Chocolate Cream Puffs

chocolate cream puff cut in half with chocolate pastry cream oozing out

These cream puffs are filled with a rich chocolate pastry cream and get added crunch from chocolate craquelin.

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 10

Servings

Calories 203kcal

Author Ryan Beck

Ingredients

Chocolate Craquelin

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup all-purpose flour (100 grams)
⅔ cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Pastry Cream

3 egg yolks
1 egg
2 ¼ cups whole milk
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Choux Pastry

½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup water
½ cup whole milk
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs beaten

Instructions

Chocolate Craquelin

Place all ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium until combined.
Place the dough on parchment paper and top with another piece of parchment paper. Roll out to 1/16 inch in thickness. Place the dough and freeze for an hour or until ready to use.

Chocolate Pastry Cream

Add the egg yolks and egg to a medium bowl and beat until combined. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, add the milk, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt and cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to thicken and bubble. Once it starts to bubble, simmer for 2 minutes and then remove from the heat.
Add a small amount of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks and whisk together to bring it up the temperature so the eggs don't scramble. Then add the egg mixture to milk mixture and whisk until combined. Place the saucepan back over medium heat and bring to a light boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Once the mixture has thickened, remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips, butter and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth. Pour into a bowl and cover with clear wrap pressed against the top so you don't get a film on top. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to a day. Use when ready.

Choux Pastry

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat the butter, water, milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to low.
Add the flour all at once and stir until it is completely incorporated and clumps into a ball. Continue to mash and stir the dough against the side of the pan for 2 minutes, cooking the flour. Remove from heat and add to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Let it cool for 2 minutes.
With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the eggs in 3-4 separate additions, making sure you mix for 30 seconds between each. The mixture will curdle but then come together. In the end, the dough will be sticky and firm enough to hold a stiff peak.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly brush with some water, which helps create a humid environment.
Transfer the choux pastry to a piping bag fitted with a ½ inch piping tip. Pipe 28 puffs, each 1 ½” in diameter and ½” tall rounds about 1 inch apart.
Remove the craquelin from the freezer. Cut circles that are the same size as the dough. Place each piece carefully on top of the choux pastry and press lightly to adhere. (If you are baking one sheet at a time, only add the craquelin right before baking)
Bake 1 sheet at a time for 20 minutes, then reduce oven to 350°F and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. DO NOT open the oven or they won't puff. Remove and transfer to a cooling rack, letting them cool to room temperature.
Fill the cream puffs by cutting a little hole with the tip of a sharp knife in the bottom. Pipe the chocolate filling into the cream puffs.

Notes

If you want to make larger cream puffs, pipe 2" wide. You will get about 18 and they will bake about 5 minutes longer at 350°F.
Keep the craquelin dough in the freezer until it is needed as it can break up very easily otherwise.
If you don't want to pierce and fill the homemade cream puffs, just slice them in half.
You can skip the craquelin and dust with powdered sugar or dip in ganache.

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