A trayful of Crookies, the croissant-cookie dough hybrid sensation, tout juste sorti du four.
Below: at Maison Louvard, where the Crookie originated 
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Today is Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, last chance to indulge before Le Carême (Lent) starts tomorrow when food austerity kicks in for the next weeks
leading up to Easter. The emphasis is on feasting, using up rich, fatty
foods like butter, eggs, sugar and lard before the Lenten fast so
nothing goes to waste. Traditionally, crêpes, beignets (bugnes or oreillettes in some regions), waffles, pancakes and other pastries have taken center stage.
Enter the slightly monstrous yet irresistible newcomer, the Crookie, the ultimate jolie-laide / “beautiful-ugly” Franken-pastry creation that, for some, has become another excuse to come to Paris. The concept was simple: a croissant is split open, crammed with chocolate chip cookie dough, topped off with more, then rebaked until the edges crisp and the center stays molten. A lovable oddball (weighing in at up to 900 calories) it was inspired by Stéphane Louvard in 2022, and in 2024 went mega-viral on TikTok. Today, the Crookie is still drawing queues and has copycats worldwide. At €5.90 to €7.10 depending if it’s to be taken away or savored sur place, it's not cheap, but then again, it's cheaper than therapy - and so far, seems to be more “croissant” than "crook." Classic croissant defenders (and admittedly I was one of them) call it heresy - but then, there’s that first bite.... - BPJ
Maison Louvard
(Café Bistrot Restaurant Boulangerie)
11 rue de Châteaudun 75009
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Update: Paris's annual Mardi-Gras Boeuf Gras (Fat Cow) carnival and parade has been cancelled this year
