Chouquettes (French Sugar Puffs)
“Chouquettes” are ubiquitous afternoon snacks in France. These bite sized choux pastry puffs topped with crisp pearl sugar, can be found in virtually every bakery at any time of the day, and are handed to you by the dozen in paper bags. Chouquettes are also a fun treat to make at home. They’re easy, quick and require only staple ingredients… and they’ll disappear fast! About Pâte à Choux The making of Chouquettes is in essence the making of a choux pastry – known in French as “Pâte à Choux”. The soft…
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 25 min
- Yield
- 24 servings
- Difficulty
- EASY
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 cup (250ml) water
- ¼ cup (62.5g) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (50g) sugar
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- For topping:
- About 100g pearl sugar
- For the egg wash:
- 1 egg yolk + 1 tsp 2% milk.
Instructions
- 1
Make sure you have all your equipment prepared and all ingredients measured out in front of you before you start.
- 2
Preheat your oven to 425°F(220°C) with a rack in the middle. Line two baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 3
Step 1 - In a medium-sized saucepan, over medium heat, add the water, butter and sugar. Bring to a slow simmer and let the butter melt and sugar dissolve.
- 4
Step 2 - Remove from heat and immediately add in the flour and salt, all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms; return the saucepan to low heat and keep stirring until the dough ‘dries out’ – meaning it pulls away from the pan and takes on a clean, glossy look (about 30 sec to 1 minute).
- 5
Step 3 - Remove from the heat and allow the dough to cool for 2 minutes. Still using a wooden spoon, beat the eggs thoroughly into the dough, one at a time. It is important each egg is fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next. If the dough separates, keep beating and it will come together again. In the end, you should have a semi-thick, slightly sticky batter.
- 6
Step 4 –
- 7
Option 1 : Using a piping bag. Transfer the batter into a piping bag (optionally fitted with a plain round ½ inch tip). Hold the filled piping bag at a 90° angle, apply steady downward pressure, and pipe 1-inch wide mounds of batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Each mounds should be at least 1 inch apart.
- 8
Option 2 : Using two spoons. Scoop out a ½ tbsp-size ball of batter with a spoon and scrape if off with the other spoon onto the baking sheet. Continue until no batter is left, leaving at least 1 inch space between each mounds.
- 9
Step 5 – Gently brush the top of each mound with the egg wash and sprinkle very generously with pearl sugar. Don’t be shy, the Chouquettes will puff a lot when baking so the sugar crystals will spread out.
- 10
Step 6 – Bake each tray for 20-25 minutes, until the Chouquettes look puffed and golden-brown. Remove from the oven, let rest for 1 minute and transfer Chouquettes onto a cooling rack.