Triple Chocolate Cream Puffs (Choux Craquelin)

Triple Chocolate Cream Puffs (Choux Craquelin)

by:Tereza Alabanda,The Pastry Maestra

Prep. time : 40 minutes

Cook time : 50 minutes

Ready in 90 minutes plus cooling

Level : Advanced

INGREDIENTS

Chocolate Choux Pastry:

• Water 65g (2.3oz)
• Milk 65g (2.3oz)
• Salt 1g (a pinch)
• Sugar 5g (1Tsp)
• Butter 55g (2oz)
• All purpose flour 65g (2.3oz)
• Cocoa powder 10g (2Tsp)
• Eggs 125g (4.4oz)

• Butter 45g (1.6oz)
• Soft brown sugar 50g (1.8oz)
• All purpose flour 50g (1.8oz)
• Cocoa powder 5g (1Tsp)

• Milk chocolate 115g (4oz)
• Cream 35% 55g (2oz)
• Butter 30g (1oz)

• Milk 500g (17.6oz)
• Egg yolks 80g (2.8oz)
• Sugar 125g (4.4oz)
• All purpose flour 25g (0.9oz)
• Corn starch 25g (0.9oz)
• Vanilla powder to taste
• Dark chocolate 125g (4.4oz)
• Butter 250g (8.8oz)

1. To make chocolate craquelin put softened butter into a bowl. Add brown sugar and stir well with a silicone spatula. Then add flour and sifted cocoa powder and stir well to combine. Put craquelin onto a sheet of parchment paper. Cover it with another sheet of parchment paper and flatten a bit with your hands. Then roll out the dough to about 2mm (5/64″) thickness. Place craquelin into a freezer until needed.
2. To make chocolate choux pastry put the flour into a bowl. Add sifted cocoa powder and stir well with a whisk. Put water, milk, salt, sugar and butter into a saucepan and heat it up. When the mixture boils remove it from heat. Add flour and cocoa powder mixture and stir well with a silicone spatula. Put the pan back on the stove and cook, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture into a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment,and mix on low speed until it cools down a bit. Then gradually add eggs mixing well after each addition until you get smooth, glossy and pipeable mixture.
3. Cut out frozen craquelin into 5cm (2″) in diameter discs. Then cut out smaller, about 2.5cm (1″) in diameter discs.
4. Transfer the choux mixture into a piping bag fitted with round 8mm (3/8″) tip, and pipe balls about 5cm (2″) in diameter onto a baking tray lined with perforated silicone mat. Top each choux ball with large chocolate craquelin disc. Bake them at 200°C (400°F) for about 10 minutes. Then decrease the temperature to 180°C (350°F) and continue baking for about 20 minutes. Take them out and leave them to cool down.
5. Now pipe small 2.5cm (1″) in diameter balls. Top each ball with smaller chocolate craquelin disc. Bake them at 200°C (400°F) for about 10 minutes. Then decrease the temperature to 180°C (350°F) and continue baking for about 10 minutes. Take them out and leave them to cool down.
6. To make milk chocolate ganache melt your milk chocolate in the microwave on low heat, and gradually add warm cream. Stir with a whisk until you get uniform mixture. Then add softened butter and stir until it melts. Leave it at room temperature until it becomes pipeable.
7. To make chocolate crème mousseline first you need to make crème pâtissière. Put the milk, vanilla powder, and half of sugar into a saucepan. Whisk the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar. Add sifted flour and cornstarch and whisk to combine. Temper the yolk mixture with approximately one half of the heated milk. Stir well and return the yolk mixture to the saucepan. Put it back on the stove and cook, stirring vigorously, until the cream boils and thickens. Allow pastry cream to boil for another 2 minutes stirring constantly so the starch cooks thoroughly. Remove the cream from the stove and immediately add chopped chocolate. Stir well until the chocolate melts and your cream becomes uniform. Transfer the cream into a bowl and cover it by placing plastic wrap onto the surface of the cream and leave it to cool down. Transfer the cooled cream into a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Mix it on medium speed. Then add softened butter and continue mixing until it becomes uniform.
8. Using a small pointy piping tip make a hole in the bottom of your small choux ball. Put the ganache into a piping bag fitted with small plain tip, and now fill the choux with the ganache.
9. Cut off the top of the large choux ball. Put the chocolate creme mousseline into a piping bag fitted with large star tip and fill the bottom part of your large choux with it. Insert your small choux ball into the large one. Then pipe some more cream onto it. Top everything with the upper part of the large choux. Pipe a small rosette on top and decorate it with dark chocolate.
10. There, your delicious triple chocolate cream puffs are done! Enjoy!

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