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Take plain store-bought croissants and transform them into a completely different pastry with homemade pistachio cream filling. You'll be amazed at how incredible these pistachio croissants are!
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What makes this recipe special
Most people have one or two foods they can never resist. I can easily list at least ten, one of them being croissants. Every time I visit Costco, I have to pull myself away from the cases of croissants staring at me. Fresh croissants are the best, but when you toast one of those Costco bad boys, they can be quite delicious.
Well, today, I decided to give in only because I wanted to elevate these store-bought pastries. I've tried almond and hazelnut croissants before, but how about pistachio croissants? Pistachio cream filling piped into croissants, baked to perfection, and topped with powdered sugar - sounds like a recipe for success, no?
For another delicious pistachio treat, check out this pistachio and raspberry icebox cake or baklava pudding pie!
Recipe
Pistachio Croissants
Ingredients
Pastry cream
- 2 cups milk (500 ml)
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup cornstarch (30 grams)
- ½ cup white granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 2 tablespoons butter (28 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pistachio filling
- 1 ½ cup pistachios, shelled, toasted, divided (170 grams)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (130 grams)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened (28 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 12 petite croissants
- powdered sugar for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Prepare pastry cream. Heat milk in a heavy saucepan over medium heat just until warm. Whisk together egg yolks, egg, cornstarch, and sugar. Slowly pour warm milk into eggs, whisking constantly to prevent eggs from scrambling. Pour mixture back into saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, whisking constantly. Continue to cook until thick, about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract. Transfer to clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly touching the surface. Let cool.
- Prepare pistachio filling. Process 1 cup pistachios with powdered sugar and cornstarch in a food processor until mixture resembles fine sand. Mix pistachio mixture with 2 tablespoons softened butter, egg, and pastry cream. Transfer filling to a pastry bag or large Ziploc bag with one corner cut to make an opening.
- Cut croissants in half and pipe filling inside. Spread remaining filling on top, using a spatula to evenly spread the filling. Sprinkle chopped pistachios on top. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Cook custard
Custard is one of my all-time favorite fillings for almost all desserts. For this recipe, I decided to combine classic pastry cream with pistachios to create a delicious filling.
Start by preparing the pastry cream. Mastering how to make pastry cream can be one of the handiest tools when it comes to baking. I still remember my pastry chef yelling, "Whisk! Whisk! No lumps!" as we stood over our egg and milk mixture.
You can use whole, nonfat, or 2% milk, although whole milk is the preferred choice. Whole milk has a higher fat content, which will yield a richer and creamier pastry cream.
Once the cream is ready, cover it with plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent skin from forming. You can also prepare the pastry cream the day before to give it enough time to cool.
Step 2: Make pistachio filling
Next, it's time to prepare the pistachios. Use a food processor and chop the nuts with powdered sugar and cornstarch.
The texture will look like crumbly sand when it is ready. If you have a powerful blender like a blender, this device will also work.
Mix the pistachio mix with butter, egg, and pastry cream until smooth and creamy.
Go ahead, dip your finger right into that filling. Tasty, am I right? It was at this moment that I knew that this dessert was going to be a winner.
Step 3: Fill and bake
Transfer the pistachio cream into a pastry bag and pipe it into the croissants. You can use high-quality croissants, but they are not necessary. The pistachio cream elevates any regular croissant, so you can save money and go for the store-bought version!
Spread extra filling on top and finish with a sprinkle of toasted chopped pistachios on top. It'll seem like a lot of filling, but don't worry, it'll be delicious.
If you're using regular-sized croissants, you should be able to fill 6 easily.
The croissants already look so tempting, always a good sign!
Finish the pastries by baking them in the oven at 375 degrees F for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.
I know it may seem strange that we're baking already-cooked croissants, but there's raw egg in the filling, so it has to be cooked. Also, the filling and topping will prevent the croissants from drying out, so they'll still be crispy and buttery.
Finish with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and get ready to devour these pistachio croissants.
After they have baked, the filling inside melts and spreads into all the flaky layers. These pastries were the perfect amount of sweet with just the right amount of pistachio flavor. Now try this recipe with almonds, hazelnuts, or even cashews!
Make-ahead and storage
- Make-ahead: You can fill the croissants the night before with the pistachio filling and store them in the refridgerator until ready to bake the following morning.
- Store: If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. The croissants can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
More pistachio recipes
Looking for more dishes featuring pistachios? Try these:
Work with me
All images shot and styled by Christine Ma. Available for food photography, styling, and recipe development.
sherri says
These look absolutely delish. However, I am not a pastry chef in the least. Perhaps I'll just purchase some epic/quality croissants and make the filling. Pretty sure I can handle that!
Thanks so much...drool worthy
Cherry on My Sundae says
That's exactly what I did, just buy some good quality croissants and make the filling! Easy and delicious
Scott says
Did you bake them the same time/temp even though the croissants were already baked?
Cherry on My Sundae says
Yes! This recipe is meant for already baked croissants.
Cassandra says
Should it be green?
Cherry on My Sundae says
The pistachio cream is more green before you bake it but after it's baked it changes color slightly.
Irene says
So there is raw egg in the pistachio part? I was hoping to maybe use this to do filling in a cake but will it be ok since I’m not going to rebake the cake once I spread on the pistachio cream/paste? Thanks!
Cherry on My Sundae says
Yes there's a raw egg in the pistachio filling but you bake the croissants with the filling so that egg gets cooked. I wouldn't recommend using the filling for the cake if it's not going to be baked because of the egg.
CC says
Hello! Is the cream similar to the Pisti Pistachio Cream (also from Costco)? Have you used it on their croissants? I’m sure that your homemade cream is delicious. Just curious if it’d be good enough if there’s no time or are missing necessary ingredients when you’re craving some.
Cherry on My Sundae says
I actually never tried the pisti pistachio cream so I can't say how it says in comparison to my recipe. But from reading the reviews it seems like it's more like Nutella which is thicker than this recipe. It's probably delicious on croissants but not the same as my version.
Lynne says
This is a wonderful easy recipe. Only thing I did different was made a simple syrup to put on the top of the croissants and some I did with a little chocolate drizzle. They turned out wonderful. A big hit and will make again.
Cherry on My Sundae says
The chocolate drizzle sounds amazing with the croissants! So glad you liked them.