I’m a total sucker for pastries, especially ones with delicious chocolate or vanilla fillings. So when Venezuelan-inspired local Kukiss Bakery popped up on my Instagram explore page with a flaky hazelnut croissant stuffed with hazelnut filling, I immediately saved the post so I could go try the treats for myself.
The website’s menu has three pages filled with a variety of cookies, bread and other pastries. I picked out three croissants that caught my eye — either through its described flavors or appealing visuals. The bakery only accepts online orders where a customer selects a time to pick up their items from Kukiss’s home bakery in Overland Park. Orders are ready for pickup within a day of being placed.
The bakery is run by María Eugenia who was born in and owned a bakery in Venezuela. She says her passion for baking started with making her kids birthday desserts and now she works “to innovate with new recipes that unite the best of Venezuelan flavors with the favorites of the American market,” according to her website.
Croissant Rose:
First I tried the Croissant Rose, and it was one of the best croissants I’ve had. The rose petals and pink chocolate decorating the outer half of the pastry caught my eye immediately.
The croissant itself had a sweet taste from the vanilla filling and white chocolate on the outside — dyed pink to match the rose theme. The rich flavor and the thin, aerated layers of pastry made for a fluffy texture that was straight out of the oven.
Each bite had a mix of buttery flakes and refreshing vanilla filling. This croissant was aesthetically pleasing with the flower petals delicately placed on the outside and had an all-around delightful taste that made the trip out to the bakery for a $7 croissant worth it.
Croissant roll hazelnut:
The Hazelnut Croissant Roll immediately caught my attention when I was scrolling through Instagram beforehand — the satisfying pull-apart video displaying how the hazelnut filling oozed out, and I wasn’t disappointed. Each bite made for a satisfying crunch from another fresh and fluffy croissant.
I always appreciate when bakeries aren’t stingy with their fillings and was pleased to find this croissant loaded with hazelnut filling. The rich and buttery flavor made it rank high in breakfast treats alongside donuts, cinnamon rolls or coffee cake in my book. It was like a donut between the chocolate-like filling — but better, because of the flaky crust of the dough.
This will be a breakfast option I’ll be dreaming about until my next visit for the $10 treat — a small price to pay for the exquisite flavors featured in each bite.
Croissant Limone:
The final croissant I tried was the Croissant Limone. It was decorated with green stripes, topped by a white and yellow frosted top. The $7 pastry was eye-catching, with a colorful visual aspect that set it apart from other croissants I’ve seen at bakeries.
The creamy consistency was similar to a key lime pie creamy consistency similar to that of key lime pie, accompanied with just the right amount of lemon from the yellow topping. Each bite had a balance of tart lemon and fresh buttery pieces of croissant.
This might have been different from the sweet flavors of the first two croissants but was a delicious addition to what I tried. The croissant itself held the high standard of the others with the crunchy texture with a $7 price stamp. The yellow topping had a pungent lemon taste that lasted throughout the treat. Overall, each croissant is a must-try and worth the price tag.