These Almond Croissant Bars have all the buttery almond flavor of a bakery almond croissant with none of the laminated dough situation that nobody has time for on a weeknight. Soft and rich underneath, crispy caramelized almonds on top, dusted with powdered sugar and finished with a vanilla glaze if you’re feeling fancy. One pan, one bowl, and they’re somehow even better the next morning.
Almond croissants are one of those things where you walk into a bakery, tell yourself you’re just getting a coffee, and then somehow leave with a bag of pastries and zero regret. The problem is making them at home involves puff pastry and laminated dough and a whole situation that most of us are simply not equipped for on a Tuesday.
These bars solve that problem completely. All the buttery almond flavor, all the crispy caramelized almond topping, none of the pastry stress. One bowl, one pan, and they taste like something you definitely did not make in under an hour and a half.
They are also ridiculously good with coffee. This is not a suggestion. It is a fact.
Why You’ll Love These Almond Croissant Bars
The almond flour in the batter gives you that distinctive bakery almond croissant flavor without needing a single layer of puff pastry. This is the whole genius of the recipe and it works.
The topping gets crispy and caramelized while the bars stay soft and buttery underneath. Two textures, one pan, maximum satisfaction.
The almond extract is doing serious work here. It is strong so do not free pour it unless you want your kitchen smelling like marzipan for 3 business days. Measure it.
And they are better the next morning. Make them the night before and wake up to something that tastes like it came from a very good bakery. This is the kind of information that changes your weekend plans.
Ingredients In Almond Croissant Bars
- Unsalted butter (room temperature): Actually room temperature, not slightly cold from the fridge. Soft butter creams properly, cold butter does not, and the texture of the final bar depends on this step going well.
- Granulated sugar: Standard white sugar for the batter.
- Eggs: Added one at a time so the batter stays smooth and doesn’t look like it’s having a crisis.
- Vanilla extract and almond extract: Both go into the batter. The vanilla rounds out the almond flavor so it tastes like a croissant and not a candle. The almond extract is strong. Measure it. Do not free pour.
- Sour cream: Keeps the bars moist and adds a subtle tang that balances the sweetness. Full fat only.
- All purpose flour and almond flour: The combination of both gives you the right texture and that distinctive almond flavor that makes these taste like an actual almond croissant.
- Baking powder and salt: Standard leavening and seasoning.
- Melted butter (for the topping): The base of the almond topping mixture.
- Brown sugar: Goes into the topping and is what helps the almonds caramelize so beautifully in the oven.
- Milk or cream: Just enough to bring the topping together.
- Sliced almonds: The whole point of the topping. They toast and caramelize while the bars bake and give you that crispy golden layer on top that makes these look like they came from somewhere fancy.
- Powdered sugar: For dusting generously over the finished bars. Non negotiable.
- Vanilla glaze (optional but recommended): Powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, pinch of salt. Takes 2 minutes and adds that extra bakery finish. Do both the dusting and the glaze. You will not regret it.
How To Make Almond Croissant Bars
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9 by 13 inch pan with parchment paper. The parchment is not optional unless you enjoy chiseling baked goods off a pan.
Beat the butter and sugar together for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one, then mix in the vanilla extract, almond extract, and sour cream. Smell how good this already is. Try not to eat the batter. You can try.
Whisk the all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until combined. The batter will be thick and creamy and look very promising.
Spread it evenly into the prepared pan. Stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, milk, almond extract, and sliced almonds until the almonds are well coated, then scatter the whole thing evenly over the batter.
Bake for 38 to 45 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before slicing. Completely. The bars need to set and if you cut into them warm they will fall apart and you will be sad.
If you’re doing the glaze, whisk it together and drizzle lightly over the cooled bars. Then dust generously with powdered sugar. Then step back and feel very good about yourself.
Tips and Tricks
- Room temperature butter. Every time. Non negotiable.
- Measure the almond extract. It is potent and a little goes a long way. Too much and the bars taste like marzipan soap. Not the goal.
- Don’t overmix once the flour goes in. Mix just until you don’t see dry flour anymore and stop there.
- Cool completely before slicing. The bars need time to set. Cutting them warm gives you a delicious mess, not clean bars.
- Do both the glaze and the powdered sugar. The glaze adds sweetness and that bakery drizzle aesthetic. The powdered sugar makes them look like they came from somewhere that charges too much for coffee.
- They are better the next morning. Make them the night before if you can. The almond flavor deepens and the texture settles into something even better than fresh out of the oven, which is saying something.
Try These Recipes Next
- Jumbo Bakery Style Cinnamon Rolls
- Pineapple Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- No Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake
- Eat More Bars
- Lunch Lady Bars
Almond Croissant Bars
Ingredients
For the Bars
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Almond Topping
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk , or cream
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup sliced almonds
For Finishing
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Optional Vanilla Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the 1 cup unsalted butter and 1½ cups granulated sugar together for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the 3 eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon almond extract, and 1 cup sour cream.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup almond flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. The batter will be thick and creamy.
- In a small bowl, stir together the ¼ cup melted butter, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and ½ teaspoon almond extract. Stir in the 1 cup sliced almonds until coated.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Scatter the almond topping evenly over the batter.
- Bake for 38 to 45 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely before slicing into bars.
- If using the glaze, whisk together the 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons cream, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and pinch of salt until smooth.
- Drizzle lightly over the bars. Dust generously with powdered sugar before serving.
Recipe Notes
- The almond flour gives these bars that rich bakery style almond croissant flavor without needing puff pastry or complicated layers.
- The sliced almond topping gets crisp and caramelized while the bars stay soft and buttery underneath.
- Almond extract is strong, so resist the urge to free pour unless you want your kitchen smelling like marzipan for 3 business days.
- These are ridiculously good with coffee and somehow even better the next morning.
Nutrition Information
Frequently Asked Questions
Not recommended. The almond flour is what gives these bars their distinctive almond croissant flavor and texture. Replacing it entirely with all purpose flour gives you a good bar but not an almond croissant bar. They are different things.
Yes, it works fine here. The amount is small enough that it won’t significantly change the result.
In an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They actually improve over the first day or two as the flavors settle. In the fridge they keep for up to 5 days.
Yes. Cool completely, slice into bars, freeze in a single layer then transfer to a freezer bag. Keeps for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and dust with fresh powdered sugar before serving.
Too much almond extract. It is very potent and easy to overdo. Stick to the measured amounts in the recipe and make sure your extract is not old and concentrated from evaporation.
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