PHOTO CREDIT: NATALIE HABER
By Negeen Amirieh
As Chapman sophomore Caroline Roffe pushes open the door to the Friendly Donuts shop, the sweet aroma of donuts fills the air and the bitter coffee scent is dominated by the smell of sugar. The cashier asks, “What can I get for you today?” Roffe looks at the options: chocolate, glazed, sprinkles donut or that odd flakey treat with filling?
She just knew.
“A cronut please,” Roffe said.
A cronut is a pastry that is a combination of a croissant and a donut. It has the airy flakey quality of a croissant and the fried goodness of a donut. After attempting 10 different recipes, the cronut was invented by Chef Dominique Ansel, then trademarked in New York City by the Dominique Ansel Bakery and is now sold throughout the United States.
“A cronut has layers of butter and the crispy texture of a croissant that a classic donut doesn’t have,” said Adam Vaun, owner of DK’s Donuts in Orange.
The part croissant and part donut is made with croissant pastry dough and fried like a donut. It is made with loads of butter along with multiple layers that are injected with a syringe-like pastry tip, glazed on top. The cronuts are then soaked in grapeseed oil for 30 seconds, rather than safflower or peanut oil that classic donuts are fried in. This process leaves the outer layer crunchy and the inner layers soft and doughy.
“It's like French delicacy and American junk food rolled into one delicious dessert,” said Roffe, a sophomore broadcast journalism major.
Donuts have always been a trendy treat, but now the cronut popularity is growing.
"I'm always craving donuts but sometimes they are too dense and sweet for me. That's when I reach for a cronut," Roffe said.
Throughout different cronut shops in Orange, the prices range from a simple cronut for $2.75 to a fancier filled cronut at $5, while a regular donut is typically 85 cents.
According to Inc., Ansel has had many opportunities to sell out for millions of dollars to Starbucks, but he does not want to because he does not want to compromise quality over quantity. He also chooses not to raise the prices of his $5 cronuts because he does not want to take advantage of his customers.
Ansel said to Inc., “If I have to raise prices, it would be because my costs of goods went up, not because more people are lining up. The laws of ethics trump those of economics for me.”
KERBIS APPRECIATES EVERY CHANCE SHE GETS TO TRY A NEW FLAVORED CRONUT.
The newness of the cronut attracts people.
“The cronut has become the new cupcake because it is something different that no one has ever tried before and it hasn’t died ever since,” Vaun said.
With social media, cronuts have become a trend.
“A lot of young people use social media so they take pictures of our cronuts and post them and then others hear about them and come in to purchase the variety of flavors,” said Alan Do, owner of Friendly Donuts in Orange.
Only being a mile away from the best donut shops in Orange, Chapman students like freshman political science major Greta Stanley are in love with cronuts. The closest location for Chapman students to buy cronuts is at The Grinder, which is five blocks away from Chapman, on Glassell Street.
“The first time I had a cronut it was messy, but fun to eat. It was very flaky but sweet like a donut,” Stanley said. “I put it on Instagram immediately and several people asked me where I had purchased it from.”
The cronut fad began last year and continues today.
“Ever since the craze last year there has been an increase in our business.” Vaun said.
There is not just one type, cronuts satisfy the taste buds of anyone.
“A lot of people throughout Orange County prefer cronuts because of all the different flavor combinations we have, which includes our special cronuts during the holidays,” Do said.
The donut is still delicious, but the cronut is more attractive to the population.
“People are definitely choosing cronuts over our donuts because they have this special quality that no other pastry can replace,” Vaun said.
However, cronuts are not exactly great for your health. In fact, donuts are healthier.
According to Natural Wellness website, a cronut is estimated to be 510 calories with 35 grams of fat, where a chocolate donut is at most 300 calories. Even with these high numbers, cronut fans are not deterred from indulging.
"Cronuts are a special event, you don't find them everywhere. That's why, when I can get one, they are totally worth the calories," said Roffe.
Chapman sophomore communications major student Emily Griganavicius tried her first cronut after many other Chapman students bragged about the taste.
“It has that amazing, flakey texture of a croissant but the outside glaze is just like a donut,” Griganavicius said. “There are so many types of filling to choose from like nutella, custard, cream and more, but you can’t go wrong with whichever you choose.“
Maddie Russo, a Chapman sophomore undeclared major and an employee at The Grinder in Orange, loves people’s reactions when they first experience the cronut.
“People get really excited when they see the cronut for the first time and always ask what it is and my response is ‘you have to try it to know,’” Russo said.
