Dorie tells us this recipe is the gold standard for cream puffs…light, yet sturdy to hold a filling. She attributes this to an addition of egg whites to the mix which gives the extra firmness. Whatever the secret…they were a hit with my crew!
I whipped these up last minute for Mother’s Day with my kids as I realized I was getting close to when this recipe needed to be done 😳🤦♀️. I knew they would all love these..and they seemed extra special with the craquelin…or cookie crackle on top.
The recipe has three parts, first being make the craquelin topping which is really a brown sugar cookie dough rolled and cut into discs which are placed on the puffs before baking.
Second is making the puffs…a choux dough which for some reason can be slightly intimidating, but really isn’t too hard at all. The milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt are heated to boiling and then the flour is dumped in all at once and you stir…and stir…and stir until you get a dough that leaves a film on the pan and pulls away. Next, this dough is quickly put in a stand mixer where eggs and egg whites are beat in until you have a smooth, shiny dough. This is piped onto a cookie sheet, topped with the craquelin and baked in three sections…baked at 425, then 350, then in the oven cracked open but off. Sounds like a lot, but it isn’t. Out of the oven the topping looks so pretty!
These are cooled, cut in half, and filled with whipped cream or your choice of filling. I made half a batch, and filled them with whipped cream (the third part) and received rave reviews.
Everyone loved them! They said they were difficult to eat nicely, haha but were absolutely delicious! I am not a fan of the cream, or the puffs so I will have to take their word for it 🤣
Happy Birthday to Mardi…good birthday month choice…This one is a keeper!