Easy, Legit, Epic Cronuts

I love croissants. But I’m one of those annoying croissant snobs. I won’t eat just any and I seldom order them at restaurants because I have little faith that they’ll be done properly. Which is why I was pretty damn hesitant to try the frozen ones from Trader Joes. My husband’s family would make frozen croissants for the holidays though, and I bought them to try to carry on the croissant tradition. And holy shit. These were the best croissants I’ve had in America… and they were from frozen! You proof the dough overnight and then bake them up in the morning. So fresh. So good.

Cronuts, Make Ya Go Nuts

So, enter my husband. (That’s what she said.) He was impressed by how easy it was to make donuts from biscuits like I did for my Dexter’s Blood Spattered Donuts and he suggests I use this dough to try to make an easy version of the cronut.

Wait, what’s that?

There is this amazing creation. It’s called the CRONUT. Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City has been making these ridiculously elaborate and delicious monstrosities and people wait in line for them for freaking hours. Don’t live in NYC? Don’t have time for that shit?

Other bakeries are starting to make them too. But, for example, there is one in Philadelphia with a waiting list. Still don’t have time for that shit? Make them at home, right?

You Google the recipe. There are quite a few out there. But guess what? Croissants are complicated as shit to make. Dough, butter, folding, layering. It’s pretty labor intensive especially if you don’t have a machine. So you want a shortcut recipe, right?

So you Google the shortcut recipe. People tell you to fry up crescent roll dough. Um. Have you guys tried crescent rolls? I mean, they are fine for what they are, but they aren’t even in the same ballpark as a croissant. And, enter my croissant-snobbery, especially not the same ballpark as a GOOD one. So… you see what I’m saying. It’s not gonna work.

So here we go. Easy as shit. Deliciouser than all get out. The absolute best shortcut cronut recipe you’ll be able to find.

Epic, Legit, Easy Cronuts

Easy, Legit, Epic Cronuts
1 package Trader Joe’s frozen croissants
oil for frying

Ingredients for Buttermilk Glaze
¼ cup buttermilk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Special Equipment
a hole poking device (I used a ⅞ in. round cookie cutter.)

In short: let them rise, poke holes in them, fry them, glaze them. Details below.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out your croissants. Let sit overnight.

Wake up, make a cup of coffee. Stretch and yawn. Look at how light and puffy your croissants are. Be super gentle when you handle them. But using your cutter, pop holes in the center of all of them.

Heat your oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Test one of your cronut holes to make sure your temperature is good. Fry your cronuts. You don’t need long, 1-2 minutes, flip it, 1-2 minutes more. Should be a nice golden brown.

When they are done, lay them out on paper towels to drain out excess oil.

Whisk together your buttermilk, vanilla and powdered sugar till smooth. Drizzle over cooled cronuts.

Eat them, share them, freak everyone out. They are so light, flaky, delicious, ridiculous.