Description
Delight in these elegant Strawberry Cream Puffs featuring light, airy choux pastry topped optionally with a crunchy craquelin, filled with luscious strawberry-infused whipped cream and fresh macerated strawberries for a perfect balance of texture and flavor.
Ingredients
Choux Pastry
- 236 mL water (8 fl oz / 1 cup)
- 115 g unsalted butter (4 oz / 1 stick, cubed and at room temperature)
- 133 g all-purpose flour (4.7 oz / 1 cup + 1 ½ tbsp)
- 4 large eggs (whisked, you may not use all)
- ½ tsp sea salt (less if using table or fine salt)
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)
Craquelin
- 115 g unsalted butter (1 stick / 4 oz)
- Pinch sea salt (or kosher salt)
- 127 g white sugar (4.5 oz / about ⅔ cup)
- 127 g all-purpose flour (4.5 oz / about 1 cup + 1 tbsp)
Strawberry Cream
- 226 g frozen or fresh strawberries (8 oz)
- 100 g sugar (½ cup)
- 1 tsp gelatin powder
- 30 mL water (2 tbsp)
- 360 mL whipping cream (1.5 cups, 35% fat content)
- 2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar (more if desired sweeter)
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Macerated Strawberry Filling
- 170 g fresh strawberries (6 oz, hulled and cut into small cubes)
- 2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 375°F (190°C) to get it ready for baking the choux pastry.
- Make Choux Pastry Dough: In a saucepan, combine water, butter, salt, and sugar. Heat over medium stirring occasionally until the water starts boiling and butter melts. Remove from heat, add all flour at once, stirring vigorously to form the dough. Return to medium heat to cook dough 2–5 minutes until it pulls away from pan sides and forms a smooth mass.
- Incorporate Eggs: Transfer dough to a bowl; let cool slightly. Whisk eggs in a jug. Add vanilla bean paste if using. Add eggs in 4-5 additions, mixing thoroughly between each addition until dough achieves a glossy, pipeable consistency. You may not need all eggs.
- Prepare Baking Tray: Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Pipe Pastry Mounds: Using a piping bag with large round tip, pipe 1.5 inch base and 1 inch height circular mounds of dough on the tray.
- Add Craquelin Toppings (Optional): If using craquelin, place a frozen disc on top of each dough mound without pressing down.
- Bake Choux Pastry: Bake in center of oven for 30-40 minutes until puffed and golden. Do not open oven before 22-25 minutes to avoid collapse.
- Cool Pastry Cases: Remove from oven and let cool completely at room temperature in a draft-free, not cold area. Optionally cool inside a switched-off oven with door open.
- Make Craquelin Dough: Cream butter, sugar, and salt until fluffy. Add flour, mix until crumbly. Knead into soft dough. Divide dough in two, place each in ziploc bags, roll flat (2-3 mm), freeze overnight.
- Cut Craquelin Discs: From frozen dough, cut 1.5 to 2 inch circles (about 40 discs), keep frozen until baking.
- Prepare Strawberry Coulis: Combine strawberries and sugar in saucepan, heat until softened and sugar dissolved. Boil briefly, remove from heat, blend smooth with stick blender. Chill thoroughly.
- Bloom Gelatin: Sprinkle gelatin powder on water in heat-proof bowl, let sit 10-15 minutes until bloomed. Microwave 10-20 seconds to dissolve gelatin without boiling.
- Whip Cream & Combine: Whisk cream, vanilla, and confectioner’s sugar to soft peaks, add dissolved gelatin while whipping. Continue whipping to mid-peak stage. Fold in chilled strawberry coulis, whisk to thickened mid-peak cream with pale pink color.
- Prepare Macerated Strawberries: Toss diced strawberries with sugar, refrigerate at least 20 minutes to macerate.
- Fill Pastry Cases: Either cut the puffs in half or make a small “x” incision at the base. Using piping bags with appropriate tips, fill with strawberry cream and optionally add macerated strawberries topped with additional cream.
- Assemble and Decorate: Place top half of pastry back if cut, dust with confectioner’s sugar, and optionally garnish with sliced strawberries.
- Serve: Serve the strawberry cream puffs immediately for best texture and flavor.
Notes
- Do not open the oven door before 22-25 minutes of baking to prevent deflating the choux pastry.
- Cream puffs are best served fresh the same day to enjoy optimal texture.
- You may omit craquelin discs if you prefer plain puff tops.
- Ensure gelatin is fully dissolved but not boiled to maintain texture in the cream.
- Use fresh or frozen strawberries interchangeably for coulis and fillings depending on season.
- Adjust confectioner’s sugar in the cream filling to taste for desired sweetness.
- Cooling pastry in warmed but off oven helps maintain crispness by slowly releasing steam.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
