These Viral Cookie-Like Croissants Are a New Way to Enjoy Day-Old Pastries
The trend has made its way Stateside all the way from South Korea.
Food & Wine / Doan Nguyen
Croissants are beloved for their bouncy, flaky, airy texture — crumbling apart in decadent buttery layers with every bite of pastry. But the latest croissant trend is a lot less, well, fluffy.
Flat croissants are trending online, from Seoul to Los Angeles to Vienna to Mallorca to Calgary — and well, everywhere. And uh, it’s an unusual treat. Unlike a croissant that’s been (accidentally) crushed under the weight of your bag or a croissant that didn’t properly rise and pouf up in the oven, the flat croissant is intentionally pressed down and compressed.
The flat croissant trend surfaced at bakeries in Seoul last year, and TikTok soon caught on. Soon enough, creators started sharing tutorials on where to find the viral viennoiserie and all its gourmet variations — and how to replicate the trend at home.
Related: The Best Croissants in America
The technique starts with flattening a fresh croissant with a rolling pin or a heavy press, then coating it in butter and sugar or honey, before baking or pan-frying the two-dimensional treat.
More like a thin, buttery cookie, often served with frosting or other toppings, the social media sensation has now made it Stateside — at countless bakeries in Los Angeles and San Francisco, in addition to smaller suburban outlets, including The Snackery Bakeshop in Rye, New York; Buttercookery on Long Island; and Fox Bakery in Easton, PA.
The concept of manipulating a croissant to make a new treat is nothing new. Stuffed and topped croissants, such as almond croissants piped with almond cream in the center, are a popular patisserie trick to dress up day-old baked goods.
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Sara Leand, owner of The Snackery Bakeshop, loves crisp treats, particularly the crunchy ends of a standard croissant. Several years ago, she indulged that preference by creating croissant brittle at her bakery. The twice-baked croissant, rolled in sugar and thinly sliced was delicious, she recalls, but the treat did not take off with her customers. When she saw that flat croissants were trending online, she tried again and now offers sugar coated and chocolate dipped flat croissants.
“We flatten our croissants under ten pounds of weight and smoosh them until they’re about one-quarter inch thick,” Leand explains. “We then roll them in sugar and bake them twice. After we dip them in either chocolate, white chocolate, and powdered sugar. They’re extremely crisp and buttery, like a cookie.”
Related: 20 Breakfast Pastry Recipes for a Sweet Start to Your Day
And yes, the new trendy crisp croissant is a hit. Leand describes her customers’ response as, “Tremendously positive.”
No flat croissant in your area? The good news is any plain croissant can be turned into a flat croissant using the TikTok tried-and-true method — and you can let your creativity run wild with toppings and flavors.
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