The word Meraki means to do something with love, creativity, passion and soul, and this is exactly what the team at this beautiful Stellenbosch eatery does with their passion for baking and design. If you follow the Meraki Instagram feed, you’ll know all about their picture-perfect pastries and magazine-worthy dishes. But what really got our attention were their gloriously golden croissant muffins, aka cruffins – yet another dessert hybrid to sink your sweet tooth into. We asked the team to show us how the chocolate and pistachio version are made.

Who are the people behind this fabulous treat? Every morning, Meraki pastry chef Chloé Visser folds buttery croissant dough into perfectly round dough balls before popping them into the oven to bake.

A photo posted by Meraki (@merakiliving) on Feb 17, 2016 at 1:45am PST

She then fills these dreamy vessels with whatever inspires her that day. “Some days it’s Nutella and pistachio, other days caramel and cinnamon, strawberry jam and mature cheddar, or simply some wholesome Buttanutt nut spread,” explains owner Corlandi Conradie.

Freshly baked cruffins before being filled and topped with the daily flavour. Photo supplied.

On what inspired the team to start baking these hybrid French pastries, Corlandi says, “It’s just the sheer sensation and childlike excitement of digging your teeth into buttery and fluffy croissant layers to discover a delicious secret centre; it just gets us all the time.”

A photo posted by Chloe Visser on Feb 22, 2016 at 12:41am PST

While baking aficionados will be pleased with the likes of Meraki’s beurre-noisette-and-thyme doughnuts, rose-water and -petal friands, and sticky butterscotch cinnabons, it’s these cruffins that truly deserve praise. They’re available daily in different flavour combinations, and are simply calling to be paired with a cup of something hot.