By Dorie Greenspan
- Total Time
- 1 hour plus 1 hour freezing
- Rating
- 4(217)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Pâte à choux, aka cream puff dough, is a baker’s putty, the mixture that becomes the cream puff as well as éclairs, beignets, churros, croquembouches, gâteaux St. Honoré and tens more desserts. The dough is cooked before it’s baked, andit'sa quick-change artist – a lump when it goes into the oven, it emerges golden, ping-pong-ball light, a couple or three times its size and smelling of warm butter and eggs.It's simple to master, and it lends itself to tweaks and endless embellishments. Here, the puffs are capped with a round of frozen sweet dough called craquelin, which produces a crunchy coating that's a little like streusel.It adds enough texture and sweetness so that filling becomes a choice, not a necessity.
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Ingredients
Yield:About 40 puffs
- 9tablespoons (128 grams) cool unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1cup (200 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
- Pinch fine sea salt
- 1¼cups (170 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1½teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½cup (120 ml) whole milk
- ½cup (120 ml) water
- 1stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 1tablespoon sugar
- ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1cup (136 grams) all-purpose flour
- 4large eggs
- 1large egg white
For the Craquelin
For the Cream Puffs
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (40 servings)
101 calories; 6 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 30 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
To make the craquelin: Pulse the butter, sugar and salt in a food processor until just blended. Add the flour, and pulse until you have moist curds; pulse in the vanilla. Scrape the dough out onto the counter, and pull it together into a ball. Divide in half, shape each half into a disk and roll out each piece between parchment paper until it’s about ⅛ to 1/16 inch thick. Freeze for at least 1 hour, and then cut into 1¾-to-2-inch-diameter rounds. Freeze until needed (always use frozen).
Step
2
Preheat the oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a small (2-teaspoon capacity) cookie scoop, spoon or a piping bag at hand.
Step
3
To make the puffs: Bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt just to a boil in a medium pan. Reduce the heat to low, add the flour all at once and start stirring like mad with a flexible spatula. Stir and mash the dough until it comes together and leaves a film on the bottom of the pan. Keep cooking and stirring nonstop for another 3 minutes to dry but not color it. Scrape the dough into the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or work with a hand mixer). Beat the dough for 2 minutes to cool it down a bit. Combine the eggs and white, stir with a fork to break them up and then add to the dough in three additions, beating on medium speed. Beat until the dough is satiny and runs off the beater smoothly.
Step
4
Scoop, spoon or pipe puffs that are about 1½ inches in diameter, leaving about 2 inches between each puff. (At this point, you can freeze them and then, when they are solid, pack them in an airtight container. When you’re ready to bake, arrange the frozen puffs on a lined baking sheet and keep them on the counter while you preheat the oven.) Place a frozen round of craquelin on each puff.
Step
5
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the baking sheets if needed, or until the tops are golden brown and crackled. The puffs will feel firm when gently squeezed and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Transfer them to racks, and cool to room temperature.
Ratings
4
out of 5
217
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Cooking Notes
Matthew
Can you direct to a few excellent filling recipes?
Ms. Sofie
Not thicker than 1/8 inch.
Not thinner than 1/6 inch.
Goldilocks likes it @ 3/32 inch.
Mardi
Seriously? A paddle mixer? Use grandmother's medium saucepan, a wooden spoon, and incorporate the eggs thoughly. Home Economics 101.
Iowa girl
pix
Those of us who whisk, stir, fold, and beat on a daily basis appreciate electric appliances. Professionally speaking, they are necessary.
Suzanne F
Roll the craquelin dough how thick? Recipe seems to be trying to say 1/16 to 1/8-inch thick, but its tongue is tied a bit. Thanks!
Ms. Sofie
Yes, it's an editing error. In the article, she specificys that this pastry has a lighter, less assertive taste and thus I gather it is 'light brown' sugar.
-but-
if YOU wish for more of a molasses taste in your puff pastry then you can use the dark.
Carolyn
Mousseline is always fabulous. You could do a pudding, or ice cream.
Ina
It says nothing about slitting the puff immediately it comes out of the oven to let out the steam - surely the puffs will become all wrinkled as they cool down - or does the craquelin on top keep them in shape?
Walter
Perfect for profiteroles - split, stuffed with ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce. I have also folded crushed raspberries into sweetened, stiff peaks whipped cream (Creme Chantilly) as a filling.For a savoury, thinking of stuffing smaller ones with pate that has been lightened with unsweetened heavy cream so it will pipe easily into the puffs without difficulty. A craquelin topping would still work with Herbes de Provence or a touch of cayenne added.
EC
Ms. Greenspan is usually much more precise in her recipes - this calls for 'lightly packed brown sugar' but does not specify whether light or dark brown sugar. Is this an editorial error?
Rose
Totally agree. No other equipment needed. Much less mess.
Carolyn
It says 1/8 to 1/16
Agnes
Make sure to scrape the bottom or else it wont mix well and thoroughly. Very nice recipe, very similar to Pierre Herme’s recipe tho. But oh this is a tad bit too sweet for my liking
Walter
Perfect for profiteroles - split, stuffed with ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce. I have also folded crushed raspberries into sweetened, stiff peaks whipped cream (Creme Chantilly) as a filling.For a savoury, thinking of stuffing smaller ones with pate that has been lightened with unsweetened heavy cream so it will pipe easily into the puffs without difficulty. A craquelin topping would still work with Herbes de Provence or a touch of cayenne added.
Julie
You should give credit to Pierre Hermes who invented/popularized this embellishment of Pate a choux
Eva
Family loved this and puffed really well! One small complaint was that the cream puff was a little too sweet as I made my normal whipped cream's ratio of sugar to whipping cream and didn't take into account the sweetness of the brown sugar on top of the puff. Next time I will make a lightly sweetened whipped cream!
Ina
It says nothing about slitting the puff immediately it comes out of the oven to let out the steam - surely the puffs will become all wrinkled as they cool down - or does the craquelin on top keep them in shape?
Units girl
"cool unsalted butter, cut into small cubes"
What is "small"? 1/4 inch, 1/2 in, 1 inch?
Mardi
Seriously? A paddle mixer? Use grandmother's medium saucepan, a wooden spoon, and incorporate the eggs thoughly. Home Economics 101.
Iowa girl
Rose
Totally agree. No other equipment needed. Much less mess.
Bruce
I agree, too. I've always made this in one pan with a wooden spoon. It relieves a lot of stress, too, since you have to beat it vigorously.
pix
Those of us who whisk, stir, fold, and beat on a daily basis appreciate electric appliances. Professionally speaking, they are necessary.
Ruth
What is the diameter of each craquelin disk?
James
From Step 1: "Cut into 1-3/4- to 2-inch-diameter rounds."
Ms. Sofie
Not less than 1 3/4 inches.
Not more than 2 inches.
Dave
The instructions state 1-3/4 to 2" rounds.
EC
Ms. Greenspan is usually much more precise in her recipes - this calls for 'lightly packed brown sugar' but does not specify whether light or dark brown sugar. Is this an editorial error?
Ms. Sofie
Yes, it's an editing error. In the article, she specificys that this pastry has a lighter, less assertive taste and thus I gather it is 'light brown' sugar.
-but-
if YOU wish for more of a molasses taste in your puff pastry then you can use the dark.
Matthew
Can you direct to a few excellent filling recipes?
Carolyn
Mousseline is always fabulous. You could do a pudding, or ice cream.
Matthew
Mousseline is hollandaise sauce mixed with whipped cream, so you must mean something else, Carolyn. I ended up making crème pâtissière, lightening with a bit of whipped cream (possibly this is what you meant?) and folding in fresh strawberry and raspberry jams, topping with a ganache. Yum.
Elissa
Oops, forgot to paste the link. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013523-chocolate-chip-pastry-cream
Suzanne F
Roll the craquelin dough how thick? Recipe seems to be trying to say 1/16 to 1/8-inch thick, but its tongue is tied a bit. Thanks!
Carolyn
It says 1/8 to 1/16
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