Cronuts

Does everybody know what a cronut is?  A cronut is the half croissant and half donut phenomenon that has taken New York by storm thanks to a chef named Dominique Ansel.  They sell for $5 a pop and people are lined up down the street waiting to get their hands on one! So of course I had to try to make some to see what all the fuss was about. :)

Cronuts are in the shape of a donut and are fried just as a donut is; however, they have lots of layers (and butter) like a croissant does. There are many, many copy cat recipes on the internet and with some help from my bakery friends, we tried one out last week.

They are very time consuming as you have to roll out the dough and fold it several times, refrigerating it  30-45 minutes between each fold, in order to get all those delicious layers. They were pretty amazing however. Will I be making them again?  Probably not. We made a double batch of the recipe which made about 22 donuts.  There were 4 STICKS OF BUTTER in those 22 donuts.  Now, I won't tell you how many I ate, but I will tell you I was a little disturbed thinking about all that butter! LOL!

Were they kid approved?  Absolutely!!! Everyone loved them!

Even the donut holes were amazing! 

We ended up covering some in powdered sugar and some in a cinnamon sugar mixture as well.  The cinnamon sugar cronuts were voted #1 among all of us!

So if you are brave enough to digest as much butter as I did. (It really is worth it! :)  Then here's the recipe for you...

CRONUTS
Source: Food52
Makes 1 dozen

Dough: 
3/4 cups milk, warmed 
1 tablespoon active dry yeast 
1/3 cup sugar 
2 large eggs 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (divided) 
1 teaspoon salt 
1 cup butter, at room temperature 

Maple Glaze: 
1/2 cup powdered sugar 
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup 
1 to 2 tablespoons milk, cream or water

In a large bowl, stir together the milk and yeast. Stir in the sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add a cup of the flour and the salt, then gradually add another 2 1/4 cups of the flour, stirring and then kneading for a few (or several) minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic, and still a little tacky. Transfer to a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap; chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the butter and remaining 1/4 cup flour with an electric mixer for a couple minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until smooth.

When the dough has chilled, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle that is about 13″x18″ and 1/4″ thick. Spread the butter evenly over the dough, then fold it as you would fold a letter, in thirds. (Unlike a letter, the dough ends should line up, so that it’s folded in three.) Cover the dough in plastic wrap and put it back into the fridge for 30 minutes.

Pull the dough out and put it back on the countertop, with the open sides to the left and right. Roll it out into another 13″x18″ rectangle, 1/4″ thick. Fold the left third over the middle, then the right third over the middle. (This is referred to as “turns”. To keep track of each fold -or turn- press your finger into the dough at the edge to make two marks – you can do this each time you roll and fold so that you know how many times you’ve done it.) Chill the dough for another 30 minutes.

Roll, fold and refrigerate the dough two more times, so that you’ve done it four times total. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight.

Then, cut them into rounds, or rings, or scraps.

In a heavy pot (or deep fryer) heat a couple inches of oil to about 350F, or until it’s hot but not smoking, and a scrap of bread sizzles when you dip it in. Cook the doughnuts in batches, without crowding the pot (which can cool down the oil), flipping as necessary until deep golden. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towel.

Meanwhile, whisk together the icing sugar, maple syrup and enough milk, water or cream to make a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over the croissoughnuts while they’re still warm.