Coffee Talk: Specialty Pastries and Coffees

Cafés around the world are perfect for people-watching and soaking up local culture. Create the flavour of those experiences at home with tasty pastries and drinks concocted in your own kitchen.

Croffles

This viral Korean street snack and café staple is a playful mash-up of croissants and waffles. They’re crisp, buttery, extremely versatile and shockingly easy to make. Enjoy them plain, dusted with icing sugar, stuffed with a square of chocolate or piled high with your favourite toppings.

Fresh fruit instantly makes croffles heartier. Add fresh berries or sautéed apples along with a dollop of whipped ricotta and toasted almonds for a brunch-worthy dish.

Pistachio Cream Iced Latte

NYC’s Librae Bakery is renowned for its decadent, overflowing pistachio rose croissant, which is worth the long line and hefty price tag. Nutty, slightly sweet and ultracozy, this creamy latte is like this legendary pastry but in drink form. It’s a perfect afternoon pick-me-up. Sub hazelnuts or almonds in the pistachio cream for an instant flavour shift. Serve iced lattes in tall, narrow glasses to highlight the layers and help slow the melt.

Lamington Balls

Lamingtons—cake squares coated in chocolate and coconut, sometimes layered with jam—are a down-under classic. This spin on the Australian sweet is a bite-sized nostalgic twist that’s perfect for sharing. Keep a batch on hand for teatime, lunchboxes or everyday snacking. Enjoy alongside a long espresso.

The Savoury Morning Bun

Flaky puff pastry, melty cheddar and layers of salami are already a winning combination. Inspired by Hani’s Bakery + Café in NYC, we also layer on a gochujang and salted honey glaze with umami-rich nori and sesame seeds. It’s sweet, salty, gently spicy and buttery all at once—the kind of inventive pastry that makes you rethink what a morning bun can be.

Peach Shrub Espresso Tonic

This is a sparkling, tangy riff on the espresso tonic served at Elegy Coffee in Nashville. The sweet-sour coffee shrub, sweetened with peach syrup, brings a nuanced lift and welcome roundedness that plays beautifully with the bitter edge of espresso. It’s equal parts refreshing, gently bitter and complex, perfect for slow sipping on a lazy afternoon.