These Chocolate Almond Crescents are an easy take on the delicious chocolate almond croissants I had at the Boulangerie Première Moisson at the Jean-Talon Market in Montreal. I have had a hankering for those chocolate almond croissants ever since I left Canada. They were flaky and crispy on the outside, moist on the inside with the most delectable, flavorful almond paste and slightly bitter dark chocolate interior. I would move to Montreal just to have daily access to these croissants.
A leftover reminder of Christmas past is in my refrigerator…a tube of Pillsbury Crescent rolls. I bought them for my little nephews to have with Christmas dinner (they love the canned stuff), but the rolls ended up not being used. Now, they sit in the cold darkness, all lonely and perhaps a little sad that they weren’t a part of the holiday celebrations. Well, I’m about to change all that. I decided to have my own little “holiday” celebration and pretend I’m back in Montreal with this crescent roll tube, some dark chocolate chips, and some homemade almond paste. Bring on the yummy!
Homemade almond paste? Well, I made my own because I didn’t have any on hand and I didn’t want to drive to the store. I only live about 2 minutes from three stores but, once I’ve made up my mind to cook something, I would rather just get to cooking it and not waste time going to the store. Plus I thought it would be really cool to make my own almond paste 🙂
Blanched almonds are needed to make almond paste. Sometimes they are hard to find in the stores, so I make my own at home. To do this just drop the raw almonds in some boiling water for about 1-2 minutes, drain and let cool, then squeeze the skins off of the almonds using your fingers. That’s it!
To make the almond paste for this recipe: Finely chop 1/2 cup blanched almonds in a food processor, then add to it 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 tsp almond extract, and a pinch of salt. Also can add a little water to bind it together, if needed.
These are the chocolate chips I use and I love them. They are all natural and taste like chocolate should taste.
The rolls on a cooling rack right after I drizzled the melted chocolate chips over the top. I lightly drizzled them because I put a bunch of chocolate on the inside (maybe too much). I’m trying to get a even balance of chocolate to almond paste, so didn’t want to go overboard with the chocolate drizzle.
See? I wasn’t kidding. That’s a lot of chocolate! The almond paste was delicious mixed in with the chocolate.
Grab a can of crescent rolls and make these Chocolate Almond Crescents for a quick and easy snack, dessert, or breakfast!
- 1 8oz can refrigerated crescent rolls
- 4 oz almond paste homemade or store-bought
- 1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips melted, for drizzling on top of crescents (optional)
- FOR THE HOMEMADE ALMOND PASTE:
- 1/2 cup blanched almonds
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- pinch of salt
- FOR THE HOMEMADE ALMOND PASTE:
- Finely chop blanched almonds in a food processor. Add confectioner's sugar, almond extract, and pinch of salt. Process all until becomes a smooth paste. Add a little water, if needed to bind it together. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Separate crescent rolls and spread an even amount of almond paste on each one. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of almond paste and roll up each into a crescent shape.
- Place on ungreased baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Transfer to wire rack to cool. Melt extra chocolate chips in small bowl in the microwave or on top of stove in a double boiler. Take a fork and dip into chocolate, then drizzle over each cooled crescent roll.
- Eat up!!
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