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DIY Cronut Recipe

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March 2, 2021

Yes, you read that right. A cronut is a combination of the two most amazingly delicious pastries in the world: the croissant and the donut. This craze came about in NYC and took the city by storm overnight. The newest breakfast/dessert fusion food was first introduced by Dominique Ansel Bakery in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood a couple weeks ago. He made 50 and they sold out quicker than a 1997 Spice Girls concert. The next morning there was a line outside and the cronut craze was born. Unfortunately, I don’t have the extra cash + time to fly to NYC and wait in line for 2+hours for my chance at scoring a cronut. (Btdubz, people are selling these things on Craigslist for like $50 and higher. For realz.) So I decided to try my hand at making my own. And after much trial and error (but is there really ever “error” when cronuts are involved?), I must say, it ended up being delish. Here’s how I did it.

DIY cronut recipe

You’ll need:

  • A deep fryer or deep pot
  • A baking sheet
  • A kitchen thermometer that measures up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Canola Oil
  • Frozen Puff Pastry (precut or sheets, both work fine)
  • Brown Sugar
  • Cinnamon
  • One Egg
  • Confectioner’s Sugar
  • Vanilla Almond Milk (you could also use regular milk and a dash of vanilla extract instead)

 

Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (optional).

Step 2: Defrost the puff pastry and unroll it or take out the precut shapes. If you are using sheets, you’ll need to cut it into two pieces.

Step 3: Crack the egg into a bowl and whisk it. Now spread a little bit of egg on half of your puff pastry. Place the other half on top of the egg-washed half and roll it with the rolling pin (roll a lot if using sheets and a little if using precut pieces). If you’re using sheets, repeat this process about five times by cutting the sheet in two (or folding), egg washing it, and rolling it to a larger, flatter shape. This is creating the layers of the cronut.

Step 4: Cut the dough into donut shapes. I used a cup and the cap of the canola oil to cut my donuts and holes, respectively. Place the donut shaped dough into the fridge.

DIY cronut recipe

Step 5: To make the glaze, place the confectioner’s sugar in a bowl and mix it with the milk. Use 4-5 tablespoons of milk for every four cups of sugar. Place the brown sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl and mix together.

Step 6: Pour the canola oil into the deep fryer or pot and turn to medium heat. It takes a while to heat up.

Step 7: Place the donuts on the baking sheet (holes do not need to be baked) and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 20-minutes or until a warm golden color. If you want a doughier center (kind of like a beignet) you can skip the baking process, but the results aren’t really a cronut, even if it is incredibly delicious.

Step 8: Deep fry the donuts and their holes (two donuts and holes at a time, max). As soon as they begin to float in the oil, turn them over. Fry for about two minutes or until a golden brown color.

Step 9: Place the warm donuts on a napkin lined plate to soak up excess oil. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze on top of the cronut. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon. If you want to make it extra decadent, use a pastry bag with a pointed tip to insert your choice of cream filling before adding the glaze.

DIY cronut recipe

DIY cronut recipe

And that’s it! You now have your very own cronut. I recommend eating these yummy treats within a few hours, but if you want to make them ahead of time, bake them first and then fry + glaze them right before serving.

What do you think about this hybrid pastry? Have you ever tried a cronut?

Photos by Johnny Cheng Photography

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