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Ube Craquelin Cream Puffs
Choux au craquelin is a cream puff with a thin, sweet cookie disc baked on top. As the puff rises in the oven, the disc cracks into a crisp, sugary shell, and the puffs come out round and even every time. Here a spoonful of ube powder goes into the craquelin dough, and the hollow puffs are filled with ube diplomat cream: a vanilla pastry cream cooked with ube halaya, then lightened with whipped cream. The filling tastes nutty, vanilla-like, and rich, and it sets just firm enough to hold its shape when you bite in. The method takes a few stages, but each one is simple, and you can make the craquelin and the pastry cream a day ahead. Crackly on top, light and airy inside, with a cold, creamy purple center, these look like they came from a Paris pâtisserie with a Filipino twist.
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Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter, Softened, for the craquelin (55 g)
- 0.33 cup Granulated Sugar, For the craquelin (65 g)
- 0.5 cup All-Purpose Flour, For the craquelin (65 g)
- 1 tbsp Ube Powder, Tints and flavors the craquelin
- 0.5 cup Water, For the choux
- 0.5 cup Whole Milk, For the choux
- 8 tbsp Unsalted Butter, Cubed, for the choux (113 g)
- 1 tsp Granulated Sugar, For the choux
- 0.5 tsp Fine Sea Salt
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour, Sifted, for the choux (125 g)
- 4 whole Large Eggs, Beaten, at room temperature; you may not need all of the last one
- 1.5 cups Whole Milk, For the pastry cream
- 4 whole Egg Yolks, For the pastry cream
- 0.33 cup Granulated Sugar, For the pastry cream
- 3 tbsp Cornstarch
- 0.5 cup Ube Halaya, Store-bought or homemade
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter, For the pastry cream
- 1 tsp Ube Extract, A paste-style extract gives the brightest purple
- 0.75 cup Heavy Cream, Very cold
- 2 tbsp Powdered Sugar, For dusting, optional
Instructions
- Make and Freeze the Craquelin Mix the softened 4 tbsp butter, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, and ube powder with a spatula until it forms a smooth dough. Roll it out between two sheets of parchment until it's about 1/16 inch (2 mm) thick, then freeze it flat for at least 30 minutes.
- Cook the Ube Pastry Cream Heat the 1.5 cups milk until steaming. In a bowl, whisk the yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch until pale, then slowly whisk in the hot milk. Pour it back into the pan and whisk constantly over medium heat until it bubbles and thickens, then keep whisking for 1 more minute. Off the heat, whisk in the ube halaya, 2 tbsp butter, and ube extract until smooth. Press plastic wrap onto the surface and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Make the Choux Dough Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment. Bring the water, 1/2 cup milk, 8 tbsp butter, 1 tsp sugar, and salt to a full boil. Add all the flour at once and stir hard with a wooden spoon until it forms a ball, then keep stirring over medium-low heat for 2 minutes to dry it out. A thin film should form on the bottom of the pan.
- Beat in the Eggs Transfer the dough to a stand mixer and beat on low for 1 minute to release steam. Add the beaten eggs a little at a time, letting each addition absorb before adding more. Stop when the dough is glossy and a line drawn through it slowly closes up, or when it falls from the paddle in a thick V shape. You may not need the last few spoonfuls of egg.
- Pipe and Top Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large plain tip, about 1/2 inch wide. Pipe 1.5-inch mounds about 2 inches apart, holding the bag straight up and lifting cleanly at the end. Use a 1.75-inch round cutter to punch discs from the frozen craquelin and set one on top of each mound.
- Bake Until Deep Golden Bake for 15 minutes at 400°F, then lower the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake for another 18-22 minutes, until the puffs are deep golden and feel light and hollow. Don't open the oven for the first 20 minutes, or they can collapse. Turn the oven off, poke a small hole in the bottom of each puff with a skewer, and let them dry in the oven with the door cracked for 10 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.
- Lighten the Cream and Fill Whip the cold heavy cream to medium-stiff peaks. Whisk the chilled pastry cream until smooth, then fold in the whipped cream in two additions. Spoon it into a piping bag with a small plain tip, push the tip into the hole in each puff, and fill until the puff feels heavy. Dust with powdered sugar and serve within a few hours, or chill until serving.
Pro Tips
- Weigh the flour and eggs if you can. Choux is all about ratio: too much egg makes puffs that spread flat, and too little makes them crack and stay dense. Judging by the V shape off the paddle is more reliable than the egg count, since egg sizes vary.
- Keep the craquelin frozen until the moment it goes on. Cold discs slide off a warm spatula cleanly and keep their round shape, and they melt evenly into a crisp shell instead of sliding down the sides.
- Bake until the puffs look a little darker than you think they should. Pale choux softens and deflates as it cools, while a deep golden shell stays crisp and hollow, with plenty of room for the filling.
Variations
- Ube Macapuno: Fold 1/2 cup of drained, chopped macapuno (sweet coconut strings) into the diplomat cream for a classic Filipino ube-and-coconut pairing.
- Ube Éclairs: Pipe the choux into 4-inch logs instead of mounds, skip the craquelin, and dip the filled éclairs in a white chocolate glaze tinted with a drop of ube extract.
- Ube Profiteroles: Leave off the craquelin, split the puffs, and fill them with a scoop of ube ice cream, then serve with warm chocolate sauce.
Nutrition (estimated, per serving)
225 calories · 20g carbs · 4g protein · 14g fat · 11g sugar · 0.5g fiber
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my cream puffs collapse after baking?
They were underbaked or the oven was opened too early. The shell needs to set fully before the steam inside escapes, so bake until it's deep golden, keep the door shut for the first 20 minutes, and let the puffs dry in the switched-off oven. Poking a small hole in the bottom also lets steam out so the walls don't go soggy.
Can I make ube cream puffs ahead of time?
Yes. The craquelin keeps frozen for up to a month, and the pastry cream keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Baked, unfilled puffs keep in an airtight container for a day, or frozen for a month; re-crisp them at 350°F for 5 minutes. Fill them on the day you serve them so the shells stay crisp.
Do I need the craquelin topping?
No, but it makes the puffs easier. Without it, choux can crack unevenly or puff into odd shapes; the craquelin weighs the top down slightly so each puff rises round and even, and it adds a sweet, crunchy shell. For plain cream puffs, brush the mounds with egg wash and bake as written.
Recommended Ingredient
Ateco 810 10-Piece Stainless Steel Plain Piping Tip Set — read our review.