Nutella Choux au Craquelin

Nutella Choux au Craquelin is a French cream puff topped with chocolate craquelin and filled with Nutella pastry cream and homemade chocolate whipped cream.  It is a chocolate lover's dream.

In our household, we all love chocolate.  My husband has a stash right above the refrigerator for satisfying his nightly cravings with a small piece of dark chocolate.  And sometimes, he will sneak a small piece to our son because, like his dad, he loves chocolate.  Of course, the little exchange is given away by my son's big chocolate smile.  So it's no surprise that our family loves chocolate desserts.

Recently, I posted my recipe for vanilla bean cream puffs.  It was a huge hit with friends and family with many requests to make it again (I love making them and eating them, so I don't mind), but I thought it would be fun to make a chocolate version too!  So here we have it, Nutella choux au craquelin.  They are a chocolate lover's dream come true.  Pâte à choux topped with chocolate craquelin is baked to perfection and filled with Nutella pastry cream and homemade chocolate whipped cream.

What you need to make Nutella Choux au Craquelin

Baking Supplies

Digital scale (or measuring cups and spoons)
Stand mixer
Paddle attachment
Parchment paper
Rolling pin
Plastic wrap
Baking sheet pans x2
Medium saucepan
Medium bowl
Whisk
Sieve
2-inch round cookie cutter
Wooden spoon
Rubber spatula
Piping bags
Large star pastry tip
Large round piping tip x2
Whisk attachment
Serrated knife

Ingredients

Pâte à choux.  A traditional French dough used to make a variety of pastries.  It requires six simple ingredients and transforms from mixture to finished product with the steam created from its high moisture ingredients.

Butter.  Always use unsalted butter in baking.  Butter adds a richness to the pastry cream and is a crucial ingredient in both the pâte à choux and craquelin.

All-purpose flour.  All-purpose flour adds the perfect tenderness to the pâte à choux and craquelin.  It is also a thickening agent in the pastry cream.

Light brown sugar.  Adds a sweet flavor to the craquelin and also contributes to its texture.

Cocoa powder.  Use either Dutch-process or natural cocoa powder for this recipe.  Cocoa powder adds the chocolate flavor to both the craquelin as well as the chocolate whipped cream. It's important to sift your cocoa powder so that it does not leave any lumps in either mixture.

Vanilla extract.  Always use PURE vanilla extract.  It will give you the best flavor.

Milk.  Milk acts as a thickening agent in pastry cream.  Always use whole milk (or you could even use heavy cream for a richer flavor) because low-fat milk will not thicken the pastry cream.

Sugar.  The sweetener used in the pastry cream.  Just a bit goes a long way.

Cornstarch.  The cornstarch helps thicken the pastry cream.   Using too much cornstarch in a recipe can leave a bad aftertaste.  Therefore flour is used in conjunction with the cornstarch to thicken the mixture.

Eggs.  The pastry cream uses only egg yolks because it gives a richer flavor and creamier texture as opposed to using whole eggs.

Heavy cream.  Always choose heavy cream or heavy whipping cream for the perfect homemade whipped cream.  Do not use whipping cream as it has less milk fat and will not produce beautiful, stiff peaks when beaten.

Powdered sugar.  The sweetener used for the vanilla bean whipped cream.

How to make chocolate whipped cream

Step 1

Begin with cold heavy cream (this will produce the best results).  Pour the heavy cream into a large bowl (for an additional step, chill your mixing bowl to help keep your heavy cream cold while whipping).  Add the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and vanilla.  Begin by whisking the mixture on medium-low speed until the mixture becomes frothy.

Step 2

Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and whisk for 3-4 minutes or until medium peaks form.  Watch as the volume increases to thick, fluffy clouds of whipped cream.  It is critical to keep a close eye on your mixer to prevent overwhipping (a thick and grainy consistency).  The cream is perfectly whipped to medium peaks when it holds its shape on the end of the whisk.  Its tip will slightly curl over but not lose its shape.

How to prep Nutella Choux au Craquelin in advance

This recipe is very easy to prep in advance.  If you are hosting a party or entertaining guests, I would highly recommend prepping the craquelin, pastry cream, and pâte à choux in advance to save time.  That will require you only to make the chocolate whipped cream the day of, as well as assemble the Nutella choux au craquelin.

Mix the craquelin up to three days in advance of baking it.  Between two sheets of parchment paper, roll the mixture to 1-2 mm thick, and refrigerate overnight, until ready to use.  Leave the craquelin between the layers of parchment paper until ready to make your pâte à choux.

Prepare the Nutella pastry cream up three days in advance as well.  While still hot, transfer the pastry cream to a plastic-lined sheet pan and spread into an even, thin layer.  Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top and refrigerate until cool to the touch.  If you need to save room in your refrigerator, you can transfer the cooled pastry cream to an airtight container.

Pâte à choux is a very versatile dough (it's not quite as thick as a dough, but thicker than a batter).  You can freeze it at the raw stage or the baked staged.  For this particular recipe, I recommend preparing your pâte à choux the day before.  To prepare the dough ahead of time, make the dough, pipe the mixture, top each round with craquelin, and bake the cream puff shells.  You can certainly freeze the baked cream puffs with the craquelin topping for up to 3 months in advance.

Tips and takeaways

• Overwhisking whipped cream can quickly happen if you do not watch it carefully.  Add one or two tablespoons of cream to the mixture and carefully whisk by hand.  If it's salvable it will become smooth once again.
• For extra indulgence, add an additional ¼ cup (75 g) Nutella to the pastry cream.
• If your chocolate craquelin begins to crumble when you use a cookie cutter to cut rounds, then allow the dough to sit for a few minutes at room temperature to soften slightly before resuming with cutting.

More pastry recipes

• Vanilla bean cream puffs
• Paris-Brest
• Chocolate brioche
• Strawberry rhubarb brioche

Make sure to tag me @thesweetoccasion on Instagram and leave me a review below if you make these Nutella Choux au Craquelin.  I’d love to see your creations and read your feedback.  And if you would like to make this recipe later, be sure to pin this recipe using the button on any of these images. Let’s make every occasion, a sweet occasion!

Nutella Choux au Craquelin

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• Author: Maria
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

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Description

Nutella Choux au Craquelin is a French cream puff topped with chocolate craquelin and filled with Nutella pastry cream and homemade chocolate whipped cream.  It is a chocolate lover’s dream.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the craquelin

• 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar
• ¾ cup (105 g) all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup (30 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• ¼ teaspoon (1.4 g) salt

For the Nutella pastry cream

• 1 cup (226 g) whole milk, divided
• 2 tablespoons (25 g) unsalted butter
• 2 ½ tablespoons (32 g) granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons (5 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon (10 g) cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons (6 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ tablespoons (32 g) granulated sugar
• 3 large (54 g) egg yolks
• ½ cup (150 g) Nutella

For the dough

• 1 recipe pâte à choux

For the chocolate whipped cream

• 2 cups (480 g) cold heavy cream
• ¼ cup (30 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• ¼ cup (40 g) powdered sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons (5 g) pure vanilla extract

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Instructions

For the craquelin

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until combined. Sift together flour, cocoa powder and salt and add to the bowl. Mix until incorporated and becomes a coarse meal. Place dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll to a 1-2 mm thickness. Place on a sheet pan and place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.

For the Nutella pastry cream

1. Line a sheet pan with plastic wrap and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine ¾ cup (170 g) of the milk, the 2 tablespoons (25 g) butter, 2 ½ tablespoons (32 g) of the sugar, the vanilla extract.  Set over medium heat and bring to a boil.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together cornstarch, all-purpose flour, and remaining 2 ½ tablespoons (32 g) granulated sugar.  Whisk in the remaining ¼ cup (56 g) of milk.  Whisk in egg yolks until combined.
4. Once boiling, take the vanilla mixture off of the heat.  Pour half of the milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking vigorously to prevent the egg yolks from cooking.  Pour the egg mixture through a sieve into the saucepan with the remaining vanilla mixture.
5. Return saucepan to medium heat and bring pastry cream to a boil while whisking constantly.  Allow to cook for 1 minute and then remove from heat.  Whisk in Nutella.
6. Transfer pastry cream to the plastic-lined sheet pan.  Spread mixture into an even, thin layer.  Place plastic wrap directly on top and refrigerate until cool to the touch.

For the dough

1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C. Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to trace a total of 20 circles on two sheets of parchment paper allowing 2-inches between each circle. Place the traced sides down into 2 large sheet pans. Set aside.
2. Make pâte à choux dough.
3. Fill a large piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip with the dough.  Pipe mounds of pâte à choux onto traced circles.  If the dough has left a “tail”, flatten down with a wet fingertip.
4. Remove the craquelin from the freezer. Use the 2-inch round cutter to cut out circles of dough, enough for 1 sheet pan of puffs. Transfer circles to the tops of each pâte à choux piped dough and slightly push down. Place the remaining craquelin dough in the freezer.
5. Bake the cream puffs in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 350°F/177°C, and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until the puffs are a deep golden.  Place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the second sheet pan of dough.

For the chocolate whipped cream

1. In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the heavy cream, cocoa powder, powdered sugar and vanilla on medium-low speed until mixture becomes frothy.  Increase speed to medium-high and continue whisking until medium peaks form, about 3 minutes.  Careful not to over mix or else it will become thick and lumpy.

To assemble

1. Transfer the pastry cream to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
2. Using a serrated knife, cut the tops off the cream puffs, about one quarter away from the top.
3. Pipe a layer of pastry cream into the bottom of the cream puff, top with a piping of the chocolate whipped cream and place the pâte à choux lid on top.
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Category: Pastry