Life

The Cronut Cupcake And Other Amazing Food News

This October, zombies aren't the only thing rising up from the dead: The cupcake chain Crumbs is back. I'll give you a moment to bask in the glory of that sentence, especially if you, like me, were innocently walking down the street in search of gratuitous dessert and found the doors locked shut on the storefront of the iconic cupcake shop when they unexpectedly ran out of cash in July. Several months have passed since that fateful day, during which time I have struggled to move on (and failed, I might add, so it's really good that they're back in action). Not only are 25 of the Crumbs locations reopening their doors this Tuesday, but they've got a new dessert on the menu that will confuse you, intrigue you, and compel you, in that exact order. It's called the "Bassaint," and it's a cross between — you guessed it — a bagel and a croissant. No, this is not a thing that "needs" to exist, but it does, and we will love it. God bless these times we live in.

This is clearly a "go big or go home" situation for the chain. Expectations are going to be high, now that they have betrayed the fragile trust of cupcake lovers before. Will the "Baissant" live up to the hype of its hybrid predecessor, the Cronut? I guess they've got some insurance on that: Crumbs is also debuting the Crumbnut, a cupcake version of the famed Cronut itself.

Other menu newbies include more gluten-free options and two new cupcake flavors: Sweet Pete's Salted Caramel Chocolate and Key West Key Lime Pie.

"Saving this iconic bake shop was important to me not only because of its existing delicious products, but because there is a tremendous opportunity to expand product offerings so that every sweet lover can find something they’ll enjoy," says Marcus Lemonis, an owner of Crumbs who bought the chain out on a bid for $6.5 million and is now revamping the franchise. "We’ll be leveraging collaborations between Crumbs and other companies in my portfolio in the coming months to introduce a wide variety of treats that consumers across the country will have access to."

While all of these new options sound downright delicious, more than anything I'm looking forward to holding a red velvet cupcake that is roughly the diameter of a small child's head up to the light so I can admire it in the five seconds before I devour it whole.

Images: Kristina/Fotolia