A new pastry is a hit in bakeries. It is overshadowing the butter croissant and could soon replace it!
The croissant is a staple in the daily life of the French. According to a IFOP survey produced in 2019 for the federation of bakery companies, it is the first pastry consumed by the French (74% eat it regularly), ahead of pain au chocolat. It is even perceived as an integral part of French culture and its tasting is often described as “a moment of pleasure”.
It is obviously in bakeries that the French prefer to buy their fresh croissant. And it is among the bakers themselves that a serious competitor to the croissant has recently appeared, which could overshadow the timeless buttery Viennese pastry. At the origin of the threat is the French influencer Johan Papz, who has highlighted this delicacy on social networks, also offering visibility to the bakery at the origin of the Viennese pastry, Maison Louvard.
After posting on TikTok, the success was immediate: “When I started selling this product, in 2022, I sold around thirty a day. Now, it’s around 1,800. It’s incomprehensible!”, baker Stéphane Louvard told the Parisian. Other bakeries and even large chains like Picard and Leclerc have followed suit and have also started offering this new type of pastry. A vegan version has even emerged by replacing the eggs and butter.
This croissant killer has a name: the “crookie.” It’s a cross between a croissant and a cookie. How is it made? Cookie dough is simply added to the inside of the croissant and then the whole thing is baked together. The outside keeps the crunch of the puff pastry and the inside offers the softness of the cookie with a touch of chocolate.
The price, of course, is on a par with the culinary innovation and far exceeds that of the classic croissant. You have to pay 5.90 euros at Maison Louvard to taste one of its crookies. A price that would correspond to the price of the croissant and the cookie added together. For a croissant, it is more like 1.10 euros. If that is too expensive, you can also try to make some at home.
You have to prepare the croissants with homemade or store-bought dough. Arrange the pastries on a baking sheet and brush with a mixture of egg yolk and milk before baking for 20 minutes at 180°C. You then have to prepare a classic cookie dough. When the croissants are ready, cut them in half to add the cookie dough inside, but also on top. Finally, put them back in the oven for 6/7 minutes. You will probably know at this point if you have really found the replacement for the croissant.