Go Back

Vegan Almond Croissant Bars

Take the inside of an almond croissant and make it a dessert bar! These almond frangipane bars are thick, creamy, and unapologetically almond-forward. No one would guess that they're secretly vegan, gluten-free, and packed with protein from legumes.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings: 16 bars
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: French
Calories: 231
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Base layer
  • 1 cup almond flour, blanched
  • ½ cup almond butter *see notes
  • 1 can cannellini beans, no salt added reserve liquids
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 1 ½ tsp almond extract
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
Frangipane Layer
  • ½ cup almond flour blanched
  • ½ cup almond butter *
  • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 3 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp almond extract
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • ¼ cup liquid from canned cannellini beans
Topping
  • ¼ cup sliced almonds
  • 2 tbsp powdered sugar

Equipment

  • 8x8 square baking dish
  • Parchment paper
  • Food processor or high speed blender

Method
 

Base Layer
  1. ALMOND BUTTER: if making almond butter from scratch (to get that classic golden hue), start by adding 2 ½ to 3 cups of blanched almond flour to a blender. Process on high until it turns into a smooth butter. This may take upwards of 5-8 minutes. Be patient, and pause the blender to scrape down the sides as needed. You need 1 cup of almond butter for this recipe, divided into two half cup portions (½ cup for base and ½ cup for frangipane).
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder.
  3. Add the drained cannellini beans and ½ cup almond butter to a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
  4. Add the almond extract and vanilla extract to the wet mixture and pulse a few times to incorporate.
  5. Make a well in the dry ingredients. Add the maple syrup and wet mixture to the well and fold everything together to fully incorporate.
  6. Pour the base layer in a parchment paper lined 8x8 baking dish.
Frangipane Layer
  1. In a medium bowl, add the applesauce, almond extract, and coconut sugar. Whisk to incorporate.
  2. Add ½ cup of almond butter and whisk vigorously.
  3. Whisk in ¼ cup reserved water from the can of cannellini beans.
  4. Fold in the almond flour and salt.
Assemble and Bake
  1. Drop the frangipane in large dollops overtop the base layer. Spread with a spatula to create an even layer.
  2. Top with a layer of sliced almonds.
  3. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, then increase the heat to 375 and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for at least 10 minutes.
  4. Dust the tops of the bars with powdered sugar.
  5. Slice and enjoy!

Notes

* to achieve that light yellow hue reminiscent of almond frangipane, I recommend you make your own almond butter from the blanched almond flour. No extra ingredients required, so long as you have enough almond flour. Store-bought almond butters typically roast the almonds skin-on, which means your frangipane bars will turn out dark brown. If color isn’t a deal-breaker for you, feel free to use your favorite store-bought almond butter. Trader Joe’s creamy almond butter is my go-to!