love to buy the croissants from Costco’s bakery session and use some for sandwiches, and the rest I leave out for a night uncovered to get slightly hard: perfect for making these pistachio croissants!
The best part is, they come together very quickly with just a few simple ingredients. Especially with a food processor, these are a breeze to make.
To make these:
Begin by making an easy almond simple syrup on the stove. While that cools, blanch your almonds so they’re easy to peel (no need to do this if you have almond meal).
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease. Preheat your oven to 350°.
Pulse your shelled pistachios in a food processor until they are a fine powder. Add sugar and a pinch of salt and pulse to combine. Pulse in butter until combined. Add the egg and extract, and process until creamy and fluffy (a few minutes).
Then slice each croissant in half. Dip <do NOT soak> each croissant half in the simple syrup. Just a quick dip. They may seem a bit soggy–do not fear. Place the bottom half of the croissant on your baking sheet. Spread with a tablespoon or two of your filling. Top with the other half of the croissant. Repeat with the remaining croissants. Spread the remainder of your filling over the top of each croissant, about one tablespoon per pastry. Sprinkle with sliced pistachios.
Bake until the tops are golden, remove from oven, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Allow to cool a bit before serving. They taste better that way. Note: I use almond, not pistachio extract in this recipe. It adds a lot to the flavour, and any pistachio extract I’ve found is artificial.
If you give these a try, please let me know what you think! Leave a review below. And as always, tag me on Instagram if you give them a try. I’d love to see your food photos!
Pistachio Croissants
Ingredients
Simple Syrup
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ tsp almond extract
Croissants
- 6 day old croissants
- ⅓ cup pistachios* shelled
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 4 Tbsp butter room temp
- ½ tsp almond extract
- A handful of pistachios sliced or chopped
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Make the simple syrup: Place water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir until sugar is fully dissolved, then remove from heat and add almond extract. Set aside and allow to cool.
- Preheat oven to 350°. In the bowl of your food processor, pulse pistachios until finely ground. Add sugar and a pinch of salt, pulse until combined. Add butter and pulse until combined. Add the egg and extract, and process until creamy and fluffy (a few minutes).
- Slice croissants in half. Dip each half into the simple syrup just until fully covered. Do not soak them. Place bottom half on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling, spreading evenly over the croissant. Top with other half. Repeat with remaining croissants. Use the remaining filling to spread over the top of each croissant. Sprinkle with pistachios.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the top becomes golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
- Make sure to set aside enough time to let these cool before serving. They’re one of the few things that aren’t best served fresh out of the oven.
