Easy Chocolate-Almond Croissants

So, for the last oh... six years or so, I have had a bit of a dilemma. It's well established that I love chocolate. So about six years ago, I was watching one of Giada's shows and she started talking about Nutella. She said that it was a wonderful chocolate hazelnut spread that she used to spread on top of toast that she would eat in the mornings for breakfast as a child. She said it was the Italian version of peanut butter. I thought OH MY GOSH!! Where has that stuff been all my life?? So I hopped in the car and immediately went to the grocery store to buy some Nutella. 

I got home and put a slice of bread in the toaster. I opened the fresh jar of Nutella and my mouth watered. It smelled SO good! I put a smooth layer of the Nutella on the toast and took a bite... 

You won't believe what happened next...

As I was eating the toast, my tongue and throat start to tingle. I thought that was weird, but kept eating. The Nutella was so dang good! I finished the toast and by then pretty much everything was tingling, especially my lips...

A few minutes later, I went to the mirror and my lips were about 5 times their normal size and I was as red as a beet!! 

That was the day I learned I was allergic to hazelnuts- which means I'm allergic to Nutella. I've been depressed about it since that day...

Well, my depression ended last week. Just last week - when I ran across this super simple recipe for a version of a chocolate-almond spread that is baked inside of croissants. I knew I had to make them. 

And I'm so glad I did! These were so easy and so simple to make. I wish I could tell you I slaved over making those croissants, but they are good ol' Grands croissants. I've always loved them alone, but they are extra special and tasty with the chocolate-almond filling and the crispy almond topping. If you want to wow your family or special guests at breakfast, this would be a great suggestion... :)

Images by me