NYC: Cronuts, 4 years of deliciousness

Can you believe the cronuts started 4 years ago?

I remember how right from the beginning I started reading posts about this new fusion between a donut and a croissant called cronut, brought by Dominique Ansel in New York City, and how the queues to get one started at 5 am with an instantly sold out. At that moment I thought how these type of food-trends news travelled now so much faster around the world; I remember how cupcakes started being a thing in Barcelona after quite many years of Magnolia being famous for Sex and the City, while the cronuts did arrived much sooner in Barcelona. Maybe a year and a half later I was able to try it for the first time here in a local pastry shop. What I thought about the Barcelona’s cronut version and the original deal in New York City couldn’t be more different though!

Our hotel was 10 minute away from Dominique’s, which resulted in quite a few visits to the bakery the rest of our stay too. On our way there we passed by this impressive graffiti of a dancer, very uplifting to start a day!

Being the foodie aficionado that we are, I like to think that destiny cutely put us, for the first time ever, at Dominique Ansel bakery’s queue on that exactly 4th anniversary.

The bakery still has queues for the first cronuts of the day, but nothing like they used to be, so don’t be afraid about it. We were there like 20-25 minutes before the opening time and got only like 10 clients before us, not bad at all. Also, if you don’t want cronuts, you can directly enter the store and get your pastries, cakes or other savoury breakfast options they offer. There is a sign where the queue should start, a few feet from the door, with some instructions. For instance, you can read that it’s only allowed to buy 2 cronuts per person so more people has the chance to try them, due to the limited kitchen space. Worth mentioning too that if you go there on a weekday around 9 or 10 (maybe later too) you’ll still be able to grab your cronut without any queue.

Can you spot me in the queue?

One of the sweetest things, even more than their cronuts *wink*, is that like 15 minutes before opening, one of the member of the Dominique Ansel crew welcomed us with some information about the cronuts and also gave us a complimentary fruit juice and a little madeleine – so spongey & perfect! – as a gift for early-birds.

Thanks to the info about the cronuts I learnt there is only one single type of cronut per month, and that they never repeat the same flavour combo ever again. That means that in those 4 years of the cronut life there have been around 48 different types of combos. Our cronut was an earl grey cream with raspberry jam and earl grey icing, yumm!

Very excited to try the monthly cronut!

Complimentary juice & madeleine.

They have good-looking cakes too if pastries are not your thing.

Our veredict? We both loved it! The texture was indeed like in a croissant, and much lighter than the ones I had tried before in Barcelona. The earl-grey cream was just perfect for a tea lover as me, giving the amount of sweetness without overtaking the pastry. It is of course a sweet eat and also eating one is more than enough for a whole breakfast appetite.

As much I loved the cronut, I think the DKA (in the pic) is what really stole my heart.

Dani checking if it fits all inside in one bit, ha! just kidding, poor hubs always putting up with my teasing.

Have you tried anything else from the bakery shop? We did! A part from the cronut, the beloved DKA and the complimentary madeleine, Dani also had the also famous Frozen S’mores. We weren’t able to try the cookie shots, because they are only available in the afternoon (sad face).

Have you ever tried Dominique Ansel bakery’s cronut? What were your thoughts about its taste and texture? Which was your monthly type of cronut?