Home > Desserts > Cronut Cronut December 18, 2020 | 6 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. You won’t believe how simple it is to make Cronuts from the comfort of your home. Thanks to a store-bought shortcut, you can have these flaky, tender, and sweet croissant-donut pastries in 35 minutes or less! There’s nothing like a fresh cronut paired with a cup of hot chocolate or a pumpkin spice steamer. What is a Cronut? These pastries are a viral sensation hybrid of a croissant and donut that was invented by a New York City pastry chef, Dominique Ansel. He created it while working in a bakery in France and the treat was later brought to NYC and sold in his bakeries there. Cronuts are made with croissant-like dough and resembles a donut. Ansel’s original Cronuts are injected with flavored cream, rolled in sugar, and then glazed. Cronut Versions The first time I came across a cronut was when we lived in Perth, Australia about 6 years ago. There was an incredible pastry shop near our apartment and after randomly ordering a “Cronut” one day (without knowing what it was), I could never order another thing. The obsession was real! Several mornings a month, I’d push my (then) baby in a stroller to the shop, grab a couple of cronuts, and we’d enjoy them at the park. I still dream about those cronuts! The cronuts we enjoyed in Perth did not have cream or a glaze — the fried croissant dough was simply rolled in cinnamon sugar. While I have a delicious glaze recipe included with this recipe, my favorite way to enjoy Cronuts is by simply tossing the cronut in a cinnamon-sugar mixture. “Cheater” Cronuts Recipe Dominique Ansel actually released his famous Cronut recipe in his cookbook, Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes. That recipe, however, takes a total of 3 days to make since the dough needs long rest (laminating) periods. While making made-from-scratch Cronuts is a project I’d certainly like to tackle someday, it doesn’t feel especially practical right now with three little kiddos. But necessity is the mother of invention and in my quest to enjoy Cronuts from the comfort of my own home, we use a store-bought shortcut — puff pastry dough! I use this puff pastry dough in several recipes — as a topper for Chicken Pot Pie Soup, in these Toaster Strudels, and these Apple Turnovers. The dough is insanely delicious and makes preparing these Cronuts a cinch. You won’t believe how fast they come together! QUICK TIPPuff pastry dough can sometimes be tricky to find in the grocery store — use your grocery store locating app if you have one! Typically puff pastry dough is in the frozen aisle of the grocery store. Check the dessert section first — usually next to frozen baked goods and pies. Be sure to read the directions on the package for properly thawing the dough before using it in this recipe. What does a Cronut taste like? The dough tastes light and flaky like a croissant. But since each donut contains three layers of puff pastry dough, it also has a nice donut-like density. Rolling the hot fried cronuts in cinnamon sugar and glazing them adds another donut-like element. Cronuts are sweet, flaky and sugary. This short cut recipe is going to blow you away — so easy and so much flavor! Equipment I use While the only product I think completely necessary is a thermometer of some sort, the products listed below do make things easier. Here’s what I use in our Cronut creations: We love this Deep Fryer! It makes frying incredibly easy and far less messy than using a pot– thanks to the deep fryer lid. It also ensures the temperature stays consistent (you can set a temperature and forget about it!), which is important for evenly frying. If you don’t have a deep fryer, you’ll want a heavy bottomed pot and candy thermometer to gauge the temperature of the oil and ensure it maintains the right heat throughout frying. To cut out the donuts you’ll need some kind of biscuit cutting set. You’ll want one large cutter that goes as wide as the puff pastry dough (about 2-1/2 inches wide) and a small one for the center of the dough that is about 1-1/2 inches wide. Tips For This Recipe Number One tip: Use a candy thermometer to gauge the temperature of the oil; I mentioned this already, but I do think this is the most important key to success. Knowing the oil temperature is crucial for the perfectly cooked Cronut. Only fry 3-4 cronuts at a time. If the oil is overcrowded with dough, it will lower the oil temperature. Roll the fried cronuts in the cinnamon-sugar mixture immediately after draining off excess oil; otherwise, the sugar won’t stick. Troubleshooting Why are my Cronuts raw inside? Most problems are caused by the oil being too hot. If the dough is underdone (or even raw), but golden brown on the outside, the oil temperature needs to be lowered. I highly recommend using a candy thermometer. Frying the dough is a cinch with a thermometer. It lets you know if you need to adjust the heat when frying. I can’t recommend a thermometer enough when gauging oil temperature. Why are my Cronuts chewy? This means they most likely need to cook longer to get that crispier exterior. That said, if cooking longer will burn the outside, this means the oil temperature needs to be lowered. See above. Why are my Cronuts too crispy or brittle? This is most likely because the dough was over-cooked. Either cook them for less time or lower the oil temperature. More dessert recipes to love Churros with two dipping sauces Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread with a glaze Apple Fritter Bread with a cinnamon-sugar filling Miniature Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes with a graham cracker crust Cinnamon Roll Cookies with cream cheese frosting FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Cronuts 5 from 4 votes - Review this recipe You won't believe how simple it is to make a Cronut from the comfort of your home. Thanks to a store-bought shortcut you can have these flaky, tender, and sweet croissant-donut pastries in 30 minutes or less! SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Cronuts 5 from 4 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe You won't believe how simple it is to make a Cronut from the comfort of your home. Thanks to a store-bought shortcut you can have these flaky, tender, and sweet croissant-donut pastries in 30 minutes or less! Course Breakfast, Dessert Cuisine American Keyword cronut Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 5 minutes Chilling Time 20 minutes Total Time 35 minutes Servings 6 large cronuts and 6 donut holes Calories 198kcal Author Chelsea Lords Cost $4.81 IngredientsCronuts▢ 1 package (17.3 oz.) puff pastry dough See Note 1▢ Flour for work surface▢ 1 gallon (3.78L) vegetable or canola oil See Note 2▢ 2 large eggs▢ 1/2 cup white, granulated sugar▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamonGlaze▢ 1/2 cup powdered sugar▢ 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter very soft▢ 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup▢ 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamonUS - Metric USMetric InstructionsPUFF PASTRY DOUGH: Follow package directions to thaw the dough. If using the Pepperidge Farms dough, there should be 2 sheets per package. Lightly flour a flat working surface. Unfold the two sheets of dough (do not roll it out or press it down) and place them on a lightly floured surface. OIL: Pour oil into a deep fryer or heavy-bottomed deep pot (See Note 2). Use a candy thermometer to gauge heat or set the deep fryer to 350 degrees (it should beep or alert you with a light when it has reached temperature). It's very important to monitor the heat constantly -- too hot and the cronuts will be burned on the outside and raw/doughy inside and too cool they will end up overly chewy.PREPARE AND CHILL DOUGH: Crack both eggs into a small bowl. Briskly whisk the eggs with a fork. Using a pastry brush, brush both of the puff pastry dough sheets with the egg wash (just one side). Then fold up each sheet of dough in thirds (like a letter and how you removed it from the packaging). Place in the freezer for 20 minutes.CUT OUT DONUTS: Using donut or pastry cutters, cut out large cronuts. We use a 2-1/2 cutter to get 3 cronuts per sheet of puff pastry. Use a 1-1/2-inch cutter to cut out the center of each cronut. Repeat with the other sheet of puff pastry dough for a total of 6 cronuts and 6 donut holes. You can also save scraps of the dough and fry that up to avoid wasting the dough.FRY: Place the doughnuts in the hot oil and fry for 5 minutes, flipping every 1 and 1/2 minutes with a fork, until each side has puffed up and is a nice golden brown, for a total of 5 minutes (make sure to monitor the heat and ensure it is constantly at 350 degrees F). Use a slotted spoon to remove the donuts from the oil and place on a plate lined with a few paper towels. Repeat until all the donut and donut holes have been fried.CINNAMON SUGAR: Meanwhile, with a spoon, stir together the white sugar and cinnamon until combined. Using tongs or two forks (the donuts are hot straight out of the fryer), transfer the hot donuts from the paper towel-lined plate into this bowl. Gently spoon cinnamon sugar over the donuts and rotate with a fork until generously coated. Enjoy now or add a glaze (see next step).GLAZE (OPTIONAL): Whisk together the glaze ingredients. If glaze is too thick, add more maple syrup (or milk) 1 teaspoon at a time. Microwave the glaze for 5-10 seconds or until thin enough for dipping. Gently dip the donuts into the glaze or drizzle over the donuts (sometimes the cinnamon sugar keeps the glaze from adhering as nicely). Let set for a minute and then enjoy! Cronuts are best enjoyed hot and fresh out of the fryer after being coated in sugar and/or glazed! Video Recipe NotesNote 1: We love Pepperidge Farm's® puff pastry dough. Typically you can locate it in the frozen aisle of the grocery store. Check the dessert section first -- usually next to frozen baked goods and pies. Be sure to read the directions on the package for properly thawing the dough before using in this recipe. Puff pastry dough is spendy, but a package costs about what 1-2 store-bought cronuts will cost you at a bakery! Note 2: The quantity of oil as stated in the recipe is how much oil we use to fill up our deep fryer. If using a pan, you can easily get away with less (1-2 quarts). The amount of oil you'll need depends on how big/wide/tall your pot is. You want the oil to fill about 1/3 of the pot. The original cronut recipe is fried in grapeseed oil, but we use vegetable or canola. Note: Nutritional information does not include the oil used for frying. Nutrition FactsServing: 1serving | Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 108IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
I’m using this recipe tonight at the restaurant I work at. I don’t have a fryer at home so I haven’t tried it yet. I’ll let you know how it went. Reply
These are so good and easy! I can see how not having a fryer would make someone not want to try them. It was super easy at the restaurant cause they had the fryers ready. All the staff loved them. One waitress said she could eat 5 of them. Thanks for the recipe. I love the Pepperridge Farms Pastry sheets so I’m going to try another one of your recipes that uses them. Reply
I made these tonight with friends and they are fantastic. We used an enamel cast iron Dutch oven Reply
