Chocolate and Cherry Choux a Craquelin
These Choux au Craquelin are perfect dessert with the crispy, light puffs topped with Craquelin filled with chocolate cherry mascarpone cheese filling.
The name of this dessert is so fancy, but they are so easy to make and are such a great addition to any dessert table. You might have tried cream puffs or eclairs, and these are not different from them. The Craquelin is what makes it slightly different and makes them unique in looks and taste as well. The Craquelin, is a made from a simple cookie style dough consisting of butter, sugar, flour and salt.
It’s rolled out and cut outs are placed on top of the piped choux pastry and then they get baked and as they bake together, the choux puff up while the Craquelin also melts and creates beautiful crackly appearance and buttery sweet taste.
This is what makes it so delicious and different from regular cream puffs. You can eat them as they are but filled with pastry cream or any other filing takes a to another level.
Choux pastry dough is one thing you need to add in your baking book, as they are so versatile and you can make so many different things from them – eclairs, paris breast, cream puffs, pearl sugar crusted chouqettes etc.
There are three parts to the recipe:
Craquelin – Craquelin is basically a super easy cookie dough, made from butter, sugar, vanilla, and flour. You roll it out thin, then freeze it, and then use a cookie cutter to cut out discs. The discs get put onto the piped-out choux pastry. When they bake, it melts down the sides of the cream puff to form the most perfect crackly layer. It tastes slightly sweet and also gives a nice texture and look to the cream puff.
Choux pastry – Choux pastry, also known as pȃte à choux, is a twice-cooked hollow French pastry. It’s made from choux paste and is typically eaten cold. A sweet version is normally filled with cream and garnished while a savory version can be filled with cheese. Choux pastry dough can be used to make eclairs, cream puffs, profiteroles, buns, crullers, beignets, churros, many other shapes. choux pastry dough is made from water and flour which is further enriched and lightened by addition of eggs while beating the paste. Baking results in a crisp shell with a thin, moist lining of cooked paste and a hollow center. There is no leavening agent in choux pastry. These pastries depend on the steam produced during baking to puff up and form the hollow center.
Cream Filling – Ideally, I have seen cream puffs with a whipped cream filling or pastry cream. I have simplified the process by making whipped ganache and mascarpone cheese. You can also skip the filling completely, and scoop ice cream and serve these.
Craquelin 
Piped Pate a choux 
Craquelin topped choux 
After baking 
It sure looks like too many steps, but the fun part is its all quick and easier than we think. You can also divide up the work in 2-3 days. Cream filling and Craquelin can be made ahead as they are anyways stored in the fridge.
Next day, make pate a choux and assemble it. If you plan on making it one single day, then start with Craquelin and then make the filling, let both rest in the fridge. Then proceed with pate a choux and then assemble it once everything is cool.
- Some tips
- Using a cookie cutter, you can trace circles on each baking sheet using a pencil, leaving some room for spreading in between each circles for piping pate choux in all same sizes.
- Uncooked Craquelin cut-outs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- Unfilled cream puffs stay fresh and can be frozen upto few days. Just thaw them at room temperature and warm them in the oven for few minutes.
- If you are baking one tray of these at a time, ensure that you only put the Craquelin on one tray worth at a time – put the Craquelin on the second tray just before you bake them. Let them chill until in the fridge.
- You can totally make these without the craquelin top. Just make the choux and filling
- Sometimes you need extra few minutes to get the full color, and to prevent an eggy aftertaste. When they are cooked properly you get this cream flavor, which is simply delicious. They should have dry and hollow interior when you cut them into half.
Chocolate and Cherry Choux a Craquelin
Ingredients
Pate a choux
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup water
- 7 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Craquelin
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Cherry Mascarpone filling
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese
- 3 oz chocolate
- Tiny pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup cherry preserves
- Garnishes – pistachios cherries etc.
Instructions
Craquelin
- Place butter, sugar and flour in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium until combined. Turn out the dough onto a large piece of parchment paper, and top with a second piece of parchment. Roll out the dough into 1-2 mm in thickness. Place the dough, still between the parchment sheets, in the freezer for half an hour, or until ready to use (Can be made ahead). Keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. It should be cold and firm.
Chocolate Cherry Mascarpone Filling
- Take chocolate in a double boiler setting and melt it along with the heavy cream. Once chocolate is completely melted and stir both to mix and let it cool down. Once ganache is cooled down, whip it using a whisk or a kitchen aid mixer using whisk attachment. Once you get soft peaks, add in the mascarpone cheese as well. Add vanilla extract and tiniest pinch of salt about 1/8 tsp. Whisk it until it looks smooth and thick.
Pate a Choux
- Preheat the oven to 400°f / 200°c. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a large piping bag with a large round piping tip.
- Pate a choux – Take milk, water, butter, vanilla extract, sugar and salt in a pan on medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add in the flour, and start whisking the mixture until it gets incorporated and there are no lumps in the mixture. Stirring constantly, cook the mixture for 2 minutes to help dry it out. Signs to check if the dough is ready or not, includes a thin starchy film forming all over the inside of the pan and the dough pulling together into a cohesive mass.
- Transfer the paste to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute to help cool down the mixture before adding the eggs.
- With the mixture running on low, slowly add one egg at a time. Mix on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, or until the eggs are fully incorporated. The batter should not look stiff. It should look smooth.
- Transfer the choux batter to the prepared piping bag. Pipe tiny same sized mounds onto the baking sheet. (If the batter has left a point, you can smooth it down with a wet fingertip)
- Remove the craquelin from the freezer and remove the top piece of parchment. Place each circle on top of the piped choux, pressing lightly.
- Bake them for 8 mins at 400°F / 200°C, then turn down the oven to 350°F / 180°C, and bake for a further 15-20 minutes, until puffs are deeply golden and puffed up. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Assembly
- There are two ways to fill choux au craquelin; a ‘piped-in’ option and a ‘sandwich’ option. The piped in option involves making a small hole in the bottom of each choux and then piping the filling inside. The sandwiched version requires slicing each choux in half with a knife, then piping the filling onto the bottom half before closing the sandwich with the top half. If you are not confident about the piping method, the sandwich method is much better and easier.
- Transfer the chocolate and cherry filling to two separate large piping bags fitted with a round piping tip. Using a chopstick, carefully poke a hole in the bottom part of each puff. First the chocolate filling and then the cherry filling.
- Insert the piping tip into the cream puff and pipe the filling in until you can feel the cream puff being heavy. You will have to try few to get the hang of it. Just clean the spill outside the puffs.
- Or you can cut them in half and pipe the chocolate filling on the bottom half and place ½ tsp of cherry preserves in the middle of the filling. Place the other half on top.
- Serve within a few hours of filling. Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Garnish them with cherries and pistachios on the side of the cream. You can actually add some more chopped cherries once the filling is piped.
Notes
- Using a cookie cutter, you can trace circles on each baking sheet using a pencil, leaving some room for spreading in between each circles for piping pate choux in all same sizes.
- Uncooked Craquelin cut-outs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- Unfilled cream puffs stay fresh and can be frozen up to few days. Just thaw them at room temperature and warm them in the oven or toaster oven for 5 minutes.
- If you are baking one tray of these at a time, ensure that you only put the Craquelin on one tray worth at a time – put the Craquelin on the second tray just before you bake them. Let them chill until ready to use.
- You can totally make these without the Craquelin top. Just make the choux and the filling.
- Sometimes you need extra few minutes to get the full color, and to prevent an eggy aftertaste. When they are cooked properly you get this cream flavor, which is simply delicious. They should have dry and hollow interior when you cut them into half.