Choux Au Craquelin

Choux au Craquelin is a dessert made from cream puff which has a cookie-like texture on the outside and filled with delicate cream on the inside.

Choux au Craquelin, originally from France, is a mini cream puff consisting of a crispy topping called craquelin, a light pastry dough or choux, and pastry cream as the filling.

‘Craquelin’ simply means ‘crack’ which is the visual of the crusty topping. Honestly, though, I really like this kind of dessert more than anything. Just imagining the crispy craquelin and immediately feeling the sweetness of the pastry cream made my mouth water.

Oh, I just can’t resist the temptation this food has given me. Just let’s jump to the recipe already, shall we? Go go!

INGREDIENTS OF CHOUX AU CRAQUELIN

Craquelin

To make the craquelin, you need butter, sugar, and all-purpose flour. That’s all.

Choux

Secondly, you need ½ cup of all-purpose flour, ¼ cup of butter, 2 large eggs, ½ tbsp of sugar, ½ tsp of vanilla extract, ½ cup of water, and ¼ tsp of salt.

Pastry Cream

Lastly, to make the pastry cream, you need 2 egg yolk, ¼ cup of cornstarch, ¼ cup of sugar, ¾ cup of milk 1(you will prepare 2 in different container), ½ tsp of vanilla extract, ½ tbsp of butter, ½ cup of heavy cream cold, ¼ cup of milk 2, and ¼ tsp of salt.

Pretty much, huh? But don’t worry too much. Now, let’s move into the steps of how to make it.

STEPS TO MAKE IT

Craquelin

First of all, put butter and sugar in a bowl, then beat it with a hand mixer for about 3 minutes or until it is smooth enough. And then, add flour and beat again until it is well combined.

After that, scrape down the bowl and the mixer, and bring down the dough. Form the dough with your hands into a ball.

Place parchment paper on a work surface, then place the dough on top of it and cover it with another parchment paper. Flatten the dough with your hand then roll it up with a rolling pin to a ⅛ inch thick. Set aside and freeze the dough for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, remove the top sheet of parchment paper. Then, using a 2-inch round cutter, stamp it out and return the craquelin rounds to the freezer.

Choux

Moving to the choux, first you’re gonna preheat the oven to 375°F.

And then, combine water, butter, milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. After it is boiling, turn off the heat. Then, add flour and whisk quickly until it is well combined.

After that, turn on the heat again and cook for one-two minutes more. Transfer it to a bowl and let it cool.

At this point, add the eggs one at a time into the batter. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until uniform and shiny. In the first stirring, the eggs may look separate from the batter, but it will smooth if you keep stirring it.

Moving to the next step, scoop choux dough into a pastry bag with a ½-inch plain tip. Line a baking sheet tray with parchment paper then pipe 2-inch balls of choux dough onto a sheet tray. Remember to give a distance of 3 inches in each choux.

After it is finished, top each choux with a cut craquelin and press it down slightly. Then, bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, open the oven and prick the choux to let the steam escape and continue baking the choux in the oven for 5-10 minutes more until the choux au craquelin are puffed and golden brown. When you think it is enough, remove it from the oven and let the choux cool completely.

Pastry Cream

Now finally the pastry cream.

Firstly, over low heat, add sugar and milk 1 to the pot with medium heat (don’t boil over).

Then, in a bowl, mix cornstarch, egg yolks, milk 2, and vanilla extract. Add to the pot and whisk continuously until the pastry cream has thickened.

After that, turn off the heat and add cold butter, then whisk until combined. Cover it with plastic wrap and press it directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent it from forming a skin on the surface. Let it cool completely in the refrigerator.

Moving on, place cold heavy cream in the bowl and whisk until hard peaks. Then, whisk the cooled pastry cream a little bit so the texture will be softer. Now add the whipping cream and fold it gently until everything is well combined.

Transfer the pastry cream into a piping bag with ½ inch plain tip.

And then, gently insert the tip of a knife into the underside of each choux and rotate in a circular motion to create a small hole. Fill the choux au craquelin with pastry cream until the choux are full.

Wipe away excess pastry cream and do it to the rest of the choux.

There you go, your Choux au Craquelin is ready to serve. Enjoy!

OTHER RECIPE IDEAS:

Don’t forget to try this recipe, let me know if this recipe works and be your favorite menu to cook. You can save this recipe by signing up for my email list! Do not forget to leave a star rating and a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback.

Also, you can follow our Pinterest, and Instagram, and our Youtube channel for the up-to-date menu. See you on the other menu recipe, friends!