When I was young (like a hundred years ago) we often visited my aunt and uncle in Switzerland. It was not far, only about an hour to get there, because we lived close to the border. We typically went there early in the morning, so we could have breakfast with the whole family. It was always chaotic, but two things were always there and well organized: a sweet braided loaf and little Hazelnut Croissants – or as they call them »Nussgipfeli«, cute right? ;)
When I moved over to Switzerland myself for some years, I often bought those »gipfeli« at a close by supermarket. They were not as good as the ones my aunt had, but close. Unfortunately, I was not able to bake them at home at that time, because the kitchen of my shared apartment (I was studying at that time) was a complete disaster. I hardly made there anything but coffee in the morning, so it took quite some time for me to try baking them at home. Hope you like them as much as I do.
The little croissants are quite easy to prepare. But… you shouldn’t be afraid of yeast dough. I guess that’s a given. ;P This type of dough is actually always quite simple, if you stick to a few basic rules. In contrast to a sourdough, a simple yeast dough is much less complicated. So in case you want to give these little croissants a try, you will certainly have no problems here. You could also call the croissants »foolproof«. ;P
The only issue we have here with any type of yeast dough, is the fact, that recipes like this always take a little longer. You simply have to count in some time for the rising times. But if you start early in the morning, you don’t have to worry.
If you’ve »acquired a taste« for these croissants here, you should get some more fresh (or dried) yeast and bake even more delicious things. How about a delicious German Mohnstriezel with streusel topping, for example? You can find this type of bake in many bakeries here in Germany. Of course, if you bake it yourself at home, it’s even better! ;P If you have a bit more experience with yeast, you could also try your Spandauer Danish Pastries. The extra effort for the Danish pastry dough is 100% worth it!
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(24 pieces)
For the dough:
1/3 cup (75ml) milk, lukewarm
0.5 oz. (15g) fresh yeast
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (120g) butter, room temperature
1/8 cup (25g) sugar
pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
For the filling:
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
1/2 cup (120ml) water
1/4 cup (60g) butter
2 2/3 cups (300g) ground hazelnuts
For the decoration:
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp. heavy cream
confectioner’s sugar
(24 Stück)
Für den Teig:
75ml lauwarme Milch
1/2 Würfel (15g) frische Hefe
250g Mehl (Type 405)
120g Butter, Zimmertemperatur
25g Zucker
Prise Salz
1 Eigelb
Für die Füllung:
150g Zucker
120ml Wasser
60g Butter
300g gemahlene Haselnüsse
Für die Dekoration:
1 Eigelb
1 EL Sahne
Puderzucker
Note: The amount of filling in this recipe is a good amount – this means you can (or should) pack a lot of filling in each croissant. If you are not using that much, there will be some leftover filling which you can use as a delicious spread for your bread in the morning (you can store it for at least a week in the fridge) or you can make cupcakes like these Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes. They are made with the same filling. :)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Set aside. Heat the milk until it is lukewarm. Add the fresh yeast and stir until dissolved completely.
2. In a large bowl add the flour, butter at room temperature in small pieces, egg yolk, sugar and salt. Add the yeast milk and knead all until you get a soft and smooth dough (5-8 minutes). Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let proof in a warm place for about 1 hour. The dough should double in size.
3. For the filling, mix water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add butter and let melt. Add the ground hazelnuts and stir until u get a smooth mixture. Let cool down.
4. Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175°C). Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Knead once more for a short time and roll out to a rectangle with 12×18 inches (30x45cm). Cut into 6 stripes with 3×12 inches (7,5x30cm). Cut those stripes in half so you get 12 rectangles. Finally, cut those rectangles diagonally in half, so you get 24 triangles with two long sides and a short one. Spread some filling on each triangle and roll up from the short side to the tip so you get a nice croissant, aka. »Hörnchen«. Place on the two baking sheets.
5. Mix the egg yolk with the heavy cream. Brush the croissants with this mixture and let bake for 20 minutes. When done, take out of the oven and let cool on a rack. Dust with confectioner’s sugar before serving.
1. Zwei Backbleche mit Backpapier belegen und zur Seite stellen. Milch erwärmen, bis sie lauwarm ist. Hefe zugeben und so lange verrühren, bis sie sich komplett aufgelöst hat.
2. In eine große Schüssel das Mehl mit der weichen Butter (in kleinen Stücken), dem Eigelb, Zucker und Salz geben. Hefemilch zugeben und alles zu einem weichen, glatten Teig verkneten (ca. 5-8 Minuten). Mit einem sauberen Küchentuch abdecken und an einem warmen Ort ca. 1 Stunde gehen lassen. Der Teig sollte sich in der Grüße verdoppelt haben.
3. Für die Füllung das Wasser mit dem Zucker in einem Topf zum Kochen bringen. Butter zugeben und schmelzen lassen. Die gemahlenen Haselnüsse unterrühren, bis eine glatte Masse entsteht. Abkühlen lassen.
4. Den Ofen auf 175°C (350°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Den Teig aus der Schüssel nehmen und auf einer bemehlten Fläche platzieren. Noch einmal kurz durchkneten und dann zu einem Rechteck mit 30x45cm (12×18 inches) ausrollen. Den Teig in 6 Streifen mit 7,5x30cm (3×12 inches) schneiden. Diese Streifen halbieren und die dadurch entstandenen 12 Rechtecke diagonal halbieren. Ergebnis sind 24 Dreiecke mit zwei langen und einer kurzen Seite. Auf jedes Dreieck eine kleine Portion der Füllung geben und verstreichen. Von der kurzen Seite zur Spitze aufrollen, damit kleine Hörnchen entstehen. Auf die Backbleche legen.
5. Eigelb und Sahne verrühren. Die Hörnchen mit der Mischung bestreichen und im Ofen für 20 Minuten backen. Aus dem Ofen nehmen und auf einem Kuchengitter auskühlen lassen. Vor dem Servieren mit Puderzucker bestreuen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Hazelnut Croissants aka. Nusshörnchen
- Prep Time: 40
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 120
- Yield: 24 1x
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1/3 cup (75ml) milk, lukewarm
- 0.5 oz. (15g) fresh yeast
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter, room temperature
- 1/8 cup (25g) sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 egg yolk
For the filling
- 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) water
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter
- 2 2/3 cups (300g) ground hazelnuts
For the decoration
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp. heavy cream
- confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Set aside. Heat the milk until it is lukewarm. Add the fresh yeast and stir until dissolved completely.
- In a large bowl add the flour, butter at room temperature in small pieces, egg yolk, sugar and salt. Add the yeast milk and knead all until you get a soft and smooth dough (5-8 minutes). Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let proof in a warm place for about 1 hour. The dough should double in size.
- For the filling mix water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add butter and let melt. Add the ground hazelnuts and stir until u get a smooth mixture. Let cool down.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175°C). Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Knead once more for a short time and roll out to a rectangle with 12×18 inches (30x45cm). Cut into 6 stripes with 3×12 inches (7,5x30cm). Cut those stripes in half so you get 12 rectangles. Cut those rectangles diagonally in half so you get 24 triangles with two long sides and a short one. Spread some of the filling on each triangle and roll up from the short side to the tip so you get a nice croissant aka. “Hörnchen”. Place on the two baking sheets.
- Mix the egg yolk with the heavy cream. Brush the croissants with thix mixture and let bake for 20 minutes. When done, take out of the oven and let cool on a rack. Dust with confectioner’s sugar before serving.
Notes
- Enjoy baking!
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Hi,
I made your croissants and they are so good, but I just had way to much hazelnuts filling.I made double batch of dough and still lots of left over filling, maybe 1/3..For me, I think,will be enough half of the filling for double batch.
Thank you very much on this great recipe.
Hi – sorry to hear it did not work out well :/ I know it is a bit more than you might need, but I did not have that much left over as far as I remember – but I packed a lot of filling in each croissant….
In case there is too much: The filling works also well to fill cupcakes ;)
But will mention it in the recipe. Thxs.
Cheers,
Marc
Is it true to only have 2 C of flour but 1/2C of butter!?
Yes it’s true – would not lie to you ;)
It’s what we call here in Germany a “heavy yeast dough” with a large amount of butter.
Cheers,
Marc
Your post has just inspired me to go and make these with walnut filling :D My grandma used to make them with walnuts & poppyseeds.. mmmm!