Chouquettes

During my time in France, sometimes I would find myself wanting something sweet, but something that didn't feel as decadent or rich. One of my easy (and cheap) go-tos were chouquettes! If you are ever in France, specifically Saint-Malo, the boulengerie Sandrine et Philippe Deborde makes some spectacular chouquettes and pastries.

I digress, these little pastries are absolutely delicious. Light and airy, sprinkled with pearl sugar. They are, essentially, mini creme puffs but without the creme.

Made with choux pastry, after learning the base of this recipie, you can go on to make eclairs, creme puffs or savory gougères. Although the thought of making choux pastry to some might sound daunting, it is, in fact, easier than you might think!

Chouquettes

Ingredients

• 150ml water

• 55g unsalted butter

• 85g flour

• 1/2 tablespoon sugar

• 1 pinch of salt

• 1.5g baking powder

• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla sugar (its okay if you have none; add a dash of vanilla extract instead)

• 2 eggs

• pearl sugar

Steps

1. Melt the butter and water in a saucepan until it starts to boil.

2. Once at a boil, take off the flame and add the flour, salt and baking powder. (Put them in the same bowl beforehand and add them into the mixture altogether).

3. MIX! It is important to keep this batter moving so mix everything together until it has formed into a ball that doesn't stick to the sides of the saucepan.

4. Let the batter cool so that it is not hot to the touch. (Until the batter is somewhat warmish. It shouldn't be hot, but it also shouldn't be cold).

5. Add the sugar and then add the eggs one by one. After each egg, quickly mix it in the batter until combined. Repeat with the other eggs.

6. Preheat the oven to 410°F.

7. Grease or place parchment paper on a baking sheet and pipe the batter onto the sheet. If you don't have a piping bag, cutting out a corner of a ziploc bag will do.

8. TIP: Instead of spreading them out more, pipe them a little bit taller. If you make them too wide they will be more flat. Make sure you spread each out with about an inch of space in between & if you dont want peaks, wet your finger with water and dab the tops so there is a smooth top.

9. Add the pearl sugar on top of the chouqettes and lightly press them in the batter.

10. Cook for 15-20 minutes.

11. Enjoy!

Recipie from: https://www.marmiton.org/recettes/recette_chouquettes_30622.aspx

https://culture-crunch.com/2019/02/07/chouquettes-la-recette-facile-et-traditionnelle/