In 2014 Dominique Ansel gave the world the Cronut, fusing a croissant and doughnut into a single pastry. In 2016 came the Crone – a croissant and ice cream cone – followed quickly by the Cruffin, Cretzel and the Croaf.
But 2024 brings us the Crookie, created in Paris but made into a global craze by TikTok. And now it’s landed in Cape Town, with three (or are there more? Tell us at hello@timeout.com) city bakeries serving up their take on the world’s latest pastry sensation
The story begins in October 2022, when pâtissier Stéphane Louvard was tinkering in his bakery in the Opéra district of Paris. He sold a few, mostly as a novelty, but the idea never really took off.
Until TikTok caught wind of it in December 2023, and Crookie videos were soon racking up millions of views. By February 2024 Maison Louvard was – sacré bleu! – selling 2300 Crookies a day, with queues around the block as locals and tourists lined up for a taste. The Crookie soon went global, and now the world’s newest pastry trend has made its way to the Mother City.
From its main bakery in Salt River, Proof Bakery supplies bread and patisserie to more than 80 restaurants, shops and delis across Cape Town, but their small store in Claremont is the exclusive outlet for Proof’s artisanal take on the Crookie (R45).
‘We’re always looking for new ideas, and my eldest son told me about them being so popular in Paris,’ says store owner Joanne Gloak. ‘The world’s going crazy about it, so I thought OK I’ll do it.’
At Proof the Crookie starts with their signature croissant, sliced in half, then filled with raw chocolate-chip cookie dough both inside and on top and baked until just done. With an all-butter croissant and premium 54% Callebaut chocolate in the cookie dough, this is certainly an artisanal take on the trend.
'I started making just eight a day in the bakery, but now we’re selling 25 or 30 on a Saturday. They’ve become very popular and sell out quickly,' says Gloak.
‘We noticed Crookies making waves in different parts of the world,’ says Charmainne Dionila, owner of Cake Princess in Brackenfell. ‘We’ve been wanting to create something that combined the buttery, flaky texture of a croissant with the satisfying sweetness of a cookie.’
Cake Princess makes about 50 Crookies each day, available at the bakery for R29 each. Online orders are available for pre-orders of large quantities.
Norfolk Deli in Sea Point also begin their Crookies with Proof Bakery’s all-butter croissants, which are then re-baked with Norfolk Deli’s signature cookie dough, made with real butter and a combination of dark and milk chocolate chunks.
The Atlantic Seaboard is evidently home to the Mother City’s hungriest ‘Crookie Monsters’, with Norfolk Deli selling more than 100 Crookies on Saturdays, and up to 70 a day during the week. Although they are the most expensive – at R65 each – of the three bakeries offering Crookies in Cape Town, they sell out fast.
Also look out for a brand-new flavour dropping at Norfolk Deli this weekend: Norfolk Deli will open for a special Sunday pop-up to launch the Biscoff Crookie on Sunday, April 28. If you want yours, be sure to get there early.
And there’s some more good news for pastry-lovers: Cape Town might be home to some of the world’s cheapest Crookies!
While the three Cape Town bakeries we could find selling Crookies top out at R65 ($3,30/£2,70/€3,10) you’ll be spending a whole lot more if you’re munching overseas.
If you’re even lucky enough to bag one of Monsieur Louvard’s Crookies in Paris, you’ll have to fork out €5.90, or R120. Across the Channel in London celebrity baker Phillipe Conticini is now offering 'crookies' at all three of his London bakeries, yours for R140 each (£5.90).
Heading west across the Atlantic won’t help either. At Janie’s Life-Changing Baked Goods – with three locations in Manhattan – you’ll be spending a cool R145 ($7,50) for a Crookie, while Singapore’s Baker & Cook will charge you S$7,50 (R104).
Check out our list of the Best Cafés and Coffee Shops in Cape Town.