Food Adventures: The Cruffin

Hello! Instead of the usual recipe post today, I wanted to share an exciting food adventure I went on over the weekend. These.

What is that crispy goddess, swirled like a french chignon, dusted with snow and oozing chocolate walnut lava?

The Cruffin. The Cruffin. A croissant + muffin hybrid.

A few weeks ago, I read a news article about a bake-shop in San Francisco that had been broken in to. The burglar stole a copy of the cruffin recipe, but luckily that recipe was incomplete and therefore not very useful. As a preface, this shop is located in a somewhat questionable area of San Francisco (the Tenderloin), so when I heard the burglar did not take any money and just the recipe – I did a double take. What about these cruffins was so good that someone would break in for the recipe?

After following the Cruffin makers: Mr. Holmes Bakehouse on Instagram, I was convinced I had to see this urban legend in person. Since San Francisco is a 45 minute drive from Palo Alto, I saved the trip for a long-overdue study-break day and made my way to Mr. Holmes Bakehouse early (7:20AM!) on Saturday morning.

Arriving at 8:10 AM, the cruffin line had already wound around the corner. And the cruffins don’t even come out until 9AM! It was about 55 degrees F, people were wearing winter coats (SF is very cold, year round … Bog the Fog likes to hide the sun). I stood there hot tea in hand, tissues for my runny nose in the other, and waited.

At the front of the line, I eagerly purchased 2 cruffins. The flavor of the day was chocolate walnut. The Spork and I made our way to Fisherman’s warf to pick up delicious dairy-free donuts for him (more on that later!) and sat on the docks to enjoy our breakfast desserts. Unwrapping the cruffin, I heard the *crinkle crinkle* of the crisp flaky crust. It was crispier than any croissant I had ever had, and fell to pieces as I bit in.

There were layers upon layers, and in the middle – chocolate cream filling with walnut bits. A perfectly roasted walnut topped it all off. I felt I had never had a dessert so decadent, clearly a lot of thought had been put into the crafting of these cruffins. I suddenly understood why people were lining up in the cold San Francisco morning, in a particularly seedy part of town in order to purchase these. It’s the first time I’ve gotten up early and lined up to eat something, and needless to say the experience did not disappoint. As the seagulls lined up at the docks waiting for me to drop a piece of cruffin, I made a mental note to fight them for it should any hop onto my lap for a bite.

If you want to try the Cruffin at Mr. Holmes Bakehouse, here’s what I recommend you do:

1. Arrive by 8AM – 8:15 AM to be guaranteed a cruffin (if you are driving, there is ample parking along the street in the metered areas. It’s $2/hr for the meters).
2. Bring warm clothes, gloves, it’s cold in SF! You’ll most likely be waiting till about 9:20 AM if you arrive at 8:10. The Cruffins start coming out at 9 AM. They can sell out as early as 10 AM.
3. You are limited 2 cruffins per person, so bring a posse if you want to buy more.
4. You will be handed a sticker while you are in line to denote that you can purchase 2 cruffins when you get to the front. Hang on to the sticker! You need it to prove you did not cut the line.
5. Purchase your cruffin, snap some glamor shots of it, and enjoy! The cruffin tastes best eaten on the day of purchase. I ate the second cruffin the next morning and while still yummy, it was no longer crispy.

The rest of the day, we visited Pepple’s donuts on Embarcadero St. by the wharf. They make vegan donuts, and we tried the vanilla and cinnamon flavors. Both were very delicious and tasted like non-vegan donuts. The cinnamon was particularly good – soft inside with a sugar dusted outside.

We walked through the farmer’s market at Embarcadero after, and found an amazing assortment of treats. There were particularly beautiful mushrooms (so pretty, I don’t know if I could eat them!) – even one colored like pink lemonade.

It was one of the best, most fun study breaks I have ever taken. The Cruffin has a special place in my heart.