Cronut inventor unveils new creation

Frozen S'more (Dominique Ansel Bakery)

Chef Dominique Ansel, the creator of the wildly-popular Cronut, has a new creation: the Frozen S’more.

Like the Crount that crosses a doughnut and a croissant, it’s a delectable hybrid treat --this time with a vanilla ice cream center coated with a chocolate wafer shaped into a square. The outside is covered with a homemade marshmallow mixed with dondurma (a thick, stretchy Turkish ice cream).  Then the whole thing is placed on an applewood-smoked willow branch and torched to a gooey goodness with the frozen ice cream center.

“It’s a play on hot and cold. Seeing such a wintery-looking dessert eaten on the streets of the summer time in 97 degree weather is truly surreal,” said Ansel, owner of Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York.

He got his inspiration for the treat from a trip he made to Turkey where he was introduced to dondurma -- made with flour from the ground tubers of Turkish orchids--which gives the ice cream its chewy, elastic-like texture.

This new twist on a campfire staple --which is made to order -- is best consumed almost immediately to get that crunchy, cold, hot sensation.

But like the Cronut, you’ll have to get there early in the morning to get a taste.  Still, months after the Cronut’s release in May, people continue to wait in long lines for the pastry, which sell out shortly after the bakery opens. Frozen S’mores, which sell for $7 a pop, compared to $5 for the Cronut, sell out around 1pm.

Variations on frozen s'mores have been a recipe standby for years.  But there's no telling if there will be a run on the treat at the bakery or a rash of chef copycats.

Ansel says that they’ve been selling phenomenally, and for the time being expects to have the s’mores available until the weather gets cold.

So are these better or as good as the famed Cronuts?  Ansel says it’s a matter of taste.

“My job as a chef is to try to create options for different people. I love all my creations equally, but the fans will each have their favorites. We’re not saving lives, just making desserts, and hopefully making people a little happier.”