Cornetto Vs Croissant: What's The Difference?

Almost everyone is familiar with the croissant: The crescent-shaped, flaky, buttery French pastry would be hard-pressed to find a hater. Croissants can be found in bakeries all over the world, but they have a similar-looking cousin that is most common in Italian cafes. From the outside, the Italian cornetto looks suspiciously similar to the French croissant — they both have golden, crisp exteriors and the characteristic half-moon shape. On the inside, however, the two pastries differ in texture and flavor. French croissants are made by laminating a yeast-based dough with a block of butter, which gives them those flaky layers with a crispy exterior. Cornettos are made with a sweeter, unlaminated dough that results in a softer, less flaky pastry.

In terms of both method and taste, a cornetto and a croissant are different baked goods, but in each of their countries of origin, they serve similar purposes. They are both common breakfast pastries grabbed on the way to work or brought home to enjoy with company. In both countries, however, no matter which you choose to eat for breakfast, coffee is likely what you're drinking along with it.

While you're probably familiar with the absolutely delectable taste of a croissant, you might not be so sure what technically makes something a croissant. A traditional French croissant recipe involves a dough that consists of yeast, a bit of sugar, flour, butter, and milk or water. This dough undergoes an intricate process known as lamination: A block of butter is stacked on top of the flattened dough, and the two together are rolled out and folded many times over to create repeated thin layers of dough and butter. When baked, the water in the butter turns to steam, which gets trapped by the layers of dough, making the pastry puff up and rise. The rest of the butter melts into the dough, helping it crisp up yet stay soft. The finished product is the light, airy, and delicate pastry you know and love.

Pretty much everyone loves croissants; they are super popular worldwide. There's no doubt that croissants are most popular in their country of origin, but it's not common in France to eat a croissant every morning, like you might think. They are often reserved for weekends, slow mornings, or special occasions. The typical French breakfast consists of bread (like a French baguette) with butter and jam.

"Croissant" in French means "crescent." "Cornetto" has a different translation, "little horn," hinting at the fact that it's a different pastry altogether. Though deceivingly similar to a croissant in appearance, one bite into a cornetto is enough for you to catch on to the differences. For one, the Italian pastry is sweeter since the dough contains more sugar. A cornetto also has a more dense texture as it does not undergo the same lamination process as a croissant.

In fact, cornettos can be made with either butter or lard (and sometimes even oil!). The dough can also contain eggs, which is not traditional for croissant dough. This pastry has a more bread-like texture, similar to that of brioche — it is even referred to as brioche rather than cornetto in certain parts of Italy. You'll find them plain and stuffed with anything from Nutella to lemon cream. Cornettos are perhaps the most popular Italian breakfast food, and some Italians enjoy one almost every day.

The croissant craze has definitely spread to the states, even spurring viral recipes like the croissant chocolate chip cookie combo and croissant breakfast casseroles. But we haven't quite caught on so much to the cornetto. You'll likely have to find a specialty Italian bakery to get your hands on one — but it's more than worth the extra effort.