Mocha Cream Puffs with Craquelin Topping
Coffee + Chocolate + Cream Puffs = Heaven! These Mocha Cream Puffs feature a Chocolate Espresso custard that is silky, delicately sweet, and packed with mocha-flavor. As well, these Mocha Cream Puffs feature a brown sugar craquelin topping, which not only make the cream puffs perfect in shape, but they also provide a mouth pleasing sweet crunch to the Mocha Cream Puffs!
FINICKY LITTLE PASTRIES
Cream puffs, otherwise known as profiteroles, may seem relatively simple at first glance, given that they only have a few ingredients, however they can actually be quite finicky. But with proper preparation you can have perfect mocha cream puffs every single time.
Making the Craquelin Topping
Adding the craquelin topping not only tastes delicious and adds a nice textual component, it also forces the mocha cream puffs to have a more perfectly round shape! Making the craquelin topping is relatively straight forward.
1.Beat ingredients together: Add all ingredients to a large bowl, then mash together with a spatula until a dough forms.
2. Roll dough out: Take the dough out of the bowl and place it in between two pieces of wax paper, or inside a large Ziploc bag. Roll the dough out into a rectangle shape, about ¼” thick. Place into the freezer for at least half an hour, or until ready to use.
3. Cut circles out: Using a cookie cutter that is about the same size and diameter as your piped cream puffs, cut circles out of your rolled, cold dough.
4. Place onto cream puffs: Place the craquelin circles over top of the cream puffs, lightly pressing them into each cream puff to secure them. Now, you’re ready to bake!
HOW MANY EGGS?
The most finicky part of making these mocha cream puffs is the amount of eggs you use! If you notice, my recipe says 4-5 eggs, which may seem weird – is it 4 or is it 5, how many do you add? Well the answer is, it depends. The amount of eggs you need is completely dependent upon the humidity and the weather. Too much moisture in your batter will lead to cream puffs that do not puff! This is why you have to add your eggs in one at a time, until completely incorporated. It is also why you need to check your mocha cream puff batter after the addition of the 4th egg. For some, this 4th egg is all they need, while others may need a 5th. I typically always end up using 5 eggs, as I live in the cold, very dry prairies, however, I still check my batter after the 4th egg, every. single. time. What you’re looking for is a batter that comes off your paddle in a nice “V” shape. If it sticks to your paddle, and does not form a V, it needs more eggs!
WHY TURN THE OVEN OFF initially?
You’ll notice in the instructions for this Mocha Cream Puff recipe, that it says to turn the oven off immediately after you place the mocha cream puffs into the hot preheated oven. The reasoning behind this is because the initial high temperature of making the cream puffs is essential to creating the structure of the puffs and forming the steam that puffs up the cream puffs. However, if we did not turn off the oven/lower the temperature, the outside of the puffs would burn.
As an important note, it is super important to note that under no circumstance should you peak into the oven at all during the first 20 minutes of baking! Even the smallest breeze of cold air into the oven could cause the cream puffs to deflate.
HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THEY ARE DONE?
It can be hard to tell when the mocha cream puffs are done. Sure, they should look golden on top and puffed, but the cream puffs can look this way and still not be 100% finished on the inside. If you pull the cream puffs out even the slightest bit too early they will deflate. The best way I have found to test for doneness is actually to remove just one of the cream puffs from the oven, wait 45 seconds, and see if the cream puff has deflated. If deflated, they are obviously not done, but if the puff holds its structure, then you’re good to go!
ALLOWING THE mocha cream PUFFS TO COOL IN THE OVEN
The point of allowing the mocha cream puffs to cool in the oven is to reduce the likelihood of the cream puffs deflating. Sometimes the drastic temperature drop from the oven to room-temperature can cause the mocha cream puffs to collapse. So allowing them to cool in a cracked oven ensures they will not collapse, and also dries them out a little bit more as well. As well, poking a small hole, after the mocha cream puffs have been removed from the oven for good, also allows the puffs to dry out more, as it allows any residual steam to escape from the inside.
Making the Mocha Pastry Cream
1.Whisk together eggs, sugar, cornstarch: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, 2/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch, until well-combined. Set aside for later.
2. Heat milk, sugar, and espresso powder: Add milk, remaining sugar, and espresso powder to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a light boil, then immediately remove from heat.
3. Drizzle hot milk into eggs: Slowly drizzle the hot milk into the egg mixture, ensuring that you are constantly stirring the mixture. Once all of the milk has been added, pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan.
4. Heat the pastry cream until thickened: Place the saucepan over medium-low heat, and heat the pastry cream, stirring constantly, until it has thickened to the consistency of pudding. It may seem like it’s taking forever to thicken, but once it starts thickening it happens pretty quickly.
5. Add butter, vanilla, and chopped chocolate: Add the butter, vanilla, and chopped chocolate to the hot pastry cream, then fold until the butter and chocolate have melted and incorporated well.
6. Cool: Add the mocha pastry cream to a large container or bowl, then place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the pastry cream (to prevent a skin from forming), and place into the fridge to cool completely.
Note: After filling the cream puffs with the mocha pastry cream, the cream puffs should be left in the fridge. Outside of the fridge the piped pastry cream will not hold it’s shape.
Get the Recipe: Mocha Cream Puffs
Ingredients
Craquelin Topping
- 1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 7 tbsp Unsalted Butter,, softened
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
Cream Puffs
- 1/2 cup Whole Milk
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter,, cubed, preferably European Style Butter
- 1 tbsp White Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 4-5 Large Eggs
Mocha Pastry Cream
- 4 cups Milk,, preferably Whole Milk
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 tbsp Espresso Powder
- 2 Whole Large Egg
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 1/2 cup Cornstarch
- 2/3 cup Sugar
- 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 25 g Dark Chocolate,, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Salt
Equipment
- Stand mixer
Instructions
Craquelin Topping
- Add all ingredients into a medium sized bowl, then mash together with a spatula until an uniform looking dough forms.
- Place the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper, then roll the dough out to be about 1/8” thick. Place into the freezer for at least 30 minutes, while you make the choux.
Cream Puffs: Making the Choux
- Preheat oven to 475°F. Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. Also prepare a pastry bag by adding a plain ½” tip.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add milk, water, butter, 1 tbsp sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add flour in the pot, all at once, and begin to stir very quickly. A ball of dough should form relatively quickly. Continue cooking, stirring vigorously, until a dry film begins to form on the bottom and sides of the saucepan. Remove from heat.
- Place dough into a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat for about 30 seconds to a minute, to cool the dough down. Add one egg and beat until completely incorportated (the dough should look dry again). Continue adding eggs one at a time, ensuring that each is completely incorporated before adding the next, scraping at the sides of the bowl occasionally. After the 4th egg, place remove paddle from mechanism and place deep into the batter, if the batter forms a nice “V” shape off the paddle, it is ready. If the batter still looks thick and does not form a nice “V” then add another egg. Dough should be thick and very sticky, but also shiny and smooth.
Cream Puffs: Piping & Baking
- Add dough to the piping bag, and pipe directly onto parchment lined baking sheets. Pipe about nine 2” rounds per baking sheet (about 18 total).
- Cut out 18 rounds out of the cold craquelin topping, about the same diameter as the piped cream puffs. Place each round onto a piped cream puff, lightly pressing it down to secure it.
- Place into the 475°F oven, for exactly 1 minute then immediately turn the oven off. After 9 minutes, turn the oven back on to 350°F, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Rotate pans and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the cream puffs are puffed (~ 30 minutes of total baking time). To ensure the cream puffs are finished, remove one of the oven and check if it deflates within 45 seconds – if it deflates they are not finished.
- When done, turn the oven off, and crack the oven 1/3 way open. Allow cream puffs to cool for 30-45 minutes in the cracked oven. Then, remove from oven and allow to cool completely before filling.
Mocha Pastry Cream
- In a large sized bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and whole egg. Add in the 2/3 cup sugar and the cornstarch, and whisk well to combine. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring milk, espresso powder, and ½ cup sugar to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once it begins to boil, remove it from the heat, and very slowly drizzle the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, stirring vigorously while drizzling. Once all of the hot milk mixture has been added, pour the entire mixture back into the sauce pan and place back onto medium-low heat.
- Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened and resembles the thickness of pudding. Add in the chopped chocolate, butter and vanilla, stir and let sit for 5 minutes to allow butter and chocolate to melt. Once melted, stir well to combine everything, then place into a heatproof bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the custard, so a skin does not form, and place into the fridge to cool completely.
- Using a serrate knife, cut off the top of each cream puff. Using a spoon or a piping bag, fill each cream puff with the mocha pastry cream. Then place the top back on and dust with confectioners sugar. Enjoy immediately or keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
