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 (optional)

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 (optional)
• 2.6 oz flour
• 5.3 oz eggs (2 eggs)

Materials

• Piping bag
• 0.04 inch piping tip
• 0.07 inch piping tip
• Spatula
• Scraper
• Parchment paper
• Saucepan
• Plastic wrap
• Rolling pin
• 2 inches diameter cookie cutter
• 2.4 inches diameter cookie cutter
• Whisk
• Electric mixer
• Baking dish

Preparation

• Craquelin :
  Mix softened butter + sugar + almond flour + flour + vanilla extract by hand.
• Spread the craquelin between two sheets of plastic wrap using a rolling pin. It should be 2 mm thick. Freeze it flat.
  
• Pastry cream :
  Mix eggs + half of the sugar in a bowl. Add corn starch and mix well.
• Pour milk + vanilla into a saucepan. Add the remaining half of the sugar. Bring to a boil.
  
• Pour half of the milk directly into the bowl and incorporate well. Then pour this mixture back into the saucepan. Stir and return to heat.
• Stir the mixture until boiling. Once boiling, cook for another 2 minutes while stirring.
  
• Remove the saucepan from heat and add the butter cut into small pieces. Mix well. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream to prevent it from drying out. Refrigerate and let cool completely.
• Cream puffs :
  Pour water into a saucepan. Add butter + salt + sugar (optional). Bring to a boil. The butter should melt completely.
  
• Remove from heat and add the flour all at once. Mix well over medium heat. When a smooth ball forms, remove from heat.
• Add beaten eggs gradually. Mix with a wooden spoon. The dough should slowly fall back when you draw a line in the bottom of the saucepan with the spoon.
  
• Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with a 0.07 inch diameter piping tip. Stick parchment paper to a baking sheet with a bit of choux pastry.
• Dip your 2 inches diameter cookie cutter into icing sugar or flour and mark the parchment paper by placing the cutter on it. Pipe the choux in the circles.
  
• Cut 2.4 inches diameter circles from the craquelin using a cookie cutter. Place the craquelin circles on top of the choux.
• Bake for 30 minutes at 340°F (170°C), then reduce the temperature to 280°F (140°C) and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove the choux from the oven and let them cool completely.
  
• Diplomat cream :
  Loosen the pastry cream using an electric mixer. Whip the cold cream to make whipped cream and gently fold it into the pastry cream using a spatula. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 0.04 inch diameter piping tip.
• Pierce the bottom of the choux with a knife. Fill the choux with diplomat cream.
  
• Variation: cut the choux in half and fill the base, smoothing the edge of the choux, pipe small mounds of cream, and close with the top.
• There you are, your craquelin topped vanilla cream puffs are ready!
  

Observations

Pastry cream:
Add half of the sugar from the recipe to your milk: the milk won't stick to the saucepan.
Pastry cream can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.
To cool your pastry cream more quickly: pour it into a cold baking dish, cover "directly" with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

Filling:
You can fill your puffs with only whipped cream or only pastry cream if you prefer.

Craquelin:
Craquelin is optional; your puffs will be larger and crunchier with it.

Freezing:
You can freeze your choux pastry and craquelin to make more later.

Cookware

Questions

Photos of members who cooked this recipe

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