The first known photo of a Cronut in the wild.
Photo: Dominique Ansel Bakery
This week, the Cronut turned five years old. It seems so long ago, doesn’t it? We were all so innocent then, and when Dominique Ansel’s pastry hybrid hit the scene, everyone wanted to see it. Really, everyone. Hundreds of people lined up at Dominique Ansel Bakery, black markets and line sitters emerged. Ansel knew that together he and his Franken-pastry would do great things (he even trademarked it) — and that life would never be the same. The Cronut would prove to be the foundation for Ansel’s ever-growing empire of restaurants, but unlike Dr. Frankenstein, Ansel has maintained control over his creation, and the bakeries will celebrate the anniversary tomorrow, when they offer free Cronut holes (in each city’s original flavor) randomly throughout the day at every location. Naturally, these will also be available for purchase.
Even if it seems hokey now, the invention of the Cronut was a genuinely cool moment in pastry innovation: possible only because Ansel figured out how to properly fry laminated dough, something others had failed to master. When Grub introduced the world to the pastry the day before its debut, people bugged out. Little did we know that, five years later, we’d have to ask ourselves: Did Ansel release a Pandora’s box of stunt pastries and crazy shakes, or was this inevitable with the rise of Instagram and other social media? Everyone and their cousin tried to cash in with a viral dish, from straight Cronut ripoffs to cruffins to transparent Jell-o shaped like a raindrop to — whatever, just name any two foods you can awkwardly mash together.
Since inventing the pastry, Ansel has not rested on his fried laminated dough. Every month, he’s debuted a different flavor, branching out from more straightforward ones early on, like coconut, to more complicated ones, like this month’s Strawberry Fior di Latte with Cocoa Nib Sugar. Here, every last Cronut flavor.
New York May 2013: Rose Vanilla June: Lemon Maple July: Blackberry Lime August: Coconut September: Fig Mascarpone October: Apple Crème Fraîche November: Salted Dulce de Leche December: Valrhona Chocolate Champagne
January 2014: Peanut Butter Rum Caramel February: Raspberry Lychee March: Milk & Honey With Lavender April: Passion Fruit Caramelia May: Blueberry Lemon Verbena June: Strawberry Balsamic With Mascarpone July: Morello Cherry With Toasted Almond Cream August: Yellow Peach Black Tea September: Bosc Pear and Sage October: Pumpkin Chai November: Caribbean Rum Raisin December: Valrhona Dark Chocolate Raspberry Chambord
January 2015: Caramelized Malt Valrhona Milk Chocolate With Maldon Sea Salt February: Cherry Blossom Sour Cherry March: Matcha Golden Pineapple April: Strawberry Rhubarb With Thyme May: Sweet Clementine Ricotta June: Key Lime Young Coconut July: Rum Caramel Banana Brownie August: Peach Bourbon September: Bergamot Earl Grey October: Horchata Caramel November: Toffee Coffee December: Gingerbread Pear
January 2016: Gianduja Blood Orange February: Milk Chocolate Cassis March: Raspberry Coconut April: Burnt Vanilla Smoked Caramel May: Brown Sugar Rhubarb With Lemon Thyme Sugar June: Blueberry Elderflower Lime Sugar July: Apricot Toasted Almond August: Black Cherry Valrhona Milk Chocolate September: Pear Honey Cream Cheese October: Banoffe: Caramelized Banana With Dulce de Leche November: Roasted Pecan Maple Caramel December: White Chocolate Peppermint With Cherry
January 2017: Golden Honey Vanilla February: Lychee Rose Pistachio March: Blackberry Brown Sugar Toffee April: Blood Orange Almond May: Raspberry Earl Gray June: Strawberry Lemon Verbana July: Mirabelle Plum and Brown Sugar August: Pineapple With Basil Chocolate Ganache and Lime Sugar September: Fig Caramelia With Orange Sugar October: Pumpkin Cranberry With Nutmeg Sugar November: Banana Hazelnut With Hazelnut Sugar December: Eggnog Caramel With Nutmeg Sugar
January 2018: Pear Chamomile With Lemon Zest Sugar February: Raspberry Sugar Cookie With Vietnamese Cinnamon Sugar March: Blackberry Buttermilk With Lime Zest Sugar April: Rhubarb Rose Mascarpone With Raspberry Sugar May: Strawberry Fior di Latte With Cocoa Nib Sugar
Tokyo July 2015: Pineapple Jam, Sudachi Citrus Ganache With Okinawa Smoked Salt August: Raspberry Shisho With Gianduja September: Kona Coffee Ganache and Young Coconut Jam With Espresso Sugar October: Sweet Potato Crème Fraîche With Spiced Maple Sugar With Sake Lees Ganache December: Strawberry Jam With Chocolate Champagne Ganache and Anise Sugar
January 2016: Milk Tea Chestnut With Orange Zest Sugar February: Strawberry Red Bean With Kokuto Sugar March: Honey Almond With Salted Sugar and Salted Sakura Blossom April: Okinawa Pineapple Milk Chocolate With Ume (Sour Plum) Sugar May: Matcha Cherry With Black Sugar June: Passion Fruit Lavender July: Pêche de Vigne Jasmine White Chocolate With Lemon Sugar August: Mango Rose With Lemon Sugar September: Kyoho Grape Mint White Chocolate With Lemon Sugar October: Pear Caramel Flan With Cinnamon Sugar November: Mandarin Hazelnut With Orange Sugar December: Strawberry Chocolate Elderflower With Mint Sugar
January 2017: Honey Yogurt Lime With Lime Sugar February: Rose Guava With Rose Sugar March: Sakura Milk Chocolate Rooibos April: Violet Lychee Jam With Lemon Sugar May: White Chocolate Pistachio Apricot With Vanilla Sugar June: White Chocolate Coconut Cherry July: Hyuganatsu Honey With Lime Sugar August: Apricot Caramel With Lemon Sugar September: Honeydew Coconut With Lime Sugar October: White Sesame Coffee Caramel With Ginger Sugar November: White Chocolate Chestnut Rose With Rose Sugar December: Green Tea Strawberry With Tea Sugar
January 2018: Kumquat and Wasanbon Sugar Ganache February: Black Sesame Ganache, Cherry Jam, Toasted Black Sesame Sugar March: Pomegranate and Kokuto Sugar April: White Peach and Lavender May: Amanatsu Orange and Pistachio
London October 2016: Salted Butterscotch With Cocoa Nib November: Sour Cherry White Almond December: Gianduja English Rose
January 2017: Lemon Chamomile Vanilla Mascarpone February: Raspberry Orange Blossom March: Tea English Rhubarb Brown Sugar April: Mandarin Orange With Valrhona Jivara Milk Chocolate May: Blush Peach With Elderflower June: Guava Toasted Honey With Lime Sugar July: Strawberry With Lavender Clotted Cream August: Raspberry White Peach September: Caramelia Pear October: Banana and Toasted Oat November: Quince Jam With Crème Brulée Ganache December: Roasted Plum Jam With Egg Nog Ganach
January 2018: Banana Dulcey With Espresso Caramel February: Sour Cherry Jam With Muscovado Ganache March: Passion Fruit With Toasted Coconut Ganache April: Apricot Jam With Chai Ganache May: White Peach Jam & Rose Ganache With Rose Sugar
Los Angeles November 2017: White Peach Amaretto Jam, Muscovado Ganache, Muscovado Sugar December: Strawberry Butter and Cinnamon Toast Ganache
January 2018: Sour Cherry Jam, Orange Blossom Olive Oil Ganache, Lemon Sugar February: Hibiscus Rose Jam and Rice Ganache March: Honey Jam and Genmaicha Ganache, Genmaicha Sugar April: Clementine Jam With Cocoa Nib Ganache May: Raspberry Jam With Toasted Oat Ganache
