Chouquettes are delicious choux pastry buns that are topped with crunchy pearl sugar. They are traditionally served without a filling which makes them one of the easiest choux pastry desserts.
Components
Chouquettes are composed of two parts:
- Choux pastry
- Pearl sugar
Choux pastry
If it’s your first time making choux pastry, I’d recommend starting with my choux pastry guide. I explain every single step in detail and share lots of troubleshooting tips. But here’s a quick overview:
- Heat together the water, milk, butter, sugar and salt just until bubbles start to form.
- Off the heat, pour sifted flour into the hot liquids in one go. Mix until no lumps of flour remain.
- Return to the heat and keep stirring until the dough no longer sticks to the saucepan.
- Transfer to another bowl and let it cool down briefly.
- Gradually add the eggs, stirring after each addition until completely incorporated. Stop adding egg once the dough falls from the spoon in a thick ribbon, leaving a V shape.
Don’t add all of the egg unless you need to. Adding too much will lead to runny choux pastry which is hard to pipe and doesn’t rise properly when baked.
Pearl sugar
Also known as sugar nibs, pearl sugar consists of opaque chunks of sugar that don’t dissolve easily during baking. They add sweetness to baked goods with a very pleasant crunch.
When sprinkled over piped choux pastry, they also help the choux rise more evenly, just as a craquelin topping would.
There are two types of pearl sugar: Swedish pearl sugar and Belgian pearl sugar. For chouquettes, you will need Swedish pearl sugar which is composed of smaller pieces than the Belgian variety. You probably won’t manage to find pearl sugar in your local store but several places sell it online.
How to Make Chouquettes
The process for making chouquettes is quite simple. You simply have to prepare choux pastry and pipe mounds using a large open tip. Then top with pearl sugar and bake until golden. But here are a few tips:
PIPING TIPS:
- Pipe evenly sized choux mounds (in staggered rows) so they all finish baking at the same time. If you open the oven door while some of the choux are still rising, you’ll end up with flat choux. You can use templates to make your life easier.
- To avoid getting peaks when piping, stop exerting pressure on the piping bag when you finish piping. Then quickly swirl around the mound to cut off the pastry (instead of just pulling up). Alternatively, you could carefully push down the peak with a damp finger.
Now let’s talk about how to top the choux pastry with pearl sugar. French pastry chefs will usually pour a very (very) generous amount of pearl sugar over all the piped pastry. Then to avoid wastage, they’ll carefully lift the pan and shake it so they can collect excess pearl sugar and reuse it.
I’m not too crazy about this method as it can get quite messy if you’re not careful (or super clumsy like me!). It’s also slightly harder to do when you piped the pastry on parchment paper (instead of straight onto a baking sheet).
So to make sure I aim correctly, I like to use a round cookie cutter that is barely larger than the choux mound. Simply place it around the piped choux and sprinkling pearl sugar becomes a piece of cake! Just make sure to wipe the cookie cutter if you accidentally touch the choux pastry before proceeding.
Whatever method you choose, there is one thing you have to keep in mind. Once you pipe the choux pastry, you’ll have to move fast before it dries out. If you wait too long before sprinkling sugar, it won’t stick properly. It’s best to collect any excess sugar (by tilting the pan or using a pastry brush) towards the end. You can ideally reuse that sugar to top the last few choux.
Bake the chouquettes until completely golden so they stay in shape! And enjoy!
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Chouquettes Recipe (Choux Pastry with Pearl Sugar)
These delicious choux pastry buns topped with crunchy pearl sugar don’t need any filling which makes them one of the easiest choux pastry desserts.
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35
chouquettes30
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minutesIngredients
70 g all-purpose flour (2.5 oz., about 1/2 cup)
60 g water (2.1 oz., 1/4 cup)
60 g milk (2.1 oz., 1/4 cup)
55 g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and at room temperature (1.9 oz., 1/2 stick)
1 teaspoon white granulated sugar (4 g/0.14 oz.)
1/3 teaspoon salt (2 g/0.07 oz.)
100 g to 125 g eggs slightly beaten with a fork, at room temperature (3.5 oz-4.4 oz., from 2 to 3 eggs)
70 g Swedish pearl sugar, or as needed (2.5 oz., about 1/3 cup)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F, conventional setting). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Sift the flour into a bowl and set aside.
- Place the water, milk, butter, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Once the butter has fully melted, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. At the first sign of bubbles, remove from the heat and add the sifted flour in one go. Stir with a wooden spoon until fully combined before returning to medium heat. Tip: Press the dough against the sides of the saucepan if needed to get rid of flour lumps.
- Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the dough no longer sticks to the saucepan (about 50 seconds). If you shake the saucepan, the dough should easily collect into one smooth mass, You’ll also notice a film forming on the bottom of the saucepan (unless you are using a non-stick saucepan).
- Transfer to a large bowl (or to the bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Mix with a wooden spoon (or on the lowest setting) for a few minutes to cool down slightly (to about 60°C/140°F) before adding the eggs (so they don’t get cooked). Alternatively, simply spread the dough against the edges of the bowl to create a thin layer and set aside for a few minutes. Tip: If you don’t have a thermometer, you’ll know it’s cool enough when your bowl doesn’t feel extremely hot and there is no more steam coming out.
- Add about a third of the egg and mix until fully incorporated. The dough will initially look curdled but will come together with mixing.
- Add a little more egg and stir once more until fully combined. Repeat the process just until the dough looks smooth, glossy and falls from the spoon (or paddle) in a thick ribbon, leaving a V shape on the spoon. You might not need to add all of the egg to get to that stage. If you add too much egg, the dough will be too runny to pipe and will yield flat choux. If the dough looks dull or doesn’t fall from the spoon, keep adding more egg. Tip: If using a stand mixer, it’s best to switch to a wooden spoon towards the end so you can keep a close eye on the consistency of the choux pastry.
- Transfer the choux pastry to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (I use Wilton 2A). Get rid of air bubbles by gently pressing down the pastry.
- Pipe or spoon 3 cm (1.2 inch) choux mounds in staggered rows, spacing them about 5 cm (2 inches) apart. Press down any peaks with a damp finger. Tip: It’s best to bake one sheet at a time. You can chill any remaining pastry in the piping bag. Pipe mounds just before baking so the pastry doesn’t dry out.
- Generously sprinkle with pearl sugar as soon as you finish piping the choux pastry (so the sugar sticks). Tip: The choux will puff up in the oven so don’t be shy with the sugar! To avoid wasting sugar: 1) Place a round cookie cutter (slightly larger than the piped pastry) around the choux mound before sprinkling pearl sugar. Wipe the cookie cutter if you accidentally touch the choux pastry before proceeding. 2) Alternatively, after topping most of the pastries with sugar, carefully tilt and shake the pan in several directions whilst holding the parchment paper. Gather any excess sugar and reuse for the remaining pastries.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for about 25-28 minutes or until puffed up and completely golden. Don’t open the oven door as the pastries are rising so they don’t deflate. Tip: There should be no white traces remaining in the pastry. Undercooked pastries will quickly get soggy. If desired, cut a pastry in half to check the inside (careful, it’s very hot!). It should be dry or very slightly moist.
- Transfer to a wire rack and cool down at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make-ahead tips: Chouquettes are best eaten the day they are made. The crunchy sugar will melt into the dough with time and the chouquettes will get soggy. If you’d like to prepare them in advance, it’s best to freeze unbaked choux pastry without sugar. To do so, pipe shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for about an hour or until the piped pastry is frozen. Transfer the choux pastry to a zip-lock bag and freeze for up to a month. Thaw at room temperature while preheating the oven. Sprinkle with sugar before baking.
- Butter: Make sure the butter is cut into small pieces so it melts before the liquids start boiling and too much water evaporates.
- Milk/water: You can replace the milk with water if you prefer a drier, crisper choux.
- Piping choux pastry: If the choux pastry is slightly runnier than you’d like, you can chill it for about an hour (or as needed) to firm it up.
- Using templates for piping: You can print out two copies of the 3 cm/1.2 inch choux pastry template. Slide them under the parchment paper for easy piping then simply remove them before baking.
- First time making choux pastry? It’s best to start with the detailed choux pastry tutorial.
- Cup measurements: Please note that these measurements are approximate. For best results, I’d recommend weighing the ingredients.