Almond Croissant Shortbread Cookies have the delicious flavor of almond croissants in a bite-sized cookie! They have a simple almond filling and a crumbly shortbread top sprinkled with sliced almonds! Easily make them in a muffin pan, like my popular raspberry crumble cookies!
Tip from our reader, Karyn
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Love this recipe. Two things I will do differently would be to crush the almonds for the top and increase the filling.
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Almond croissants are my favorite bakery brunch treat, so I had to turn them into homemade cookies! If you're as in love with almond as I am, you have to try my almond sugar cookies and almond poppy seed muffins, too!
Buttery shortbread is the base of these muffin tin cookies. It gets topped with a simple almond filling and then finished with crumbly shortbread and sliced almonds!
Every once in a while I make easy homemade almond croissants using my friend Cynthia's recipe, but this cookie version hits different! It's a crumbly texture instead of flaky, and it pairs perfectly with the delicious almond filling and crunchy almonds.
With this recipe, you'll get rich, decadent flavors and textures without the need to run to your local bakery!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It doesn't require any eggs!
- Easy almond shortbread does double duty as the base of the cookie and a crumb topping.
- The homemade almond filling is just as tasty but simpler than your classic frangipane.
- These cookies with sliced almonds don't require any special equipment!
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make these melt-in-your-mouth almond shortbread cookies:
Ingredient Notes:
- Almond extract is added to the shortbread dough and the almond filling, providing almond flavor in every bite!
- Almond flour is used in the filling to add flavor and texture.
- Powdered sugar is used in the shortbread cookie dough to add sweetness and create a delicate, crumbly texture.
- Sliced almonds add flavor and crunch, but they're optional if you prefer to leave them out.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Try using real frangipane as the filling instead of making the almond filling from this recipe.
- Drizzle icing on top of the cooled cookies for added sweetness.
- Skip the sliced almonds if you don't want them or have them on hand!
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
most valuable tool
Food Scale
Weigh your ingredients using a food scale for the most accurate measurements and easy clean-up!
How to Make Almond Croissant Cookies
Step 1: For the almond filling, mix the melted butter, almond extract, almond flour, and powdered sugar. Set aside.
Step 2: To make the dough, cream together the room-temperature butter, sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
Step 3: Mix the flour and salt into the wet ingredients until combined but still crumbly.
Step 4: Press 2 packed teaspoons of shortbread cookie dough into the bottom of each muffin liner.
Step 5: Gently flatten the almond filling into small circles (1 teaspoon per cookie), and place them over the center of each cookie.
Step 6: Sprinkle the remaining cookie dough crumbs and sliced almonds on top of the filling. Bake at 350°F until the edges and tops of the cookies just start to tan.
Expert Baking Tips
- Stop mixing when the dough is combined well but still crumbly.
- Use muffin liners to make the cookies easy to remove from the pan and share.
- If the sliced almonds are large, crush them up a bit before sprinkling over the cookies.
raspberry version!
Raspberry Crumble Cookies
This recipe uses the same shortbread cookie base as my raspberry crumble cookies!
Common Questions
This is not recommended because it will change the texture of the shortbread.
Frangipane is a thick, almond custard that's common in French desserts. (It's used in almond croissants!) The filling in these cookies has a similar flavor, but it's different because I didn't want the recipe to require eggs.
Yes! These have an eggless shortbread cookie base and almond filling.
Storage
Room Temperature
Store fully cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezing Instructions
Freeze cooled cookies in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying!
📖 Recipe
Easy Almond Croissant Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
- Muffin pan filled with liners or lightly greased with butter
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Electric mixer recommended
- Spatula
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Almond Filling
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter melted
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons (16 g) powdered sugar
- 5 tablespoons (35 g) almond flour weighed in grams for best results
Shortbread Cookie Dough
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature (not overly soft or melty)
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons (23 g) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract optional
- 1⅓ cup (166.67 g) all-purpose flour weighed in grams for best results
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and fill a muffin pan with liners or lightly grease with butter.
- Make the almond filling in a small bowl by combining the melted butter, almond extract, powdered sugar, and almond flour really well. Set aside while making the shortbread.
- In a medium/large bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract really well. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Stir in the flour and salt just until combined and crumbly (see Step 3 in the instruction photos above). If you squeeze a handful of dough, it should press together like Play-doh.
- Press 2 packed teaspoons of dough into the bottom of each muffin liner. Feel free to add extra for a thicker cookie base, but leave about ¾ cup of cookie dough crumbs for topping.
- Press the almond filling into small, flat circles (about 1 teaspoon per cookie) and place it over the center of each cookie.
- Sprinkle cookie dough crumbs and sliced almonds over the top of the almond filling so that it's mostly covered.
- Bake on the middle rack of your oven until the tops and edges just barely start to tan (about 15-20 minutes).
- Let the cookies sit in the pan until they're cool and firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
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Karyn says
Love this recipe. Two things I will do differently would be to crush the almonds for the top and increase the filling.
Kayla Burton says
Thank you for sharing!! I'm so happy you like it!
Chris says
I wish I could give these more than 5 stars! Absolutely perfect