Choux au Craquelin Recipe

Dressed-up pâte à choux filled with pastry cream are a delicious sweet treat.

By Kristina Razon
Updated October 26, 2023
In This Recipe

Why It Works

  • Light brown sugar imbues the craquelin top with caramel flavor.
  • Poking holes in the baked choux au craquelin allows steam to escape and creates an opening for easy filling.
  • Returning the baked choux to a turned-off oven helps keep them crisp.

Choux au craquelin may sound fancy but they're really just dressed-up cream puffs. The craquelin, a simple cookie-like dough consisting of sugar, butter, flour, and a pinch of salt, is rolled out, cut, and perched on top of piped choux and the two are baked together, producing pastry puffs with a crackly appearance, crunchy texture, and a buttery, sweet bite.

Six choux au craquelins on a white platter with one of them cut in half.

Serious Eats / Debbie Wee

What's the Best Sugar for Craquelin?

For the craquelin, we tested different types of sugars: granulated, dark brown, and light brown. Granulated sugar gave the craquelin a sandy texture that lacked a depth of flavor, while the deep molasses-y notes of dark brown sugar overwhelmed the delicate choux. We found that light brown sugar was the best choice, imbuing the baked choux with a rich copper color and a pleasant caramel flavor.

Making the craquelin itself is an easy process; mix softened butter and light brown sugar in a bowl until creamy, add flour and salt, and then continue mixing until a dough forms (this can also be done in a stand mixer). Then you roll out the resulting dough between sheets of parchment paper, chill it, and cut out rounds. The dough is forgiving, so if the craquelin becomes too soft to handle while you’re stamping out rounds, quickly pop it back in the freezer for several minutes to let it firm up. You can even gather the leftover scraps, re-roll it, and cut out new rounds to save for a future batch.

Technique Details: Making Choux Dough and Filling

For the choux base, which employs our foolproof technique, we prefer using water; no milk or sugar is needed because the craquelin provides the choux with all the color development, crispness, and sweetness it requires. When piping the choux, aim for a two-inch wide base (you can draw circles on your parchment if that helps; see instructions for that in the notes below). Once they’re all piped, gently cap each choux with a round of craquelin.

Once baked and cooled, you can enjoy the choux au craquelin as-is (they’re great as an afternoon snack) or fill them with thick pastry cream, fluffy whipped cream, or velvety crème légère for a stellar dessert.

As we mentioned in our recipe for cream puffs, there are two ways to fill choux au craquelin: a “piped-in” option and a “sandwich” option. The piped option involves making a small hole in the bottom of each choux and then piping the filling inside, which results in an even distribution of pastry cream or crème légère. The sandwiched version requires slicing each choux in half with a serrated knife, then piping the filling onto the bottom half before closing the "sandwich" with the top half. The choice is yours (we’ve included steps below for whichever you pursue); both options are excellent.

February 2021

Recipe Details

Choux au Craquelin Recipe

Prep 80 mins
Cook 30 mins
Active 30 mins
Total 110 mins
Serves 18 choux au craquelin

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces (1/2 cup; 115g) light brown sugar

  • 4 ounces (1 stick;115g) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, and softened to about 68°F (20°C)

  • 4 ounces (about 1 scant cup; 115g) all-purpose flour, sifted

  • 1/8 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

  • One recipe choux pastry (made with water), transferred to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip

  • One recipe vanilla, chocolate, or lemon pastry cream, or one recipe crème légère, transferred to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain round tip (see note)

Directions

  1. To Make the Craquelin Top by Hand: In a medium bowl and using a flexible spatula, mash together brown sugar and butter, then stir until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.

    A two-image collage. In the left image brown sugar and butter sit next to each other in a metal bowl. In the right image, the butter and brown sugar have been smashed together to make a smooth and creamy mixture.

    Serious Eats / Debbie Wee

  2. Add flour and salt, thoroughly mixing until no dry flour remains and a damp, crumbly meal has formed, about 2 minutes.

    A two-image collage. In the left image, flour and salt are added to the creamy mixture. In the right photo, the ingredients have been mixed to form a damp and crumbly consistency.

    Serious Eats / Debbie Wee

  3. Alternatively, to Make the Craquelin Top in a Stand Mixer: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar and butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

    An overhead view of brown sugar and butter being mixed together in a stand mixer.

    Serious Eats / Debbie Wee

  4. Scrape down the bowl and beater with a flexible spatula. Add flour and salt, then beat on medium-low speed until no dry flour remains and a damp, crumbly meal has formed, about 2 minutes.

    Overhead of the brown sugar mixture that had salt and flour added and mixed to form a damp and crumbly dough.

    Serious Eats / Debbie Wee

  5. Using your hands, bring dough together to form a ball (it will be a bit sticky but do not add extra flour). Place a sheet of parchment paper on a work surface and set dough on top. Shape dough into a roughly 6- by 8-inch flat rectangle.

    A two-collage image. The left image shows a brown ball of dough. The right shows the dough flattened into a six by eight inch rectangle.

    Serious Eats / Debbie Wee

  6. Cover with a second sheet of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough into a 1/8-inch-thick rough rectangle 1/8 inch thick (it should be about 12-by-14 inches in size); reposition both sheets of parchment paper as needed to minimize creasing. Transfer dough, along with parchment paper, to a rimmed baking sheet and freeze until cold, about 5 minutes (or refrigerate until cold, about 15 minutes). Meanwhile, line a second baking sheet with parchment paper.

    A two-image collage. The left image shows a six by eight inch dough rectangle covered in parchment paper. The right shows the dough rolled out to a twelve by fourteen inch rectangle, placed on a baking sheet, and covered with parchment paper.

    Serious Eats / Debbie Wee

  7. Remove top sheet of parchment paper. Using a 2-inch round cutter, stamp out 18 pieces of craquelin. Working quickly, transfer craquelin rounds to the prepared baking sheet in a single layer, and return to freezer; you may need to slide an offset spatula under the cut-outs to loosen them from the parchment paper. If desired, craquelin dough scraps can be re-rolled out, chilled, and cut into new rounds (see Make Ahead section for more on holding extra, uncooked rounds).

    A two-image collage. The left image shows a twelve by fourteen inch rectangle on a baking sheet with eighteen circles cut into the dough. The right image shows the excess dough removed so that only the eighteen cut circles remain on the baking sheet.

    Serious Eats / Debbie Wee

  8. Adjust oven racks so that one is in upper-middle position, the other is in lower-middle position, and preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Line two aluminum baking sheets with parchment paper. Pipe a small amount of choux paste under each corner of parchment paper (the dough acts as a glue and keeps the paper in place as you pipe).

  9. Holding the filled pastry bag at a 90° angle, apply steady downward pressure and pipe a 2-inch-wide choux (see note). To stop piping, cease applying pressure and swirl pastry tip away. Continue to pipe choux about 3 inches apart, for a total of 9 choux. Repeat with second tray. Top each choux with a craquelin cut-out, making sure it’s positioned parallel to the floor of the baking sheet, then press down slightly to ensure it adheres to the highest point of the piped choux. Bake both trays, switching racks and rotating trays front to back after 20 minutes, until choux au craquelin are puffed, deeply golden brown, and feel hollow when lifted, about 30 minutes total. For sandwich-style choux au craquelin, proceed to the next step; for piped-in choux au craquelin, proceed to step 11.

    A four-image collage. The top left image shows nine two-inch wide choux piped on to a baking sheet. The top right image shows a craquelin cut-out placed on each of the nine choux. The bottom left image shows a low, side view to see the craquelin on top of the choux. The bottom right image shows a overhead of the baked and puffed choux au craquelin on a baking sheet.

    Serious Eats / Debbie Wee

  10. To Fill Sandwich-Style Choux au Craquelin: Turn off oven. Let trays rest in oven with oven door partially open for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely, about 15 minutes. Using a serrated knife, slice each puff in half to create a top and bottom "bun.” Transfer your choice of filling (see notes section below for filling instructions) to a pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch star tip. Working with one at a time, begin piping with steady pressure to generously fill the bottom half of each choux. Cover with the top half of each choux. Repeat until all choux au craquelin are filled. Serve immediately.

    An overhead of six hollowed out puffs that have been filled with filling and are resting on a baking sheet.

    Serious Eats / Debbie Wee

  11. To Fill Piped-In Choux au Craquelin: Working quickly, while choux au craquelin are still hot, gently insert the tip of a paring knife into the underside of each choux and rotate in a circular motion to create a small hole about 1/4 inch in size, then return to tray. Set both trays in the turned-off but still warm oven with the door partially open for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely, about 15 minutes.

    A knife cutting a hole into the bottom of a choux au craquelin for access to place filling in.

    Serious Eats / Debbie Wee

  12. Working with one at a time, insert tip of pastry cream–filled bag into hole in each choux and begin piping with steady pressure until filled (you can tell because the choux will feel heavy and pastry cream will start to overflow the hole). Wipe away any excess pastry cream. Repeat until all choux au craquelin are filled. Serve immediately.

    Filling being piped into a choux au craquelin.

    Serious Eats / Debbie Wee

Special Equipment

Rolling pin, round cutters, disposable pastry bags

Notes

If you want to make sure that each puff is the right size, you can prepare a template ahead of time. Take one sheet of parchment paper and, using a 2-inch round cutter as a guide, trace 9 circles that are 3 inches apart. Flip paper upside down and set it on the baking sheet. Repeat with a second piece of parchment paper.

To enjoy the choux au craquelin unfilled, you can skip poking holes in the bottoms. Once both trays are done baking, simply turn off the oven and leave the door partially open for 30 minutes (Step 9), then serve immediately.

For Sandwich-Style Choux au Craquelin

If you're making sandwich-style choux au craquelin, you'll need a greater volume of filling than this recipe provides. There are several ways to arrive at the right amount:

  • Pastry cream: Make a double batch of any of the pastry cream recipes (or make a batch each of the different flavors).
  • Whipped cream: In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine 2 cups heavy cream, sugar to taste, and a splash of vanilla extract. Whisk by hand or mix at medium speed until thick peaks form (peaks should not be loose or stiff in structure).
  • Crème légère: Make a single batch of crème légère.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Filled and unfilled choux au craquelin are best consumed on the day they’re made.

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.

To store unfilled choux au craquelin, wrap them tightly in plastic and place in an airtight container; they can be kept frozen for up to 1 month. To refresh, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Transfer frozen choux au craquelin to a sheet tray and reheat until crisp, about 5 minutes. If filling, let cool at room temperature first before doing so.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
134 Calories
6g Fat
18g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 18
Amount per serving
Calories 134
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 4g 19%
Cholesterol 37mg 12%
Sodium 92mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 18g 6%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 46mg 4%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 63mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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