Almond Croissant Muffins
Bakery-style almond croissant muffins with an irresistible almond filling… basically everything you love about an almond croissant, but way easier to make at home! They’re soft and buttery with a sweet, nutty almond center that melts into the muffin as it bakes.
The Breakdown
01. Muffin Base
These muffins are soft and tender on the inside with domed, bakery-style tops and golden crisp edges.
02. Almond Frangipane Filling
Almond frangipane is a creamy almond filling that’s often used in pastries like almond croissants, tarts, and galettes. It’s a mixture of almond flour, egg, almond extract, butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt. It bakes into a rich, nutty center that gives these muffins their signature almond croissant flavor.
03. Sliced Almonds + Powdered Sugar Dusting
Sliced almonds add a delicate crunch, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar for that classic bakery-style look.
Gather your ingredients
For the Muffins
- Unsalted butter: This recipe calls for softened butter. For quick softening, cut it into small cubes and leave it at room temperature for 15–20 minutes, or microwave in 5-second bursts until soft but not melted.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the muffins and helps create a tender crumb.
- Eggs: Make sure they’re at room temperature so they blend easily with the butter.
- Buttermilk: Keeps the muffins moist and tender, and reacts with baking powder for a nice rise.
- Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and depth to the flavor.
- All purpose flour: The base of the muffin. Spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off to avoid dense muffins.
- Baking powder: Helps the muffins rise and become light and fluffy.
- Salt: Just a pinch!
For the almond frangipane
- Almond flour: Almond flour is just finely ground almonds. You can make your own by grinding blanched almonds in a food processor or you can use a store-bought version. We recommend Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour but any brand works!
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the filling.
- Unsalted butter: The butter needs to be softened so it blends easily with the rest of the ingredients.
- Egg: Binds the ingredients together.
- Almond extract: Intensifies the almond flavor. We recommend this one.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the nutty flavors.
How to Store
- Room Temperature: Keep in an airtight container for 2–3 days.
- Freezer: Place muffins in a Ziploc freezer bag, freeze up to 3 months, then thaw or warm before serving.
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Recipe Tips
Room Temp. Ingredients: Using ingredients at room temperature helps the muffins rise properly and bake evenly. Take eggs, butter, and buttermilk out of the fridge a few hours before baking for the best results.
Don’t Overmix: Overmixing the muffin batter can result in tough and dry muffins. Mix the ingredients just until combined and no flour streaks remain.
Buttermilk: The acidity in buttermilk helps break down gluten, giving muffins a softer, more tender crumb. If you don’t have buttermilk, make a quick substitute by adding 1 tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar to 3/4 cup of milk and letting it sit for a few minutes before using.
Watch how we made them:
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Almond Croissant Muffins
Ingredients
Muffin Batter
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temp.
- 3/4 cup buttermilk room temp.*
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds for topping
- powdered sugar for topping
Almond Frangipane
- 3/4 cup almond flour sifted
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the almond frangipane ingredients until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tray with muffin liners.
- Using an electric hand mixer or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar, 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition.
- Add the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Then, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until combined.
- Spoon 1½ tbsp of batter into each muffin tin and add about 1 tbsp of almond filling. Top with another 1½ tbsp of batter, then sprinkle each muffin with 2 teaspoons of sliced almonds.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the muffins to completely cool, then dust with powdered sugar.
