The Cronut Conspiracy

It's Just Flour, Grease & Sugar...

I forget where I first became aware of the concept of the "cronut".  Probably some foodie website, or a news story on the lines of customers waiting outside the New York bakery that debuted the confection.

If you're new to the concept, a "cronut" is a donut made from croissant dough.  The original article was probable mixed, kneaded, rolled, and then had rounds hand-cut before dunking in a hot oil bath until golden brown.

Now, I'm not one to jump on breakfast pastry bandwagons.  I greatly prefer savory to sweet, so my usual comestible in the forenoon hours will likely consist of eggs & dead animal bits wrapped in a tortilla.

Still, when I saw the sign in the Jack In The Box window advertising cronuts, I thought "What the hell!" and hit the drive-thru.

It wasn't all that great.  Not bad, just not the kind of item people ought to wait in line for.  Even a drive-thru line.

Wanna know a secret?  I've been making them for years.  Dad taught me when I was a wee pup.

We used to go camping a lot when I was a kid, and Dad has a special recipe for donuts that he would only make when we were out in the woods.

He'd heat up a pot of vegetable oil on the Coleman stove, and then take a tube or two of the refrigerated biscuits and pop 'em open.  You cut each biscuit  into quarters to make "donut holes", or poke a hole in the center and stretch it into a ring for a regular donut, then dip it in the hot oil.

Cook each side until golden brown, then ladle out in a skimmer and dump into a paper bag containing a mix of cinnamon & sugar.   Give it a vigorous shake to coat evenly, dig 'em out and then inhale that hot greasy goodness before they get cold.

The cronut part?  Every so often I'd make 'em with flaky biscuits.  Just like a mini croissant, kinda-sorta...