How to Make Choux au Craquelin My Way – The Crunchy Cream Puff

Cream brown sugar with butter in a bowl until combined.

Add drops of natural red food coloring to the mixture.

Incorporate all-purpose flour into the mixture to form a dough.

Optionally, add 2 tablespoons of freeze-dried strawberry powder to the dough.

Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.

Place the rolled dough in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour to harden.

In a saucepan, melt milk, water, and butter together with sugar and salt.

Once melted, add in flour and cook until it pulls away from the sides of the pot, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a mixer with a paddle attachment and let it cool for a few minutes.

Add eggs one at a time to the cooled mixture, mixing until the dough is smooth and plops down easily.

Use a 2.5-inch ring cutter to mark circles on parchment paper for piping the choux pastry.

Pipe the choux pastry inside the marked circles on the parchment paper.

Cut out circles of the chilled craquelin dough and place them on top of the piped choux pastry.

Bake at 375°F for 25 to 35 minutes without opening the oven during baking.

Prepare a strawberry puree by blending 300g of strawberries and straining through a fine mesh sieve.

Make the strawberry pastry cream by whisking egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until light and fluffy.

Temper the egg yolks by gradually adding hot milk mixture to them.

Return the tempered egg yolks to the saucepan and cook until it thickens and comes to a boil, about 1 minute.

Remove from heat and add a pinch of salt, 3 tablespoons of cold butter, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Add 50 to 100g of strawberry puree to the mixture, adjusting to taste.

Strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve to catch any scrambled eggs.

Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Whip 200ml of cream with a splash of vanilla extract and powdered sugar to taste until stiff peaks form.

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary