Knockoffs

11 Customer Reactions to Williams-Sonoma’s New Cronut Knockoff

Williams-Sonoma's croissonuts may not have glaze, but they do have layers.
Williams-Sonoma’s croissonuts may not have glaze, but they do have layers. Photo: Williams-Sonoma

Florence Fabricant points out in today’s New York Times that Williams-Sonoma is selling something called croissonuts, the retailer’s answer to Dominique Ansel’s cronuts. They arrive frozen, $39.95 for a box of 18 compact, 2.5-inch-diameter pastries that can be fried or baked after a quick thaw and overnight rise. Sounds promising enough — the verdict of Fabricant’s taste test, however, is that croissonuts, which are bereft of the original’s “layered texture” as well as toppings and fillings, don’t really stack up at all against cronuts, but do make for “terrific breakfast doughnuts.” Reactions, as you can see ahead, run from just-okay to great, but it’s perhaps the dominance of meh-range feedback that presents the best proof yet that cronuts maybe really can’t go global after all.

From the product reviews:

1. “We ate them, but all of us decided to stick with the glorious croissants, and leave these for someone who knows how to fry them.”

2. “Amazing once I got past the fear factor.”

3. “Mine tasted vaguely like the cooking oil.”

4. “Unhealthy, need a deep fryer or friendly restaurant.”

5. “Theses delicious pastries are so easy that I have replaced my 90 year old dad’s toast with them every morning.”

6.“They look more like regular Duncan [sic] donuts with a croissant texture.”

7. “Also, I hate that I have to fry them with a 3 inch deep oil. That’s a waste of oil.”

8. “I placed them in the oven with just the light on for about an hr. This made them rise.”

9. “My fault for not noticing needed to be fried, but also didn’t rise!”

10.“FAB U LOUS!”

11. “Made these today, and they were just okay.”

Cheese Curds, a Riff on Cronuts, a Paris Ham and More
[NYT]

11 Customer Reactions to Williams-Sonoma’s New Cronut Knockoff