Stéphane Louvard’s crookie wins over social media taste buds: not just a croissant, but a "hybrid pastry" combining cookie and breakfast pastry.
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Are you a sweet tooth who can't decide? The crookie is the dessert for you! Just like Brangelina, Ferragnez, and Trunziker, desserts are also marrying and (perhaps) divorcing. After the brookie (brownie and cookies), the cronut (croissant and donuts), and the cruffin (croissant and muffin) – some still popular, others forgotten – it's now time for the crookie: a perfect blend – we'll see if it's long-lasting or not – between croissant and cookies.
Created by baker Stéphane Louvard, the crookie has been gaining popularity in French households and beyond. In reality, Monsieur Louvard's creation dates back to a morning in October 2022. While he was preparing his croissants – already awarded as the 7th best croissants in Île-de-France – and his team was making cookies, the artisan thought of mixing the two preparations. Back then, he sold about a dozen a day, but by February this year, the “sweet issue” literally exploded. The spark ignited when, on February 1st, influencer Johan Papz posted a video enjoying Stéphane's invention. The TikTok video quickly amassed 2.7 million views, becoming a social media sensation.
The crookie wasn't the result of extensive research or market surveys, but simply Louvard's creativity. "It was created for fun, to test a new recipe," he tells Food & Sense. Initially, only a few dozen were made, but today, crookie sales have soared to over 1800 pieces daily, with numerous bakeries beginning to emulate Louvard.
A crookie costs €7 if eaten on-site, €5.90 if taken away. "It's the price of a croissant added to that of a cookie," Louvard explains, justifying the high cost with the quality of butter, flour, chocolate, and the long hours of work by his staff. The Maison Louvard team starts working at four in the morning to produce the baked croissant, which is then filled and covered with cookie dough before being baked a second time. Who knows if the crookie will become a classic at Maison Louvard or just a sweet fleeting trend!
