One of the very first recipes I ever made was Cream Puffs. My mum gave me her mum’s cook book and told me to clean up after I finished. I think I was about 12.
Although not difficult, these cream puffs did take some time. They would never actually tell me, but my 4 brothers were quite impressed (the empty plate spoke volumes).
This recipe is a fancier version of the original Cream Puff recipe from my grandmother’s recipe book. I’ve pimped it up just because I felt like spending 8 hours in the kitchen (who wouldn’t, right?). If you make the original recipe, they will only take an hour or so to make and your family will love them just as much. They will be a hit.
I have included the original recipe here as well as the pimped up version. If you are watching your carbs, this is NOT the recipe for you. You won’t want to go through your entire life without trying these – trust me on this one, so live dangerously – eat the Cream Puffs!
The ingredients are pretty simple and you should have most of what you need already in your pantry.
This recipe has four main components:
The choux pastry
The Craquelin
The praline mousse
The chantilly cream – you can find the recipe here .
Cream Puffs with Craquelin, Praline Mousse & Chantilly Cream
The most decadent cream puffs you will ever try. With a rich, smooth filling of praline mousse and chantilly cream, a topping of crunchy craquelin, topped off with sweet praline and a light dusting or icing sugar
Servings: 12 Serves
Cost: $$
Equipment
- Mixer with medium/large bowl
- Medium saucepan
- Baking Tray
- Piping bag and Piping tips (1 large round tip and 1 star tip)
- Whisk
- Rolling pin
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
Choux Pastry
- 1 cup Water
- 60 g Unsalted Butter
- 1/2 cup Self Raising Flour
- 3 Eggs
Praline Mousse
- 125 g Macadamias
- 125 g Almonds
- 150 g Caster Sugar
- 3 tspn Water
- 4 Egg yolks
- 100 g Cater Sugar
- 50 g Cornflour
- 480 ml Milk
- 1/2 tspn Vanilla Paste
- 20 g Cold Butter
- 150 g Softened Butter
Craquelin
- 85 g Unsalted Butter
- 100 g Brown Sugar
- 100 g Plain Flour
Chantilly Cream
- 300 ml Thickened Cream
- 1 1/2 tbsp Icing Sugar
- 1/4 tspn Vanilla Paste
For Serving
- Icing Sugar
Instructions
Craquelin
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
- Fold through the flour until a soft dough forms
- Roll the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper to a thickness of about 2-3mm (the thinner the better
- Place the pastry (still between the baking paper) in the freezer, making sure to lay it flat, until ready to use
Choux Pastry
- Preheat oven to 180 C (160 Fan Forced or 350 F)
- Add the butter and water to a saucepan and heat until the butter is melted.
- Add flour and mix well over heat until batter comes away from the sides of the saucepan (about 5 minutes) and flour is cooked off.
- Remove from the heat and mix in eggs, one at a time, incorporating well between each addition.
- Put pastry into a piping bag fitted with a large piping tip (I used a piping bag without a nozzle fitted)
- On a sheet of baking paper, draw 12 equal sized circle (I used a 5cm cookie cutter to trace around). Turn the baking paper over. You should still be able to see the circles through the paper.
- Pipe the choux pastry onto the baking paper, being sure to fill the circles.
- Remove the Craquelin from the freezer. Using the same cookie cutter, cut 12 circles from the Craquelin dough. Place a circle of the Craquelin dough on top of each of the Choux pastry circles and press gently – just enough so the Craquelin doesn't fall off. Be careful not to squash the choux pastry.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. Turn the oven off and open the oven door slightly. Allow the cream puffs to cool down slowly in the oven for another 25-30 minutes. This allows them to finish cooking and dry out and allows them to have a hollow centre
Praline Mouse
- Once the Cream Puffs are cooled down, remove from the oven and then preheat the oven to 180 C (160 C fan Forced or 350 F)
- Roast the macadamias and almonds for 8-10 minutes, keeping a clode eye on them to ensure they don't get too dark.
- In a saucepan, mix together the sugar and water and heat gently until sugar is melted and has turned a golden brown. Do not stir. However, you can swish the saucepan occasionally.
- Add the nuts to the sugar mixture and then quickly stir and pour the praline mixture out onto the baking tray, spreading it out quickly before it starts to set. Leave to cool down while you make the custard.
- Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until light and creamy. Add the cornflour and mix well
- Heat the milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan until small bubbles start to form around the edges of the saucepan.
- Gradually add a little of the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking as you go to ensure that the eggs don't scramble. Continue to add the hot milk a little at a time, whisking well all the time until all the milk is incorporated into the egg mixture.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat until custard comes to the boil thickens. Continue to heat and whisk for a few more minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Cover the custard with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap onto the surface of the custard so there is no air between the plastic wrap and the custard so that no skin forms. Place the custard in the fridge to cool down
- Once the custard is cool, break up the praline and reserve some of the caramelised nuts for the tops of the cream puffs. Place the rest of the praline into a high speed blender (I used a Nutri Bullet) and blend until it is liquefied and smooth with no lumps
- Once the custard is cool, mix about 3/4 of the praline mixture into the custard mixture and taste test. Add more of the praline mixture to taste.
- Put this mixture into a piping bag fitted with a smaller nozzle (I used a Wilton 1A) and refrigerate until ready to use
Chantilly Cream
- In a mixing bowl, whip together the cream, caster sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form
- Place in a piping bag with a star nozzle fitted and refrigerate until ready to use
Assembly
- Cut the top off each cream puff and reserve the tops, you will be using them later
- Pipe the Praline Mousse into the cream puffs to reach the top of where you cut the 'lid' off. Smooth over.
- Pipe the cream on top of the Praline Mousse
- Add the tops back on to the Cream Puffs
- Dust the tops with icing sugar and use the reserved caramelised nuts to decorate the tops
- Enjoy!
Notes
For a simpler (and my original ) Cream Puff recipe, simply make the Choux pastry and the Chantilly cream. Omit all the other steps (Craquelin and praline mousse).
To assemble, instead of cutting the top off the cream puff, poke a hole in the side with the piping nozzle from the Chantilly cream and pipe the cream into the Choux pastry. Dust with icing sugar and they are ready to enjoy.
