Berry Cream Puff aka Choux au Craquelin: A light and elegant dessert with a creamy filling and a crisp finish…
Few pastries strike the perfect balance between texture and flavor quite like a berry cream puff. This recipe brings together three essential components: crisp craquelin, airy choux pastry, and a delicate berry-infused whipped cream. Each bite offers a contrast of textures: a crackly, caramelized top, a hollow and tender shell, and a smooth, lightly sweet filling bursting with fresh berry flavor.
Whether you’re preparing these for a special gathering or simply elevating your baking skills, berry cream puffs are a rewarding project. While they require a bit of technique and patience, the result is a professional-quality pastry that looks as impressive as it tastes. The addition of craquelin not only enhances the visual appeal with its signature cracked surface, but also adds a subtle sweetness and crunch that perfectly complements the soft choux.
You can fill them from the bottom for a clean, bakery-style finish, slice and sandwich them for a rustic and generous look, or create a showstopper by cutting the tops, piping cream high, and decorating with strawberries and mint. Serve them chilled for the best texture and flavor contrast.
If you like choux pastry with berries and cream, you should check out these Berry Eclairs as well!:)
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Berry Cream Puff (Choux au Craquelin)
Course: DessertCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Medium10
minutes50
minutesIngredients
- Craquelin
50 g unsalted butter
60 g all-purpose flour
60 g brown sugar (or white sugar)
Pinch of salt
- Choux Pastry
125 g water
125 g milk
4 g salt
4 g sugar
110 g unsalted butter, cubed
135 g bread flour (13% protein)
225 g whole eggs, beaten
- Berry Whipped Cream
150-200 g berry marmalade, jam or puree
400 g heavy cream (35%)
10 g icing sugar
- Plain Whipped Cream
300 g heavy cream + 30 g icing sugar (or adjust the sugar for your taste)
- Strawberries
Drops of lemon juice + icing sugar (to make a light glaze)
- Mint leaves
Directions
- Craquelin
- Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth.
- Add the flour (and salt, if using) and mix until it forms a dough.
- Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper to about 2–3mm thick.
- Freeze for at least 30 minutes, or until firm.
- Cut out circles (about the same size as your choux piped mounds) and place on top of each choux puff before baking.
- Choux Pastry
- Weigh all ingredients and prepare piping bag with a large star nozzle.
- In a saucepan, combine water, milk, sugar, salt, and butter and bring to a full boil.
- Remove from heat and immediately add sifted flour.
- Whisk quickly until a dough forms.
- Return to low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a spatula for ~2 minutes (The dough should form a film on the bottom of the pan and look slightly dry).
- Transfer dough to a mixer with paddle attachment and mix on low speed until it cools to 50–55°C.
- Slowly add beaten eggs in small additions.
- Scrape the bowl halfway through.
- Stop when the dough is: smooth and glossy & falls from the paddle in a thick ribbon (V-shape). You may not need all the eggs, consistency is more important than quantity.
- Transfer dough to piping bag and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 155°C (with fan).
- Pipe the batter onto a tray lined with a perforated mat.
- Place the frozen craquelin discs on top of each choux pastry.
- Bake at 155°C (with fan) for 40–45 minutes (depending on the size of your choux). Do not open the oven door during baking.
- Bake until deep golden brown and the craquelin shell is crispy.
- Remove and let cool completely before filling.
- Berry Whipped Cream
- In a saucepan, heat the berries with sugar (adjust the sugar depending on the sweetness of the fruits) until it just begins to steam (≈60–70°C).
- Let the mixture cool to about 30–35°C (lukewarm, not hot). This step is important so the cream doesn’t melt when combined.
- Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks: airy and pipeable.
- Fold in the berry marmalade and refrigerate.
- Assemble
- First option: Using a piping bag fitted with a small tip, fill the choux au craquelin with the berry whipped cream through a hole in the base.
- Second option: Cut off the top of the choux au craquelin. Arrange a layer of fresh strawberries in the base, then pipe in some whipped cream. Add more strawberries and pipe additional whipped cream to create a generous, high-topped filling. Garnish with a slice of strawberry and a small mint leaf.
- Third option: Slice the choux au craquelin in half horizontally. Pipe your choice of whipped cream -plain or berry- onto the bottom half and add fresh strawberries, creating a sandwich-style filling. Place the top half back on, then finish with a small dollop of whipped cream, a slice of strawberry, and a mint leaf for garnish.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Cooking the choux dough properly ensures it dries out enough to absorb the eggs and puff in the oven.
- Adding eggs gradually is very important: the dough should be smooth and fall in a thick ribbon rather than being too runny.
- Letting the piped dough rest before baking helps improve consistency and rise.
- Baking at a lower, steady temperature allows the choux to fully dry out, resulting in a crisp shell that won’t collapse.
