Pistachio Croissants

A close up image on a pistachio croissant on a wooden board.

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Decadent pistachio croissants are easily made with store bought croissants filled with a rich, buttery pistachio filling and brushed with a homemade vanilla simple syrup. Garnished with chopped pistachios and powdered sugar, they’re an easy bakery style treat you can make at home.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Cooling time:5

Total Time45

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Halal

Servings: Servings

Calories: 958kcal

Author: Amira

Ingredients

Pistachio Filling

6 Store-bought croissants
1¾ cups shelled pistachios divided: 1½ cups (212 g) for grinding and ¼ cup (about 35 g) chopped for garnish
1 cup unsalted butter softened (226g)
1½ cups powdered sugar 180g
¼ cup all purpose flour 30g
4 large egg yolks about 72 g
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt

Vanilla Simple Syrup

½ cup granulated sugar 100g
½ cup water 120g
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish: Powdered sugar, optional

Instructions

Make the simple syrup

In a small saucepan add the sugar and water. Allow to come to a full rolling boil.
The sugar should dissolve and become clear. Allow to cook no more than 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and allow to cool.

Make the pistachio filling

Using a food processor, pulse 1 ½ cups of pistachios until finely ground, about the texture of almond flour, approximately 30 seconds. Don’t over-process or the pistachios could release their oils and turn it into paste.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix together the finely ground pistachio flour, softened butter, and powdered sugar. Using a gloved hand or wooden spoon mix the softened butter into the pistachios and sugar.
Add in flour, vanilla extract and salt.
Combine everything well first, and then add the egg yolks. The filling should be thick like paste, but also be able to spoon spread.

Assembling Croissants

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the croissants in half horizontally and lay on the prepared baking sheet.
Gently brush each half of the croissant’s insides with the vanilla simple syrup. Do not over-saturate. Reserve remaining syrup for garnish.
Spread the pistachio filling about ¼ inch thick over the bottom half of each croissant. For even distribution, divide the filling among all six croissants before adding any extra filling to a croissant.
Place the croissant top over the pistachio filling.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pistachio filling is set and reaches 165°F in the center. Insert an instant read thermometer through the side of the croissant into the filling.
If the croissants start to brown, loosely tent with foil while waiting for the filling to fully cook.
Once done, take out of the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Brush the remaining simple syrup over the top of the croissant and carefully push the finely chopped pistachios over the top.
Top with a sprinkle of powdered sugar before serving.

Notes

Keep in mind that croissant sizes can vary.
If you add more than ¼ inch of the filing it may take longer to bake.
The recipe can easily be halved to make 3 croissants or doubled to make 12.
Pistachio croissants are best made and served the same day. However the filling can be made the day before and kept in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Save the egg whites, they can be put into a sealable container and kept in your refrigerator for up to 3 days.
For best results, slightly day-old croissants are ideal because they can absorb the syrup without making it soggy.
Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature so it incorporates smoothly into the pistachio filling.
The finished croissants were very tender and flaky, definitely more of a knife and fork pastry.

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