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These Cheater Cronuts are a cross between a doughnut and a croissant. It takes New York bakeries days to make the originals, but you can make them homemade in minutes!
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If you’ve visited New York City in the last couple of years you have probably heard of Cronuts. If not, here’s the story: the Cronut was created by pastry chef Dominique Ansel in his bakery in SOHO. Basically, it’s a cross between a croissant and a doughnut, usually tossed in cinnamon sugar or and filled. To get an original Cronut be prepared to stand in line for possibly hours as soon as the bakery opens. Making one yourself isn’t any easier; Dominique Ansel actually released his secret recipe in his cookbook and it’s a grueling three day process. I think he figured not many people would be crazy enough to attempt it! I definitely don’t have time for that. Hence, our version of the “cheater” Cronut.
Ingredients in Cronuts
Believe it or not, the ingredients for these cronuts are simple and easy to find in your regular grocery store! Here’s all you need:
For the Cronuts
- Vegetable oil – you’ll want good quality vegetable oil, and enough to fill a deep fryer or large sauce pan.
- Crescent rolls or puff pastry sheets – two cans of Pillsbury crescent roll dough works great. You can find them in the refrigerator section or near the dairy aisle.
Coating Options
- Powdered sugar – use it to dust on top of the cronut.
- Cinnamon and sugar – also an option for coating the cronut. Whisk about a teaspoon of cinnamon together with about a quarter cup of sugar.
- Chocolate – optional, but delicious for drizzling over the cronuts or for dipping.
Filling Options:
- Vanilla pudding – or chocolate, butterscotch any flavor you like.
- Caramel – this makes a delicious filling or a dipping sauce
- Raspberry preserves – or try any of your favorite jam or jelly.
“Cheater” Cronuts
Okay okay, this cheater version is probably not better than the original but it’s still really delicious! Our cheater cronuts are flaky layers of light pastry, golden brown, with delicious fillings and sugary coatings. Because this version comes together quickly, you can make several batches with different fillings and toppings to make each one unique.
Donut vs. Cronut
They may look similar from the outside, but inside the textures are completely different. Donuts are generally a bit more dense, and well, doughy. Cronuts are much lighter and flakier with the texture of puff pastry dough. However, both donuts and cronuts can be made in the same donut shapes with a donut cutter. You can also fold dough in a rectangle or triangle shape tucking the seams underneath. They can also both be topped with glaze, frosting, a sprinkle of powdered sugar, or cinnamon.
Tips for Making Cheater Cronuts
- Use a donut cutter to make a donut shape, or just leave them as a rectangle. You can also use a rolling pin to get the dough in a perfect shape. Use a little bit of all purpose flour to create a better work surface.
- Fry cronuts in canola oil that is 350 degrees. Use a food thermometer to test the oil.
- After the cronuts are fried, lay them on a baking sheet lined with paper towels or a sheet pan with parchment paper to add your toppings.
- Store leftovers tightly covered. You can pop them in the freezer for another day!
Topping and Filling Ideas
- Use a pastry piping bag to gently fill the cronut with vanilla pudding, caramel sauce, raspberry jam or any kind of jam you like.
- Make a simple glaze with powdered sugar, lemon juice, and a splash of buttermilk.
- Dip in powdered sugar or just give it a light dusting.
- Dip in a cinnamon and granulated sugar mixture.
- In a small bowl, melt milk or white chocolate chips in the microwave. Stir in between melting sessions, about thirty seconds each time. Add a dash of heavy cream if you like. Spoon over cronuts to create a chocolate coating.
- Make a lemon glaze with powdered sugar, milk and lemon juice.
Make It A Meal
If you’re looking to round out the cronut (as in make this feel a little more healthy) you can always pair it with our delicious Peaches and Cream Oatmeal Smoothie and call it breakfast. Or have the cronut on the side of some of our Easy Breakfast Casserole. Either way it’s delicious!
How to Store Leftover Cronuts
- Make sure the cronuts are completely cooled before storing.
- Place any leftover cronuts in an airtight container, making sure there’s enough room in between each one so they don’t get squished.
- To keep cronuts from sticking together, line the bottom of the container or layers of cronuts with parchment paper.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to three days. You can freeze them as well! They freeze nicely for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in a warm oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
A cronut is more like a croissant than a doughnut. It shares the same shape as a doughnut but instead of the doughy texture, it has a crispy exterior and soft and airy in the middle.
Day one consists of mixing the dough, then letting it ferment and rest overnight. Day two, butter is incorporated, and hundreds of sheets of dough are layered together on plastic wrap before the dough rests again. On day three, the dough is cut, formed into the Cronut shape, and left to ferment again. See why we like this cheater version?
Comparing a butter croissant to a glazed donut ounce-to-ounce, calories, carbohydrates, fiber, and fat are about the same. Croissants may have slightly more protein, but also contain more saturated fat than donuts.
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How To Make Cheater Cronuts
Cheater Cronuts
Ingredients
- vegetable oil (enough to fill a deep fryer or large sauce pan)
- 2 cans crescent rolls or sheets
Options for coating:
- powdered sugar
- cinnamon and sugar
- chocolate
Options for fillings:
- vanilla pudding
- caramel
- raspberry preserves
Instructions
- Heat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees or in a saucepan over the stove on medium. Open crescent roll cans and roll out.
- Pinch together the diagonal lines so you have 4 rectangles if using crescent rolls. If using crescent sheets, this step isn't necessary.
- For square shaped cronuts, stack all 4 rectangles on top of each other then cut in half so you have 8 squares. Cut a hole in the middle of each square to make 8 square cronuts.
- For donut shaped cronuts, use a donut cutter or cookie cutter to cut the dough into the shape of donuts. First cut the large circle, then a small circle in the center for a traditional circular cronut.
- Once the oil has reached 350 degrees, carefully place the cronut dough into the fryer. Fry until it is nice and golden on the first side then flip and fry the other side. Remove from oil and place them on a rack or paper towels to drain excess grease.
- Let them cool at least five minutes before adding filling or coatings. See ideas for fillings and toppings in post above.
- If you have a kitchen tool that you can use to inject pastries with fillings you can make 4 holes along the bottom and add filling. If you want to take the easy route, just cut the cronut in half and pipe the filling into the sides using a plastic baggie with a hole cut out of one corner.
- You can toss the cronut in sugar or top with chocolate sauce. Pictured here: A raspberry filled cronut tossed in powdered sugar, a plain cronut with vanilla glaze and sprinkles, a pudding filled cronut with chocolate topping.
Notes
- Use a donut cutter to make a donut shape, or just leave them as a rectangle. You can also use a rolling pin to get the dough in a perfect shape. Use a little bit of all purpose flour to create a better work surface.
- Fry cronuts in canola oil that is 350 degrees. Use a food thermometer to test the oil.
- After the cronuts are fried, lay them on a baking sheet lined with paper towels or a sheet pan with parchment paper to add your toppings.
- Store leftovers tightly covered. You can pop them in the freezer for another day!
- Nutrition does not include fillings or toppings.
It was simple easy and delicious. Pillsbury crescent rolls has a whole sheet of dow that has no cuts on it and it works great! Loved it. Made me look like a pro.
Dough. Oops sorry.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
These Cheater Cronuts were outstanding–pinned to save the recipe.
I love the name and that they are so easy to make. Lots of choices for fillings and toppings. Yummy!
These cronuts are incredible! We’ve made them several times and they turn out perfectly every time!
I want these right now! They look so amazing. Going to try them out this weekend.
Just looking at these is making my tummy rumble! I can’t wait to make them this weekend!
Have you tried this by baking the Cronut rather than frying ? I want to try this recipe, but don’t want the extra calories that come from frying.
I haven’t but you definitely could! Let me know how they turn out!
How many do you get out of the 2 containers of croissant’s?
It makes 4 or 6, depending on the way that you make them (square or round).
I would really like to have the original recipe if at all possible please 🙂
Here you go: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe/home-cronut-recipe-dominique-ansel-25948902
These look delicious and so simple to make! (I’ve been making “donuts” from canned biscuits for over 40 years, especially when my children were young) and I LOVE THAT NYC PHOTO……..I would so love a copy of it! I, too, <3 NYC!!
Does the dough from the rolls stick to itself, or do you need to press it down hard to keep it all in one piece? Also, does this just taste like a scone? That what it seems like… I’d be interested to taste a cronut to see what all the rage is about.
They stuck together fine, when I cut out the center hole it sealed them together. It tastes different than a scone, more flaky.
I would love to see a tutorial on this one. I’m a bit confused.
Couldn’t you leave it as a full square or circle and not cut the hole in the middle, then fill it? I guess then it may be more like a bismark or like the jelly filled donuts.
I think you answered your own question, lol! Yes, it would taste the same, but look less like a cronut. Thank you for your comment!