You’ve probably heard of cronuts… but have you heard of croffles?! Croffles, or croissant waffles, are becoming increasingly popular and it seems to be the latest “food trend” but I’m all for it! This hybrid pastry offers the best of both worlds with a crispy, outer crust (waffle) and a soft, flaky interior (croissant) From what I’ve been told, they are a popular street food in Korea and Europe but this is the first year I’ve seen them in Edmonton. I have to admit I really, really love them and I think it’s safe to say that it’s become one of my top favourite pastries… I’d easily pick a croffle over a regular waffle or croissant, any day. Here are 4 places in #YEG that you can get a croffle from!
PS. The spelling differs depending on the business. Croffles and croiffles are used interchangeably in this blog post.
The French Creperie
I was first introduced to croiffles by The French Creperie! They are a home-based business that’s well known for their freshly made crepes but they also added waffles and croiffles to their menu. The owner is French and mentioned that croiffles were a popular street snack in Europe. Their croiffles are very fluffy but crispy. Compared to other spots, I found the croiffles from The French Creperie to be the most simple but I believe they’re enjoyed best that way. Because these are more European-inspired, they are also less “dessert-like” to me so could definitely be a good breakfast or brunch option. Your order can be easily accompanied with toppings of your choice and the bonus from ordering from The French Creperie is that you’ll recieve a bigger batch of croiffles that are delivered right to your door.
Price: starts at $17.99 for 4 croiffles
Hey, Croffle
Hey, Croffle wasthe first storefront dedicated to just croffles. Their menu offers a small collection of croffles and there are 5 flavours rotating on a regular basis: Original, Coconut, Everything Seasoning, Bacon, and Cheese. On the weekends, they also make special/limited edition flavours such as smore’s or basil pesto. I recommend keeping an eye out on their Instagram to see their features since it does change often. Of all the flavours I’ve tried, I’ve really enjoyed the coconut and everything seasoning most! The combination of sweet and savoury works so well. You can also complement your croffles with their “dips.” I tried the strawberry option not too long ago and it was essentially like a whip cream, so light and airy and the perfect pairing for my croffle. One thing I’d mention though is that their croffles are best enjoyed fresh. Because their croffles are caramelized, I found that they would harden a bit after time making it less enjoyable to eat. You can pop them in the microwave for a few seconds to help with that. When I visited, they had a really great 4/$15 deal to try out a few flavours at once!
Price: $3.75-$4.58/croffle or 4/$15
Dream Tea House
Edmonton’s original bubble tea shop has expanded their snack menu and now sells croiffles too! Dream Tea House will be making croiffles at their Heritage location (weekends only) but they hope to expand this to all locations eventually. I had the chance to try their signature 5 flavours: the Original, Nutella, Nutella and Sliced Almonds, Cinnamon, and Cheesy with seasoning. All were really tasty but I enjoyed the cinnamon and cheesy flavour most. If those flavours don’t fancy you though, their croiffles are easily customizable with whatever sauces and toppings that they already have in house. If you get condensed milk or syrups in your drinks, for instance, you can also enjoy them on your croiffles too. I actually decided to customize my own croiffle recently and got one with condensed milk and crushed Oreos…it was heavenly! I found that Dream Tea House’s croiffles held up best in terms of texture and taste. Even after leaving them out for a few hours, their croiffles were still crisp, soft and ready to eat. Pair it with your favourite bubble tea and you have the perfect combo!
Price: $3.59-$4.59/croffle or 4 for $15.59
Nara Chicken and Tonkatsu
Nara Chicken and Tonkatsu is a locally owned shop that specializes in Korean fried chicken and tonkatsu. I really love their tonkatsu, especially their cheese one (see my blog post about them here) but did you know they have croffles too? Their croffles are made plain and you can choose from a few different toppings. During my last visit, I got their croffle, topped with icing sugar, to accompany my meal. The owner was also nice enough to throw in some housemade whip cream to enjoy it with. As excited as I was, I think I may have gotten one from an overdone batch because my croffle was a bit too crispy. The whip cream was great though, extremely light and fluffy and very complementary to the croffle itself. While I may have gotten a overly crispy croffle here, I’m still glad that I found another business to enjoy croffles from. I’d still be willing to try their croffles again to enjoy with my meal next time.
Price: $4.50/croffle or $3.50/croffle if you buy more 2 or more.
I’m sure I will continue to see croffles make an appearance at more businesses but for now, these are 4 really great spots to order from if you want to try a croffle yourself. I’m excited to see what other businesses will hop on the croffle train and will be ready to enjoy the flavour combinations that become available. Let me know what you think or if you know of any other places to check out for croffles!
Eat with Sharon 