Dominique Ansel's Favorite Cronut Flavor Out Of The 600 He's Made

In 2013, Dominique Ansel unveiled a special pastry, a bakery love child that landed somewhere between a croissant and donut. The Cronut, as it was named, would change the industry forever, as the hybrid treat immediately captured public imagination. Eager lines formed around Ansel's bakery in anticipation as sugar-dusted Cronuts packed with vanilla ganache and topped with rose glaze and crystallized flower petals were sold. Since then, the Cronut frenzy has given way to specialized bakeries, copycat recipes, and a lasting impression on the menus of coffee shops and bakeries around the world. Our Tasting Table team caught up with Ansel at the New York City Wine and Food Festival to learn more about the chef's approach and inspiration behind his culinary inventions.

Since the launch of the first Cronut, Ansel and his team have created hundreds of Cronut flavors. Yet out of the hundreds Ansel has made, one flavor in particular has found a soft spot in his heart. "I still love the first one because it brings me so much memories and joy," he admits. "It was rose and vanilla. That was a flavor that we launched for Mother's Day." 

Dominique Ansel describes the original Cronut's flavor as simple and light with a delicate floral flavor that was easy to savor and enjoy. But for Ansel, the original Cronut recipe holds more than just taste in his mind. "It's more like a memory of a moment in my life more than a flavor," he reminisces. For a chef who has been adamant that experiences mean more than food, his answer checks out. 

Perhaps even more impressive than Ansel's initial creation is the fact that Ansel and his team have never repeated a Cronut flavor. He estimates the number of different recipes he has made easily tops 600, if not 700 different varieties. "We've done over like 600 something," he said, adding that he doesn't count anymore. When asked how he continues to develop new flavor ideas, Ansel admits that the task is becoming more and more challenging, but for a chef who has creatively pushed gastronomic boundaries for over a decade, it is encouraging to see that there does not seem to be any sign of slowing down.