Homemade Chocolate Cronuts Recipes

CRONUTS

Steps:

• In deep fryer or 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat to 350°F.
• Separate crescent dough into 4 rectangles. Firmly press perforations to seal. Stack 2 rectangles on top of one another. Fold in half widthwise to make tall stack. Repeat with remaining 2 rectangles.
• To make 2 doughnuts, use 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut 1 round from each stack; use 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut small hole in center of each round. Reroll remaining dough to cut third doughnut.
• Fry doughnuts in hot oil 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until deep golden brown and cooked through. Drain on paper towels. Cool 5 minutes.
• Carefully split doughnuts in half. Place pudding in decorating bag fitted with tip, and pipe some of the pudding onto bottom half of each doughnut. Top each with some of the caramel sauce; sprinkle with salt. Cover each with top of doughnut.
• In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and enough milk for spreading consistency. Spread on tops of doughnuts. Drizzle with additional caramel sauce.

HOW TO MAKE CRONUTS, PART I (THE DOUGH)

Steps:

• Place yeast into the mixing bowl of a large stand mixer. Whisk in warm water and let stand until a creamy foam forms on top, about 5 minutes. Add salt, sugar, milk, 2 tablespoons melted butter, vanilla extract, egg, and nutmeg. Whisk mixture thoroughly. Pour flour on top of liquid ingredients. Place mixing bowl onto mixer.
• Attach dough hook to mixer and knead on low speed until dough comes together in a ball and becomes soft and sticky, about 3 minutes. Dough will stick to the hook and pull away from the side of the bowl.
• Transfer dough to a floured work surface, knead 2 or 3 times, and shape into a ball. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes to let gluten relax.
• Remove dough from refrigerator, unwrap, and dust lightly with flour. Roll out into a 9x18-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Evenly spread 1/2 of the softened butter onto the middle third of the dough. Fold one unbuttered third over the buttered third and press lightly; spread remaining butter on top of that third. Fold remaining third over the first (buttered) third. Transfer dough onto a sheet pan, cover lightly with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and refrigerate 20 to 30 more minutes for butter to become firm. Sprinkle dough lightly with flour as you work if it becomes sticky.
• Return dough to floured work surface and pat very gently into an 8x14-inch rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Fold outer thirds over center third as before; roll out into an 8x14-inch rectangle again, keeping the edges as straight as possible. Fold in thirds as before. Cover dough lightly with a kitchen towel, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Roll the dough out to about 3/8-inch thick. Cut dough in half crosswise. Leave half on a lightly floured work surface; refrigerate other half of dough until needed.
• Use a sharp 3-inch round cutter to cut 8 circles of dough from the piece on the work surface. Use a 1-inch round cutter to cut the donut holes out of the dough circles.
• Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and sprinkle lightly with flour. Arrange cronuts and holes onto the prepared baking sheet. Let rise in a draft-free, warm place (such as an unheated oven) until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• See part II of this recipe to make the cronuts.

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CRONUTS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a deep saucepan or deep-fat fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Spread out an 8-ounce container of refrigerated crescent dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pinch the perforated edges together and fold 1/3 of the dough over the center third; fold opposite 1/3 of dough over first third. Lightly sprinkle the dough with flour and roll it out, pressing firmly together so that the layers don't separate completely during frying.
• Fold the dough into thirds again in the opposite direction; sprinkle dough with flour and use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle measuring about 4x7 inches.
• Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to cut 2 circles from the dough. Then use a 1-inch cookie cutter to cut holes from the centers of the 3-inch rounds to make flat doughnut-like shapes.
• Repeat the steps with the remaining 8-ounce container of refrigerated crescent dough. You will now have 4 cronuts to fry. Reserve the holes and the dough scraps for frying as well, if you wish.
• Carefully lower cronuts into the heated oil, working in batches if necessary, and fry on one side until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip cronuts and fry until other sides are golden brown, 2 to 3 more minutes. Cronuts will puff up during frying. Remove the cronuts to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Fill a plastic squeeze bottle with a long, pointed tip or a pastry bag fitted with a medium tip with vanilla pudding. Push the bottle tip into the side of a cronut and squeeze 1 or 2 teaspoons of vanilla pudding into the pastry; continue filling pastry from the side with several more holes spaced around the edge of the cronut. Repeat, filling remaining cronuts with pudding.
• Place chopped bittersweet chocolate into a heatproof mixing bowl. Pour cream into a small saucepan over low heat. Heat cream almost to a boil, stirring constantly; pour hot cream over chocolate. Whisk until chocolate has melted and mixture is warm and smooth. Dip tops of cronuts in warm ganache, place on a serving platter, and let cool until ganache has set, about 5 minutes.