Image by Dominique Ansel

I remember the first time I walked into the Dominique Ansel Bakery. My family and I were in Japan and we wanted to stop by his Tokyo branch (since his New York branch at the time had customers line around the block at as early as 5:45 AM). The building’s sleek interior of yellow and white made the colorful desserts practically pop from their glass encasing. The aroma of browned butter, freshly-baked bread, and caramelized sugar wafted through the air. Nearly half of the customers in the bakery were Instagramming or Snapchatting a picture of their aesthetically-pleasing dessert to capture the special experience.

Since his claim-to-fame as the first procurer of the croissant-donut hybrid, or the Cronut™, the 42-year-old French-native has made culinary history as one of the most prominent pastry chefs of the 21st century. I HIGHLY recommend clicking the following links to learn more about him! His biography is super interesting and it shows the lifetime of work that he has devoted towards mastering his craft:

https://www.dominiqueansel.com/chef/

https://www.starchefs.com/cook/chefs/bio/dominique-ansel

My dream is to try all of his desserts one day and to attend his 12 people only “all-dessert” tasting menu that he hosts. But so far, here are some of my favorite treats that he has created:

Frozen Marshmallow

Image By Dominique Ansel Bakery London Facebook

This fun treat puts an innovative take on the classic American treat. The sweet, gooey marshmallow that is barely held together by its crackly, caramelized outside makes you feel like your sitting right next to a campfire. At the very heart of this sticky delight is an indulgent chocolate-coated ice cream center, like the Klondike bars you used to get from the ice cream truck (but even BETTER).

DKA (Dominiques Kouign Amann)

Image by Dominique Ansel Bakery

In addition to the Cronut™, the DKA is one of Dominique Ansel’s Bakery’s bestseller. Don’t be fooled by this pastry’s humble exterior. The DKA is packed with flavors of caramelized sugar and rich, European butter. The flaky layers of the croissant are tender and melt-in-your-mouth, making this the perfect treat to pair with coffee or some good jam (or even by itself!).

And apparently, you can buy a 24-pack of these classic treats on their website! Catch this on my next Christmas Wishlist.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Shot

Image by thirsty. Magazine

This inventive dessert is a cookie lover’s DREAM. Combining the iconic duo of milk and cookies, the Chocolate Chip Cookie Shot uses high-quality chocolate in both the dough and the coating inside of the cookie (to prevent milk from leaking out!) and is served warm with  Madagascar-infused vanilla milk. What surprised me about this dish was that the cookie shot’s elaborate presentation didn’t compromise its texture or flavor. Instead of being crunchy and hard like I expected it to be, the chocolate chip cookie was decadent, gooey, and chewy.  Fun fact, I ended up buying a chocolate chip cookie shot baking tin as soon as I tried this so that I could attempt to recreate them at home. For the past  6 years, the poor tin has been collecting dust at the bottom of my dish pantry.

Corn on the Cob Soft Serve

Image by POPSugar

Don’t be fooled by its unconventionality, this limited-time special was absolutely spectacular. Its rich, creamy soft serve had mellow salty and buttery undertones and was with speckled bits of sweet corn throughout. And served on an ear of grilled corn, nonetheless, how could I not admire that presentation?? This dessert is the embodiment of a hot summer day.

Cronut™

Image By Dominique Ansel Bakery Facebook

I actually never got to try the Cronut™ when I was in Japan because it was sold out by the time I got there. HOWEVER, in March 2019, my parents went to NYC for a day trip and managed to score one of the seasonal Blackberry and Buttermilk Cronuts by waiting early in line that morning.  The poor pastry had faced a whole day’s worth of exposure to the elements, but nonetheless, it exceeded every expectation that I had for the special tasting experience.

Despite its fried nature, the Cronut™ was light and tender with its seemingly endless layers of dough. The Cronut™ was rolled in sugar, filled with a buttermilk-based pastry cream + blackberry preserves, and topped with a sweet glaze. According to the Dominique Ansel Website, it takes approximately THREE DAYS to make one batch of Cronuts™! The many hours of lamellating (adding butter in between the layers of croissant dough), folding, and proofing are what give this special pastry its distinct texture and flavor.

The next time you’re in New York City, stop by one of his many branches to try these cronuts or another of his innovative treats (or if you’re Rayna, you can stop by his London branch). You’ll never look at desserts the same way.