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Cream puffs with a brown sugar crusted top and coffee pastry cream are taking the place of my favorite croissants. Light and airy choux au craquelin is essentially a cream puff, but rounder, sweeter, and topped with a thin disc of cookie dough that bakes into a crisp, crackly shell. Fill them with coffee infused pastry cream, and you have a little pastry that is hard to resist.
If you’ve ever made choux pastry or cream puffs, this craquelin-topped version is going to up your game. All it takes is one extra step: roll out a buttery cookie dough, cut it into circles, and freeze them. Place a frozen disc over each mound of piped choux before baking, and watch as they transform into beautifully round, evenly shaped pastries with a sweet, crackly top.
This recipe makes twelve medium-large, 2½-inch cream puffs. I’m using half of my French pâte à choux recipe and mixing it by hand in a bowl. For a smaller batch, I find that mixing with a spatula makes it easier to see and feel the dough’s consistency as you add the eggs, whereas a stand mixer works better for larger batches.
Want to make more? Double the quantities for the craquelin, pastry cream, and choux. I do recommend making the pastry cream in batches. I find it much easier to manage smaller amounts of pastry cream with all the hand whisking that’s required.
The difference between plain choux pastry and choux au craquelin lies not only in the crust texture but also in the final shape and size. See the photo below of the same amount of dough after baking; the one with craquelin became much larger and rounder.
Key Ingredients for Cream Puffs
- Whole Milk: Used in both pâte à choux and pastry cream. Combined with water, which gives choux a crisp outer shell, the milk adds tenderness and helps the pastry brown beautifully.
- European-Style Butter: For richness, I always use butter with a higher 82% butterfat. The extra butterfat adds flavor and helps create a tender, delicate choux pastry and rich pastry cream.
- Note: Can be swapped for equal amounts of American-style butter with 80% butterfat.
- All Purpose Flour: Plain all purpose flour with about 11% protein is all you need for choux pastry. There’s no need for specialty flour here.
- Dark Brown Sugar: I swap granulated sugar for dark brown sugar in both the craquelin and pastry cream. It adds deeper caramel notes that pair especially well with the coffee.
- Note: Swap evenly for light brown sugar or granulated sugar.
- Whole Eggs and Egg Yolks: Always weigh your eggs when making pastry. To make adding them to the choux easier, I beat the eggs with a fork first, then slowly pour in exactly the amount needed for the dough.
- Cornstarch: The pastry cream gets its silky, spoonable texture from a combination of cornstarch and flour, which work with the egg yolks to thicken the cream.
- Note: Always sift cornstarch to prevent a lumpy pastry cream. If you forget, pass the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve before chilling.
- Instant Espresso Powder: You can steep the milk with roasted coffee beans for a stronger, more pronounced coffee flavor, but I prefer instant espresso powder here. It gives the pastry cream a balanced, medium coffee flavor and a lovely coffee brown color.
How to Make Craquelin Choux Pastry Step-by-Step
- To make choux pastry, bring milk, water, butter, salt, and sugar to a soft boil.
- Remove the pan from heat and dump in the flour all at once. Mix into a thick paste.
- Put the pan back on medium heat, and mash and work the dough with a spatula to cook out some of the moisture. The dough will form into a thick blob that holds together and there will be a cloudy film on the bottom of. the pan when it’s ready.
- Transfer the hot choux pastry to a mixing bowl and stir it around to release steam.
- Mix in a quarter of the egg mixture at a time, about 1/2 an egg. Mash and stir until completely incorprated before adding more.
- The pate a choux is ready when you can make ribbons and the dough falls slowly from the spatula to form a “V”. It will be glossy smooth, and piepable.
- Roll out craquelin dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Chill for 15 minutes, then cut into discs. Freeze the discs until ready to bake.
- Pipe choux pastry onto a silicone mat or parchment paper lined baking pan. Space pastry 3-inches apart to allow for spread in the oven.
- Place a frozen craquelin disc onto each dollup of dough.
- Bake until puffed and golden brown. Cool completely before filling with pastry cream.
Jenn’s Coffee Cream Puff Tips
- Make Ahead: Both the craquelin and the pastry cream can be made ahead of time. Keep the craquelin discs in the freezer and the pastry cream in the fridge.
- Add Eggs Slowly: When mixing the beaten eggs into the cooked choux dough, add just a quarter of the liquid at a time. Mixing slowly ensures a proper emulsification. Check the choux consistency after each addition. You may not use all of the eggs.
- Cool First: Allow the baked choux au craquelin to cool completely before filling with pastry cream.
- Storage: Keep filled cream puffs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The pastry will eventually begin to soften.
★★★★★ Please leave a star rating and review below if you make this recipe! THANK YOU!!
Coffee Cream Puffs (Choux au Craquelin)
Coffee cream puffs, or choux au craquelin, are light and airy pastries topped with a crisp brown sugar craquelin and filled with rich coffee pastry cream.
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Equipment
- medium saucepan
- piping bags
- 11 mm round piping tip (Ateco 805) for piping choux
- 8 mm round piping tip (Ateco 803) for pastry cream
Ingredients
Coffee Pastry Cream
- 500 grams whole milk
- 6.5 grams (2 Tbsp) instant espresso powder
- 20 grams (1.5 Tbsp) vanilla bean paste
- 120 grams dark brown sugar, divided
- 120 grams (6 large) egg yolks
- 25 grams all purpose flour, sifted
- 25 grams cornstarch, sifted
- 50 grams unsalted European style butter (82% butterfat), room temp
Brown Sugar Craquelin Discs
- 60 grams dark brown sugar
- 60 grams unsalted European style butter (82% butterfat), softened
- 60 grams all purpose flour, 11% protein
Choux Pastry
- 50 grams whole milk
- 50 grams water
- 50 grams unsalted European style butter (82% butterfat), cut into cubes, room temp
- 2.5 grams (½ tsp) fine sea salt
- 2.5 grams (½ tsp) granulated sugar
- 63 grams all purpose flour, 11% protein, sifted
- 100 grams (2 large) whole eggs
Instructions
Coffee Pastry Cream
- Make the pastry cream first or even the day ahead, so it can chill in the fridge until ready to fill the cream puffs.
- In a large saucepan on medium heat, stir together the milk, espresso powder, vanilla, and half of the sugar (60 grams).500 grams whole milk, 6.5 grams instant espresso powder, 20 grams vanilla bean paste, 120 grams dark brown sugar
- Meanwhile, using a separate mixing bowl next to the stovetop, whisk together the egg yolks and second half of the brown sugar until creamy.120 grams egg yolks
- Sift the flour and cornstarch into the egg yolk mixture and whisk well until thick and foamy.25 grams all purpose flour, 25 grams cornstarch
- Once the milk is steaming, slowly pour it into the egg mixture while whisking vigorously to temper the eggs. Then pour everything back into the saucepan and return to medium heat.
- Continue to whisk to prevent lumps as the pastry cream thickens. As it thickens, it will come to a boil. You'll notice it's ready when you stop whisking and the mixture burps up a few air pockets.
- Whisk vigorously to achieve a smooth pastry cream, then remove from the heat. Transfer the pastry cream to a heatproof bowl and whisk in the softened butter until glossy.50 grams unsalted European style butter (82% butterfat)
- Place a sheet of plastic film directly on the surface and refrigerate until cool.
Brown Sugar Craquelin Disc
- Mix softened butter and brown sugar into a paste in a medium-sized bowl using a silicone spatula. Add in the flour and mix until you have a soft cookie dough.60 grams dark brown sugar, 60 grams unsalted European style butter (82% butterfat), 60 grams all purpose flour
- Gently pack the dough into a disc with your hands. Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll into 1/8-inch thickness. Transfer to the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Using a small cookie cutter, cut out 14 discs. Re-roll scraps if needed.
- Freeze the discs in one layer between parchment paper sheets until ready to bake.
Choux Pastry
- Instead of making a bunch of pastry cream for a full batch of choux pastry, I'm using a half recipe for 12-14 cream puffs.
- In a medium saucepan on medium heat, combine the milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt. Once the butter is melted, give it a little stir and continue heating until it reaches a boil.50 grams whole milk, 50 grams water, 50 grams unsalted European style butter (82% butterfat), 2.5 grams fine sea salt, 2.5 grams granulated sugar
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and dump in all the sifted flour at once. Immediately begin mixing with a silicone spatula to prevent any lumps from forming.63 grams all purpose flour
- Return the pan to medium-low heat and continue mashing and spreading the dough with a spatula to cook out some of the moisture. The dough is ready when it forms a cohesive ball as you shake the pan and a thin film forms on the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer the dough to a separate mixing bowl and stir until you no longer see any steam. Mix in a quarter of the beaten eggs at a time, making sure each addition is thoroughly incorporated before adding the next.100 grams whole eggs
- The final texture should be pipeable, neither too thick nor too runny. It will be smooth and slightly glossy. If you don't use all of the eggs or find you need a touch more, that's ok.
- After mixing in the eggs, lift the spatula to see the dough slowly hanging in a V-shape.
- Transfer batter to a plastic piping bag fitted with an 11mm round tip.
Pipe and Bake
- Preheat conventional oven to 375℉ (180℃).
- Line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Draw or mark circles on the paper that are 1.5 inches in diameter, spaced 3 inches apart.
- Hold the piping tip perpendicular to the pan, a finger's thickness above the surface, and pipe 12 rounds of choux. Use pressure from the top of the piping bag to build each mound, then release the pressure while moving the tip in a small circular motion to finish. Don’t worry if they have little tips; you’ll cover them with craquelin.
- Gently place a frozen craquelin disc on the center of each choux mound.
- Place the pan on the middle oven rack and bake for 28-30 minutes. The choux pastry will puff into rounded mounds, and the craquelin will turn a nice dark golden brown with a broken, crispy texture. DO NOT open the oven until they're finished baking, or they may collapse.
- Place the tray on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Then gently transfer the cream puffs onto the wire rack to finish cooling.
Fill with Pastry Cream
- Pull cold pastry cream from the fridge. Whisk vigorously by hand to loosen and smooth it back to pipeable consistency.
- Transfer to a plastic piping bag fitted with an 8mm round piping tip.
- Cut a small hole in the bottom of each cooled cream puff. Insert the pastry cream tip slightly, then fill with pastry cream until there is a little resistance. Scrape any pastry cream that may have oozed out from the bottom. Re-invert right side up and serve.
Notes
Storage: Keep filled cream puffs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The pastry will eventually begin to soften.
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