Choux Au Craquelin - The Gold Standard of French Patisserie

Add 100 grams of plain flour, 100 grams of light brown sugar, and 100 grams of softened butter into a standing mixer.

Attach a paddle to the mixer and mix everything together on low speed until it forms a soft dough.

Place the crackling dough onto greaseproof paper, top with another piece, and roll it out until about 2-3 millimeters thick.

Place the rolled crackling dough onto a tray and into the freezer for an hour to firm up.

In the meantime, in a pan, bring 150 grams of water, 25 grams of unsalted butter, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, and 0.5 teaspoon of vanilla extract to a gentle heat until the butter melts.

Once melted, bring the mixture to a boil and add 50 grams of plain white flour, stirring over gentle heat.

Cook the mixture for 3-4 minutes until it transforms from a porridge-like consistency to a smooth, waxy mashed potato-like texture.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, mix together 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk until smooth, then gradually add to the warm dough in the pan, beating well between each addition.

Once all the egg is added and the dough is smooth and glossy, transfer it to a piping bag.

Pipe 8 to 10 rounds about 1.5 inches in diameter onto a lined baking sheet.

Remove the crackling from the freezer, peel off the silicone paper, and use a circle cutter to stamp out discs slightly larger than the piped choux.

Carefully place a disc of crackling on top of each piped choux pastry.

Bake the choux at 190 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until puffed and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and use a skewer to make a small hole in the edge of each choux to allow steam to escape.

Return the choux to the oven at 140 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes until completely crisp and dry.

Transfer the baked choux to a wire rack to cool.

To make the filling, bring 300 grams of whole milk and 2 teaspoons of instant coffee to a boil in a saucepan, then remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 whole eggs, 50 grams of caster sugar, and 30 grams of plain white flour until smooth.

Gradually add the coffee-infused milk to the egg mixture, whisking well between additions.

Strain the mixture back into a clean saucepan and return to heat, stirring constantly until thickened.

If the filling goes lumpy, keep beating vigorously until smooth.

Once thickened, add 2 leaves of gelatin (soaked in cold water) to the hot custard and stir to dissolve.

Add 80 grams of dark chocolate to the custard and stir until melted, then add 100 grams of unsalted butter and beat until incorporated.

Finish the custard with a pinch of sea salt and 2 tablespoons of coffee liqueur.

Transfer the mocha custard to a plate, cover with silicone paper, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours to set.

Once set, whip the custard in a standing mixer with a whisk attachment until it resembles light buttercream icing.

Transfer the whipped mocha filling to a piping bag with a star nozzle.

Slice the tops off the cooled choux buns with a serrated pastry knife and pipe the mocha filling into each bun, creating a nice spiral peak.

Decorate the filled choux with melted chocolate and trim the tops to a neat round using a circle cutter before placing them back on top of the filling.

Equipment Needed

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