Going nuts over cronuts

Photo by Christy Prust

These pastries are starting what some call a revolution.

Brooke Thingvold

Why choose between a croissant and a doughnut when you can have both? A cronut is just that, a hybrid of a doughnut and a croissant.

Cronuts were claimed to be invented by chef  Dominique Ansel, although many chefs around the country claim to have been making the tasty treats for years. The pastries could originally be found in New York at Dominique Ansel Bakery. However, they have now made their way around the country, including the Twin Cities as of June 7.

Cronuts have become so popular that the pastry has its own website, www.Cronut.org where cronut lovers can join the movement. Some bakeries are giving their Cronuts another name.

According to Cynthia Gerdes, the co-owner of Angel Food Bakery+ Coffee in Minneapolis, this is because there is drama in the bakery world. Gerdes said, “That NYC pastry chef has decided to trademark the name cronuts.”

Ansel has not yet received a trademark on the name. At this point, he has only applied for a trademark of the cronut.

Gerdes added, “ The guy got his panties in a knot demanded that nobody even come close to their ‘trademarked’ name.”

So, at Angel food bakery, they call the cronuts “Dough-naparts” to stay out of the drama.

Gerdes said, “ We just changed to the term Andrew Zimmern gave it.”

Zimmern, a popular TV host recently visited the bakery and he loved their fresh take on the pastry.

Zimmern named the episode on his show “ a batch made in heaven”.

Many people are happy the cronut has made its way to Minnesota, while others are somewhat skeptical.

Junior Miranda Carlson said, “I don’t mind them coming here, but they don’t need their own movement.”

Although cronuts seem to be just a fancy doughnut, it actually takes a lot to make the treat.

“Its a 3-day process, and the end result has about 130 buttery layers” Gerdes added, “heart attack on a plate, but everyone is smart enough to realize these are occasional decadent treats.”

Many recipes to make cronuts at home have appeared online as the movement continues, but the process is so long and labor intensive that most people find it easier to go to a bakery to get the treat.

Aside from all of the drama that has come with the newly popular pastry, cronuts are becoming a sensation around the country.