Light and crisp choux pastries filled with a lightened pastry cream and topped with a crunchy cookie craquelin. This is the ultimate version of a choux au craquelin.
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If you love profiteroles or cream puffs you are going to love these! Choux au craquelin is a fun twist on your average cream puff, and it's so much easier than you think. The cookie layer on top of the soft choux pastry adds an extra crunchy texture as well as a touch of sweetness. If you are looking for a way to take your choux pastry to the next level... here it is!
What is Choux au Craquelin?
Choux au Craquelin is created when a thin cookie layer is placed on top of the piped choux pastry to form a thin cracked cookie layer when baked. This cookie layer is called 'craquelin' and is made from a simple mix of butter, sugar and flour.
How to make 'Craquelin'
My craquelin recipe is extremely easy. All you need is equal parts of brown sugar, unsalted butter and plain flour. Follow these steps for perfect craquelin:
- Rub the butter into the brown sugar and plain flour with your fingers
No need to use an electric mixer, simply rub the butter into the flour and sugar using your fingers. The dough will be very crumbly, but that's how it is supposed to be.
- Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper
Once the dough is rolled between two sheets of baking paper the crumbly dough will come together. Roll the dough to about 4mm or ⅛".
- Freeze the dough
It is important to chill the dough before cutting it out and using it on your choux pastries. I like to freeze the dough if I am making the choux pastry straight away. That way, when the choux pastry dough has been made and piped, the craquelin is at the perfect consistency.
Tips for Perfect Choux Pastry
Choux pastry seems easy, but there are couple of key points to keep in mind in order to achieve the perfect cream puff...
Drying out the 'panade'
The panade is the mixture of milk, water, butter and flour. Drying out the panade is one of the most important steps when making choux pastry. It's important to dry out the dough sufficiently as this can affect the pastry during baking. Too much moisture will cause the choux pastries to deflate and become soft and soggy after baking.
Adding the eggs slowly
The eggs also add to the moisture of the dough. Like I mentioned earlier, too much moisture is detrimental for the choux pastries, so it is important to keep a close eye on how much egg is being added to your dough. The amount of egg can differ depending on how much your dough has dried out, and how much liquid your flour is absorbing.
I like to crack my eggs into a jug and pour the egg into the dough in intervals, checking the texture of the dough as I go.
You can tell the dough is ready when you lift up the spatula/paddle attachment and a 'V' or 'beak' forms. At this point you can stop adding egg and transfer it to a piping bag to be piped.
Keep the oven door closed
This is the MOST important tip.
Choux pastry relies on the moisture built up in the oven to rise.
If the oven door is opened during the baking process, the built up moisture is released and the choux pastries will deflate. Ensure your choux pastries are fully baked before opening the oven door!
Poke holes in your choux pastry with a toothpick once baked
Once the choux puffs have been baked there will be a build up of moisture inside the puff. This is what helps it rise, but once it's out of the oven moisture will cause the choux pastries to become soggy.
In order to prevent that and keep them crisp use a toothpick to poke a few holes on the bottom of each puff right after they come out of the oven. This allows the excess steam to escape, resulting in a perfect choux pastry ready to be filled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is choux pastry made of milk or water?
Choux pastry can be made of water, milk or a mixture of both. Using milk adds extra richness to the dough, but it also causes the pastry to be a little softer. I like to use a mixture of milk and water for the best of both worlds.
Does the dough need to be cooled before adding eggs?
Yes! The dough needs to be cooled before adding eggs. If you add the eggs while the dough is still warm it can cause the eggs to cook. This will interfere with the consistency of the dough and prevent them from rising in the oven.
Why have my choux puffs collapsed?
There are a couple of reasons...
- The oven door was opened early: If the oven is opened too early the moisture that helps the choux pastries rise in the oven is released, causing them to deflate.
- There was too much moisture in the choux pastries: Too much moisture will change the consistency of the pastry, making it harder to hold its structure
Why have my choux not risen?
If there is too much fat in your mixture it can interfere with the rising. This may happen if you added too much butter, or too much egg. That's why I recommend weighing out your egg quantities!
Choux pastry also may not rise if the flour hasn't been cooked enough, as this prevents the formation of gluten. Make sure your water, milk and butter mixture is boiling before adding the flour.
How can I tell when my choux puffs are ready?
When your choux puffs are ready they should look golden brown, dried out, and puffy. It is important you don't open the oven door to check whether they are ready or not as this can cause them to deflate. If you aren't sure whether they are ready or not, it is better to keep a close eye on them until they reach a good golden brown.
How long can choux puffs be stored?
The unfilled puffs can be stored for a couple of days at room temperature. Once they are filled they are best consumed in 2 days. The puffs will absorb the moisture from the cream over time, so they are best enjoyed fresh!
Let's Get Baking!
If you make this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to hear how it went.
Also don't forget to tag me on instagram @catherine.justdessertsau and hashtag #cattycakes so I can see and share your desserts!
Follow me on facebook, pinterest, youtube and tiktok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy baking!
PrintChoux au Craquelin (Cookie Choux)
Light and crisp choux pastries filled with a lightened pastry cream and topped with a crunchy cookie craquelin. This is the ultimate version of a choux au craquelin.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Pastry
- Method: Intermediate
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
Craquelin
- 65 g Brown sugar (⅓ cup)
- 65 g Plain flour (½ cup)
- 65 g Unsalted butter, softened (⅓ cup)
Choux Pastry
- 50 g Milk (3 tbsp 1 tsp)
- 50 g Water (3 tbsp 1 tsp)
- 45g Unsalted butter (3 tbsp 1 tsp)
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of sugar
- 55 g Plain flour (⅓ cup 4 tsp)
- 100 g Beaten egg, approx 2 eggs
Creme Patissiere
- 30 g Egg yolk, approx 2 egg yolks
- 60 g Sugar (4 tbsp 2 tsp)
- 25 g Cornflour (3 tbsp 1 tsp)
- 200 g Milk (¾ cup 4 tsp)
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 25 g Butter (2 tbsp)
Diplomat Cream
- 200 g Thickened/Heavy cream (¾ cup 2 tsp)
- Creme Patissiere, prepared and cooled
Instructions
Craquelin
- Combine brown sugar, flour and butter in a mixing bowl
- Rub the butter into the flour and sugar using your fingertips
- Place between two sheets of baking paper and roll out to 4mm in thickness
- Freeze
- Cut into 4cm or 1 ½" inch round discs and reserve in freezer until ready for use
Choux Pastry
- Preheat the oven to 230°C
- Heat milk, water, butter, salt and sugar in a small aluminium saucepan
- When it starts to boil remove from heat and add the flour in one go, mixing vigorously until smooth
- Return to heat and flatten the dough to the bottom of the pan, listening for crackling of the dough without mixing
- Give the pan a shake and when you notice a thin film on the bottom of the pan the dough is sufficiently dry
- Mix the dough and remove from heat
- Using a wooden spoon/spatula beat the dough to let steam evaporate and then cool for 10 minutes
- Slowly add the beaten egg and combine until the dough is smooth, but still holds structure (the batter will form a 'V' or a 'beak' on the spoon/spatula when lifted)
- Pipe small 3.5cm or 1 ⅓" round mounds on a lined baking sheet
- Top with a disc of frozen craquelin
- Turn down the oven temperature to 160°C and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown
- Remove from oven and poke a hole in the bottom of each puff to release steam
- Cool on a wire rack
Creme Patissiere
- Heat milk until just boiling in a small saucepan
- Meanwhile, in a medium sized mixing bowl combine egg yolks and sugar, whisking until doubled in volume
- Add the cornflour and mix until combined
- Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture and whisk until smooth
- Return the mixture to heat and whisk constantly until thick
- Remove from heat and add butter
- Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, ensuring it touches the surface of the pastry cream
- Cool in fridge until use
Diplomat cream
- Whisk the cream until medium stiff peaks are reached
- Add the cooled creme patissiere and whisk until stiff peaks are reached
- Transfer to a piping bag with a star tip
- Reserve in fridge until use
Assembly
- Using a sharp knife, cut the tops of the choux puffs off
- Fill with diplomat cream and top with a swirl
- Place the top of the choux puff on top of the swirl and sprinkle a little icing sugar
- Repeat until all puffs are filled
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 2 days of filling
Keywords: choux pastry, profiteroles, cream puff, choux puff, pastry cream, creme patissiere, custard cream, whipped cream
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Hi Catherine!
Am I able to substitute milk with soy/almond milk for this recipe?
Love all of your recipes !!
★★★★★
Hi Catherine! I haven't tried it before, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. It might affect the moisture so keep checking the choux pastry consistency, especially when you add the egg 🙂
The cream puffs were amazing and not only tasted fluffy and delicious but was also perfectly hollow for filling! However, the craqulin did not really crack, and instead molded onto the cream puff smoothly. I’m not really sure what I did wrong, but either way, this recipe was still amazing, props to you Catherine!
★★★★★
Hi Hazel, Yay, so glad you loved them!
🙂
★★★★★
I made this but was wondering if I can freeze it without filling them? Will it get soggy? Or should I just fill them and give them away? These are so good! That crunch!!
Hi Helen! These get soggy pretty easily, so I would recommend against freezing. However you can pipe out the choux pastry and freeze the unbaked dough. Then bake when needed!