Cream Puffs with Biscuit and Cream (French Choux au Craquelin)

french-chouxaucraquelin 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. 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.

4 oz (½ cup) light brown sugar (115 g)
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½" cubes, and softened to about 68°F (20°C) (115 g)
4 oz (about 1 scant cup) all-purpose flour, sifted (115 g)
1/8 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
1 recipe Choux Pastry (made with water), transferred to a pastry bag fitted with a ½" plain round tip
1 recipe vanilla, chocolate, or lemon pastry cream, or one recipe crème légère, transferred to a pastry bag fitted with a ¼" plain round tip

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.

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

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.

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.

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 6x8" flat rectangle.

Cover with a second sheet of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough into a 1/8" thick rough rectangle 1/8" thick (it should be about 12x14" 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.

Remove top sheet of parchment paper. Using a 2" 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).

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).

Holding the filled pastry bag at a 90° angle, apply steady downward pressure and pipe a 2" wide choux. To stop piping, cease applying pressure and swirl pastry tip away. Continue to pipe choux about 3" 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.

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 ¾" 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.

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 ¼" 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.

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.

Makes 18 servings.

Cook's 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" round cutter as a guide, trace 9 circles that are 3" 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, 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 flavours).
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).

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.