One of my favorite treats served with coffee or tea in Morocco are Almond Croissants. Depending on the bakery, these might be sold as croissants aux amandes, croissants aux creme d'amandes or even simply croissants fourrés. Whatever the exact name, they are delicious – plain croissants are stuffed with a rich almond cream filling known as crème d'amandes. This filling might be used as-is, or mixed with pastry cream for a lighter, creamier texture. The croissants are dipped in a light syrup, topped with some of the filling, and then baked.
Traditionally French bakeries used this method to give new life to day-old croissants, but Almond Croissants can also be prepared using fresh croissants, either store-bought or made from scratch with this Basic Croissant Recipe.
A Moroccan bakery might have its own signature variation of preparing Croissants aux Amandes. Some follow French tradition and press the filled croissant quite flat before baking; some add a little orange flower water to the syrup glaze or filling; some top the croissants only with syrup and chopped almonds; others decorate the croissants in the traditional manner with some filling, sliced almonds and powdered sugar.
