The newest pastry hitting the counter at Reunion Bread at The Source may be the next hot thing. Right now it’s up to customers to decide if it’s a croissant with a cookie pressed in, or a cookie hugging a round croissant. Either way, owner and baker Ismael De Sousa has created something delicious.
“When [the staff] told me about a new trend of a croissant-cookie, I said it sounded hideous,” said De Sousa, while he moved around the bakery. “But when I got to bed that night I thought about how to give shape to the idea.”
The next day De Sousa and his team started playing around with the components. The first step was to make a croissant in circular shape. Next, he baked it once and let it dry out a little. Then came the chocolate chip cookie, which the bakers placed on top of the croissant. They used chocolate chips to help bind it, and baked it again.
The plan worked, and the goodie sold right off the bat. One week later and the team prepares to launch the dish officially to the public starting Saturday.
This isn’t the first time the baker has sought out to create something new. De Sousa opened Reunion Bread in 2019, bringing his love of Portuguese baking and English-style techniques to Denver. He himself was born in Portugal, raised in Venezuela, studied in London, and later headed to Florida to learn from Miami’s famed Zak the Baker. Now Colorado benefits from the chef’s skills and his wild imagination when it comes to baking.
Before the current creation, De Sousa said he had a period where each week something new would come out. While he doesn’t always launch a new product these days, the cookie-croissant may just make it to the regular menu after a successful trial.
There’s just one problem, they can’t figure out the perfect name. De Sousa said right now the pastry is called The Crookie, but it’s not set in stone. To help Reunion Bread come up with the perfect name for this gooey, chocolaty, crunchy, crispy, decadent item, De Sousa is asking customers to come in this weekend and vote for their favorite moniker.
This weekend he’s hosting a bake sale at The Source. The funds go towards feed the influx of Venezuelan migrants who have come to Denver in the last six months. So go to help name the croissant-cookie, and pick up a little extra sweetness on the side.
Visit Reunion Bread Tuesday-Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Inside The Source, 3330 Brighton Blvd., Denver, reunionbread.square.site
