You may have heard of the cruffin, a cross between a croissant and a muffin, a bakery item that took San Francisco by storm in 2014, then spreading to the East Coast. It starred in an earlier Fabulous Friday. On a recent trip to Portland, Oregon, I was smitten by another West Coast pastry standout — the Monkey Muffin from Grand Central Bakery. The next pastry craze perhaps?
It’s actually a sticky bun but instead of being made with a leavened dough, it’s made from croissant dough (from the leftover pieces of the dough for their croissants). OMG is it ever delicious. It is denser than the usual bun, and has the perfect amount of “goo” both on the top and sides, and sometimes has a “tail” of the “goo” that’s like eating candy. And of course there are the requisite nuts for crunchy goodness on top. The price? $2.95. If you’re ever in Portland or Seattle, do not miss it. Don’t like sticky buns? Order the berry coffee cake made with fresh blueberries with crumb topping, the berry danish, or the sweet roll from brioche dough. They also sell delicious rustic baguettes and boules and, not surprisingly, the coffee is A+.
