Gipfeli (croissants) are everywhere in Switzerland. There are the normal Buttergipfel (plain croissants), Vollkorngipfel (wholemeal croissants), Laugengipfel (pretzel croissants) and the filled versions like Schinkengipfel (ham croissants) and sweet varieties like Nussgipfel (hazelnut croissants) and Mandelgipfel (almond croissants). If you have access to a Swiss supermarket, the Mandelgipfel is one of the quickest baked treats ever. You only need two ingredients and it takes less than five minutes to make them (plus baking). So easy!
You probably won’t find the shop bought filling for these croissants outside of Switzerland, but the jar with the filling doesn’t need to be stored in the fridge, so it makes a great present for a fellow baker if you travel abroad.
Recipe (for 8 almond croissants)
- 1 jar of Mandel-Backmasse (available in Coop and Migros, about 350g)
- 1 ready-made puff pastry (round, 32cm diameter)
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
Method
Cut the puff pastry into 8 pieces. Put a walnut-sized piece of the Mandel-Backmasse onto each piece.
Brush the pointy end of each piece with a little water. Roll up the dough, twist the ends and squeeze them a little. Puff pastry gets warm and soft quickly, so you need work fast.
Bake in the middle of the oven at 220 C until the dough is slightly browned – this will take 20-25 minutes depending on your oven.
Once cooled down, sprinkle the croissants with the icing sugar. Alternatively, mix 3 tbsps of icing sugar with 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice and brush the still warm croissants with this icing.
Mandelgipfel are best enjoyed on the same day.
Hello, is there an easy way of adapting this recipe for Schoggigipfeli? For instance, if I just dab a spoonful of Nutella, or insert a piece of chocolate bar, into the dough, fold and bake as instructed above, would the results resemble what I’d get from a Swiss bakery? Essentially, is it possible to make really good Schoggigipfeli with store-bought dough? What’d I have to do to make it extra buttery, more like a pain au chocolat? Hope you see this and thank you for this blog!
Yes sure that should work!