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The Cronut: This croissant-doughnut hybrid may be the pastry world’s best invention

The Cronut: This croissant-doughnut hybrid may be the pastry world’s best invention

America meets France in this latest pastry world invention. Introducing the cronut, a croissant-doughnut hybrid.

Made from croissant dough formed into the shape of a doughnut, this sweet treat is taking New York City by storm at one particular pastry shop, Ansel Bakery.

“It has the shape of a doughnut. The dough is very similar to croissant dough,” pastry chef Domnique Ansel tells ABC.. “Back in France, we all eat croissants. A doughnut was something I didn’t really know before coming here to the States.”

The cronut was unveiled on May 10, and three days later, when 200 had sold out by 9:30 a.m., one angry customer "flipped the finger" at staff on his way out of the pastry shop, reports the Daily Mail.

Also see: Is this breakfast doughnut gross or amazing?

"A lot of people ask me why we don't just do more?" says Ansel. "I'm a big fan of quality over quantity. . . It takes a lot to ensure all our other pastries are up to par with standards as well."

New Yorkers have been lining up outside his bakery every morning to taste the popular pastry, which sell for $5 each.

The cronuts are made of layers of dough, deep fried in grape seed oil till the outside is crispy, filled with light Tahitian vanilla cream, rolled in rose sugar, and then topped with rose glaze and candied rose petals. Next month will see a lemon-maple flavoured cronut, with a different flavour for each month thereafter.

Ansel and his staff tried 10 different recipes until they mastered their efforts, and their hard work has paid off, receiving international attention from pastry chefs in Hong Kong, Melbourne, and Los Angeles.

Also see: Best recipe for homemade doughnuts

“If you just used regular dough, the butter will melt, the layers will slide off and you won’t have anything that’s nice,” says Ansel, a 2013 James Beard Award finalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef.

Due to the popularity of the pastry, Ansel has trademarked his cronut which is made in-house daily.

"Hopefully people will bear with us as we try to ramp up production," the chef explains.

If you lived in a city that sold cronuts, would you be interested in trying one?