Cronuts are a trendy hybrid treat that have been popular for some time now in the bakery world.  It’s really just an excuse to eat a fried croissant in the shape of a doughnut.  Sounds like the perfect indulgent food if you are pregnant or in the mood for something sweet, sticky, flaky and fried.  But, who’s got the time to wait for dough to rise?  This may not be an authentic cronut, but it will get me close enough with time to spare for other mommy duties.

Ingredients

1 can flaky layers biscuits

all purpose flour

vegetable oil for frying

1 1/2 c powdered sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp frozen mixed berries puree (recipe below)

1 tbsp coconut milk

grated lemon zest

black sesame seeds

fresh berries

Directions

Start by opening the can of biscuits.  I get a little nervous when I have to open a can of pressurized dough.  It’s the anticipation of hearing that pop that almost kills me.  I usually defer this task to my husband if he’s around.  He’s my hero in a lot of matters…

Separate the biscuits and place them on a lightly floured surface.  Dip a 1 inch round cookie cutter into the flour and cut a hole in the center of each biscuit.

Fill a frying pan with about 1 inch of vegetable oil and heat on medium high.  Drop in the doughnuts and doughnut holes and keep a close eye since they cook fast.  Flip over once and cook until crispy and golden brown on both sides.

Remove them from the hot oil bath and drain on a couple of paper towels. You can see the signature flaky layers that separate a cronut from a regular boring doughnut.  These look good enough to eat but a true doughnut needs to be enrobed in some kind of sugary glaze.

Mixed Berry Glaze

I had leftover frozen mixed berries from the berry tiramisu cupcakes recipe that will work beautifully as a glaze.  Place ¼ cup frozen mixed berries and ½ cup water in a sauce pan and allow to come to a boil for a few minutes.  Strain and press the sauce through a fine mesh sieve with the back of a spoon.  Mix 1 tbsp of this sauce with 1/3-1/2 cup of powdered sugar.  Start with a smaller amount of powdered sugar and add more as needed to thicken.

Lemon Glaze

Mix 1 tbsp lemon juice with ½-1/3 cup powdered sugar.

Coconut Glaze

Mix 1 tbsp coconut milk with ½ cup-1/3 cup powdered sugar.

Dip the cronuts into the glaze and top the mixed berry cronuts with the fresh berries, the lemon cronuts with the freshly grated lemon zest, and the coconut cronuts with the black sesame seeds.  You should end up with a platter of display case worthy doughnuts.

Just look at that sweet sugary glaze dripping down the side of those flaky layers.  They look pretty close to cronuts and taste even better since they are still hot and crisp.  A hot doughnut, the perfect comfort food craving for a pregnant lady or anyone who wants to live on the edge with their diet…The best part about this recipe is that it takes no time to make and saves you a trip to the doughnut shop.  Hope you enjoy these delicious and quick cronuts!