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Chocolate Choux au Craquelin Recipe

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4.8 from 144 reviews

Indulge in the decadent delight of Chocolate Choux au Craquelin, a French pastry featuring crisp, crackly-topped choux buns filled with rich, velvety chocolate pastry cream. This elegant treat combines the airy texture of classic pâte à choux with a buttery, cocoa-flavored craquelin topping and smooth dark chocolate filling, perfect for special occasions or a sophisticated dessert.

Ingredients

Scale

Chocolate Pastry Cream

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon table salt
  • 4 oz 60% chocolate, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into 2 pieces
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Craquelin

  • ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ⅓ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ tablespoons natural cocoa powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt

Pâte à Choux

  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
  • ¼ teaspoon table salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs

Instructions

  1. Make Chocolate Pastry Cream: In a large measuring cup, whisk together milk, cream, and egg yolks until smooth. In a medium saucepan, whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the saucepan while whisking to prevent lumps. Heat over medium, stirring constantly until thickened to pudding consistency. Remove from heat and strain mixture through a fine mesh into a heatproof bowl.
  2. Add Chocolate and Butter: Immediately stir in the chopped chocolate and butter until melted and smooth. Mix in vanilla extract. Let cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  3. Prepare Craquelin Dough: Beat softened butter and brown sugar until combined. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, and salt together in separate bowl, then mix into butter mixture until a crumbly dough forms. Shape into a ball, flatten into a disk, and roll between parchment sheets to ⅛” thickness (approx. 11×9 inches). Cut 2-inch circles, place on a baking sheet, and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
  4. Make Pâte à Choux: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and line baking sheet with parchment. Boil water, butter, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in flour until dough forms a ball and pulls from sides. Cool slightly. Beat in eggs one at a time, stirring until fully incorporated and smooth after each addition.
  5. Pipe and Top with Craquelin: Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1A tip. Pipe mounds about 1.5″ wide and 1″ tall spaced 1.5″ apart onto baking sheet. Place one frozen craquelin circle gently atop each mound.
  6. Bake and Dry Out Pastries: Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and dry. Remove from oven, pierce each puff on the side near the base halfway through to release steam. Return tray to oven at turned off setting with door ajar for 10 minutes.
  7. Cool Completely: Allow pastries to cool fully on baking sheet before filling.
  8. Fill with Chocolate Pastry Cream: Transfer pastry cream into a piping bag fitted with Wilton 9 tip. Fill each cooled choux through the pierced hole until evenly filled with cream.

Notes

  • When mixing eggs into pâte à choux, the batter may appear separated at first but will become smooth with continued stirring.
  • Placing craquelin dough in the freezer prior to cutting helps achieve clean rounds without tearing.
  • Piercing the choux to release steam prevents sogginess and helps maintain a crisp shell.
  • Use plastic wrap pressed onto pastry cream surface to prevent skin formation during chilling.
  • Ensure pastries cool completely before filling to avoid melting the chocolate cream.

Keywords: choux pastry, craquelin, chocolate pastry cream, French dessert, chocolate choux, pâte à choux, bakery style pastries

Find it online: https://servedbynora.com/chocolate-choux-au-craquelin-recipe/