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Carrot Cake Croissants

Buttery and flaky croissants filled with a carrot cake frangipane and topped with a cream cheese frosting and chopped pecans!
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 4 Croissants
Author Olivia Lam

Ingredients

For the Simple Syrup

  • 1/4 cup Water
  • 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar

For the Croissants

  • 4 Croissants
  • 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)
  • 2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 1 Large Egg
  • ¼ tsp Vanilla Extract
  • ¼ tsp Almond Extract
  • ½ tsp Lemon Zest
  • ¼ cup Finely Grated Carrots (use small grater holes)
  • ½ cup Almond Flour
  • ¼ tsp Kosher Salt
  • ¾ tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp Ground Ginger
  • ⅛ tsp Ground Nutmeg
  • ½ cup Roughly Chopped Pecans

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)
  • 3 oz Cream Cheese (at room temperature)
  • ¼ tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1¼ cups Powdered Sugar

Instructions

For the Simple Syrup:

  • Add the water and sugar to a small pot. Heat over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and set the syrup aside to cool.

For the Croissants:

  • Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Slice the croissants in half and arrange them onto the prepared baking sheet. Set the top halves aside.
  • In a large bowl, add in the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars together until creamy and fluffy. Mix in the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract until well combined. Then mix in the lemon zest, grated carrot, almond flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Mix until everything is incorporated.
  • Brush the insides of the tops and bottoms of the croissants with the simple syrup. Transfer the carrot cake filling into a piping bag. Pipe some of the filling onto the bottom croissants. Then top with the top halves. Spread a thin layer of the remaining filling onto the tops of the croissants. Sprinkle half of the chopped pecans on top.
  • Bake the croissants in the oven for about 18-20 minutes until the paste has dried and the croissants are crispy on the outside. When they're done, remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool for about 10 minutes until slightly warm.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • Add the butter and cream cheese to a bowl. Cream the two together until they are well combined. Then add in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Mix until the powdered sugar has been fully incorporated.
  • Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and pipe a layer of it onto the tops of the croissants. Top it with the remaining chopped pecans and enjoy!

Notes

*Croissants are best eaten when slightly warm. To store and reheat:
  • Allow the croissants to cool completely
  • Do not top the any croissants that will be stored with frosting.
  • Store the croissants and cream cheese frosting separately in airtight containers. Keep the frosting in the fridge.
  • When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 400˚F.
  • While the oven preheats, remove the frosting from the fridge to allow it to soften.
  • Loosely wrap the croissants in foil and place them onto a baking sheet. Bake for about 8 minutes. 
  • Top with frosting and enjoy!