Craquelin topped vanilla cream puffs

Ingredients

Craquelin :

• 1.7 oz almond flour
• 1.7 oz butter
• 1.7 oz brown sugar
• 0.7 oz flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optionnal)

Diplomat cream (pastry cream + whipped cream) :

• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2.4 oz sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1.6 oz corn starch
• 1.7 oz butter
• 6 oz cold cream

Cream puffs :

• 1/2 cup water
• 1.7 oz butter
• 0.05 oz salt
• 0.08 oz sugar
• 2.6 oz flour
• 5.3 oz eggs (2 eggs)

Materials

• Piping bag
• pipe 0.04 inch
• pipe 0.07 inch
• Cookie cutter 2 inches diameter
• Cookie cutter 2.4 inches diameter

Preparation

• Craquelin :
  Mix by hands softened butter + sugar + almond flour + vanilla extract.
• Spread the craquelin between 2 plastic wraps. It has to be very thin. Freeze it flat.
  
• Pastry cream :
  Mix eggs + half sugar in a bowl. Add corn starch and mix well.
• Pour milk + vanilla in a pan. Add second half sugar and bring to boil.
  
• Pour half milk in the bowl and stir well. Pour this mix in the pan, stir and return to the heat.
• Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Then, cook 2 minutes while stirring.
  
• Remove from heat and add softened butter. Mix well. Cover with plastic foil. Refrigerate. It has to cool down completely.
• Cream puffs :
  Pour water in a pan. Add butter + salt + sugar (optionnal). Bring to boil. The butter has to melt completely.
  
• Remove from heat, add flour at once and stir until the dough comes off the pot
• Add beaten eggs gradually. Mix with a wooden spoon. Preheat your oven to 340°F (170°C).
  
• Transfer dough in a piping bag with a 0.07 inch diameter pipe. Stick the baking sheet on your baking tray with some dough.
• Dip your 2 inches diameter cookie cutter into icing sugar or flour and draw some circles on your baking sheet with it. Form the choux with your piping bag.
  
• Cut 2.4 inches diameter circles in your craquelin with a cookie cutter. Put your craquelin circles on top of the choux.
• Bake 30 min at 340°F (170°C) and then 20 min at 280°F (140°C). Remove from oven and leave to cool down completely.
  
• Diplomat cream :
  Whisk the cold cream to make it smooth. Then, whip the cold cream to make whipped cream. Then, gently combine it with the pastry cream. Transfer in a piping bag with a 0.04 inch diameter pipe.
• Cut the choux underneath with a knife. Fill the choux with diplomat cream.
  
• Cut the choux in half and pipe some diplomat cream on the bottom. Cover with the top.
• There you are, your craquelin topped vanilla cream puffs are ready !