How to Make Profiteroles au Craquelin! | Cream-Filled Pastries Recipe

Recipe below for Anna Olson’s eye-catching cream-filled profiteroles! Topped with a thin biscuit wafer, a.k.a. a craquelin, which melts and then breaks into a crackle pattern as the choux paste expands and bakes. It adds a subtle sweetness but a delectable crunch to your profiteroles, a lovely contrast to the smooth pastry cream filling.

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Makes 48 profiteroles
Prep Time: 90 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Filled profiteroles will keep, well wrapped, in the fridge for up to 2 days.

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• Ingredients •

Craquelin:
5 Tbsp (75 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup (50 g) packed light brown sugar
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
¼ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup + 2 Tbsp (93 g) all-purpose flour
Food colouring (optional)

Choux Paste:
¾ cup (175 mL) water
¼ cup (60 mL) 2% milk
½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter
2 tsp granulated sugar
½ tsp fine salt
1⅓ cups (200 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
4 large eggs, at room temperature
Medium egg wash (see p. xx)

Crème Mousseline (Pastry cream with added butter):
WATCH ANNA MAKE PASTRY CREAM [link]
⅔ cup (140 g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
2 cups (500 mL) 2% milk
6 large egg yolks
3 oz (90 g) baking chocolate, chopped
¾ cup (175 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tsp vanilla extract

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• Directions •

1. Mix the craquelin dough. If mixing by hand, cream the butter and sugars together until well combined. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour and stir until the dough comes together. If using a small chopper or food processor, pulse the butter, sugars and vanilla together until combined, add the flour and continue to pulse until a dough forms. Shape the craquelin dough into a disc. It can be rolled immediately or wrapped and chilled until ready to roll later (soften on the counter first).

2. Roll out the dough. Cut two sheets of parchment paper and place the craquelin dough between them. Using a rolling pin, roll them as thinly as possible, to ⅛ inch (3 mm). If you are not ready to cut the craquelin, freeze rolled sheets until ready to use.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two baking trays with parchment paper.

4. Make the choux paste. Bring the water, milk, butter, sugar and salt to a full simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon, stirring vigorously until the dough “cleans” the sides of the pot (no longer sticks). Scrape this mixture into a large bowl.

5. Cool the paste slightly. Using electric beaters or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the paste at medium speed for a minute or two to cool it a little.

6. Add the eggs. Break the four large eggs into a bowl and whisk them just to blend a little. Add a third of the eggs to the flour mixture while beating at medium speed, and mix until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining eggs in two more additions, blending and then scraping the bowl after each addition, until you get a smooth paste.

7. Pipe the profiteroles. Spoon the choux paste into a large piping bag fitted with a large star or plain tip (I used a ½-inch/12mm tip). Pipe the paste into shapes about 1½ inches (4 cm) across, lifting up the piping bag and leaving 2 inches (5 cm) between each puff to allow for expansion.

8. Top with craquelin. Use a small cookie cutter (1 ½ inch/36 mm) to cut circles of the same diameter as the choux paste or slightly smaller, and gently set them on top of each profiterole.

9. Bake the profiteroles for about 20 minutes, open the oven door for 15 seconds, then close and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the profiterole pastry is a rich golden brown.

10. Cool the profiteroles. Tip the pastries onto a cooling rack to cool to room temperature before filling.

11. Make the pastry cream. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together in a large saucepan, then whisk in the milk, followed by the egg yolks. Place the butter and vanilla in a medium heatproof bowl and set a strainer on top.

12. Cook the pastry cream. Bring the milk mixture to a full simmer at just above medium heat while whisking constantly (but not vigorously) until it begins to bubble and is very thick, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the chocolate until melted. Pour the custard through the strainer, using the whisk to push it through. Remove the strainer and whisk the custard in the bowl until the butter has melted.

13. Cool and chill. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard, let cool on the counter for an hour and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

14. Fill the profiteroles. Spoon the mousseline cream into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip or doughnut tip. Use a bamboo skewer to make a small hole in the bottom of each profiterole. Insert the piping tip and fill the profiterole until you feel resistance, then pull the tip out gently, wiping away any cream that might leak out. Chill the profiteroles until ready to serve.