Raspberry Cream Puffs
These cute little pastry puffs are filled with homemade whipped cream and raspberry jam and topped with easy craquelin. They’re made from a classic choux pastry, which makes them so light and airy that you can eat six of them while you’re still filling the others and not even realize it (oops). This is a great recipe to bust out for a dinner party to impress without having to work too hard. You can omit the craquelin if you want to keep things simple and just dust them with powdered sugar. This recipe makes around 20 cream puffs and takes just under 3 hours total.
Ingredients
Choux Pastry:
100 ml whole milk
100 ml water
75g unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sugar
110g all-purpose flour
2-3 eggs
Craquelin:
60g unsalted butter, softened
75g brown sugar
75g all-purpose flour
Whipped Cream:
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Other:
Raspberry jam
Directions
Begin by making the craquelin. Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the flour until you have a soft dough.
Roll the dough out between two large sheets of parchment paper until it is very thin, about half a centimeter. Place the sheet flat in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Remove the sheet of craquelin from the freezer and use a small circular cookie cutter to stamp out as many circles as you can fit, at least 20. Work quickly as the craquelin will soften and melt the longer it’s out of the freezer. Place the circles on a sheet lined with parchment paper and leave them in the refrigerator while you work on your choux pastry.
To make the pastry, combine the milk, water, butter, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter has melted and the mixture begins to simmer at the edges
Remove the pan from the heat and dump in your flour. Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon or spatula until it forms a ball and you can see some residue on the bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes.
Crack in one egg at a time, beating vigorously in between. Make sure each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next. After the second egg is combined, test the consistency by sticking your spoon/spatula in the dough and then pulling it out. If the batter stretches, then tears and hangs off in a v-shape, you have the right consistency. If it tears immediately, add the third egg.
Preheat your oven to 400F and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
Spoon your batter into a piping bag and cut the tip. You can use a ziploc bag if you’re really in a pinch BUT be aware that it may burst from the pressure you’ll put on it while squeezing out the thick batter.
Pipe little one-inch-diameter rounds onto your parchment paper by holding the piping bag perpendicular to the sheet and putting pressure on the top of the bag, gradually raising the bag to create a little mound. It’s okay if you end up with a pointy top, we’ll fix it. Pipe these mounds about an inch apart from each other all over the baking sheet
Wet the pad of one of your fingers and use it to gently pat the pointy tops of the rounds until they’re smoother. They don’t need to be perfect, since the craquelin will hide most imperfections.
Remove the craquelin circles from the refrigerator and place one on top of each round. No need to press down much or try to shape them.
Place the sheet of craquelin-topped rounds on the middle rack of your oven and bake for around 15 minutes until they’re just pale golden around the sides, the craquelin will be brown on top. Keep a close eye on them to make sure they don’t burn on the bottom, but try not to open your oven too many times.
Immediately after removing the sheet from the oven, use a piping tip or the tip of a small, sharp knife to poke a hole in the bottom of each puff so they can vent steam. If you don’t do this, they’ll get soft and squishy, losing the slight crispness on the outside.
While the puffs cool, make your whipped cream by beating together the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until firm peaks form. Spoon it into a piping bag to prepare to fill your puffs.
In a small bowl, thin your raspberry jam with a tablespoon of hot water and/or some lemon juice. Spoon that into a piping bag as well.
Fill each cream puff by holding the cut tip of the piping bag of whipped cream up to the hole you cut for ventilation and putting pressure on the bag to push whipped cream into the puff. Do this for about two seconds, then do the same with the raspberry jam. You should feel the cream puff get heavier as the fillings enter it BUT don’t push too aggressively as your cream puff may burst. Gently and steadily is the way to go here. It may take a couple puffs for you to get a feel for it.
Once all the puffs are filled, they’re ready to eat! These are best enjoyed the same day they’re made, but will keep covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Enjoy!