‘Trending Now’ Goes Cronut Crazy: Do Knockoffs Live Up to the Hype?

By now you may have heard of the latest food fad that is sweeping the nation. It is the unholy amalgam of a croissant and a doughnut called, simply, the cronut. The term has been trademarked by Dominique Ansel's eponymous bakery, which now boasts over-two-hour-long lines of people waiting to get a taste of cronut glory. This picture of the line, in fact, was taken just today. Waiting that long is at least a little understandable when one considers that these things take three days to make and that only 200 to 250 of them get sold per day. The sensation has also spun off two interesting results: a cronut black market and knockoff versions.

The secondhand market for cronuts is going strong. Tales of the pastries going for up to $50 on Craigslist are not unheard of. The phenomenon has created a cottage industry of poorly paid cronut fencers, who make money waiting in the long line to resell them. It has even inspired the sale of drawings of cronuts. In short, New York City's cronut mania is at a fever pitch. But will it end? And how?

Perhaps diluting the market with knockoffs might be the answer. Reports from cities around the country note the emergence of various places hawking imitation cronuts, called names like doughssants or cronots. Cronut creator Dominique Ansel says he is "very flattered to be an inspiration" but that his lawyers "say something else."

Here at "Trending Now," we had the opportunity this morning to try the new blackberry cronut and compare it with some "French donuts" made by Mille-Feuille, which is only five blocks from Dominique Ansel. The consensus around the office? Mille-Feuille's French donuts don't quite live up to the flaky, doughy taste of the original cronut. The question is, are you willing to wait in a two-hour line? We'll leave that one to you, folks.

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