Dunkin’ Donuts Cashes in on the Cronut Craze

... in South Korea

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Dunkin' Donuts South Korea

Dying to try a cronut, the croissant-donut hybrid popularized by Dominique Ansel’s Bakery in New York City? As the pastry continues to sell out since its debut in May, it may be easier to get one in Asia.

Over the weekend, Dunkin’ Donuts in South Korea unveiled its take on the dessert, which it’s calling the “New York Pie Donut,” a Dunkin’ Donuts spokesperson confirmed to Quartz. It can be found in the capital city, Seoul, in neighborhoods like Gangnam, Jamsil and Myeongdong. Unfortunately, the treat will not be rolled out in the U.S. anytime soon, but a few weeks ago the chain released one in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

Dominique Ansel’s trademarked cronuts – which retail for $5 a piece and have come in Rose Vanilla, Lemon Maple, and Blackberry flavors – are so popular that they’ve spawned a black market and a lottery. Copycats have been spotted in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., London, and Australia. In fact, an article in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal explores the race to “reverse-engineer” cronuts in Asia, where you can find a green-tea flavored one in Japan and a peanut-caramel version in China. Always one step ahead of his imitators, Ansel is debuting a “Croconut” — a cronut embellished with “coconut milk cream, coconut glaze, cinnamon sugar, and just a light sprinkling of toasted coconut on top” — on Thursday.

Dunkin’s version of the cronut is the company’s latest innovation, following its artery-clogging bacon-donut breakfast sandwich, which went viral and debuted in U.S. stores on National Donut Day in June.

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