Chouquettes (French Sugar Puffs)
These Chouquettes are ADDICTING; I'm serious - I can never stop at one, or two, or three. Topped with that crunchy pearl sugar, they're deliciously golden on the outside and soft and hollow on the inside.
This small batch Chouquettes recipe uses only FIVE main ingredients, and the puffs are ready within an hour! They're bite-sized and easy to make, especially if you follow my tips below.
This recipe yields around 10-12 Chouquettes. You can easily double or triple the recipe.
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Ingredients
- 65 ml Water
- 30 g Butter Unsalted
- 7 g Sugar I use Vanilla Sugar, see Notes
- 40 g Flour
- 1 Large Egg room temperature, have another readily available
- 50 g Pearl Sugar Highly recommended (but optional)
- Pinch Salt Optional
- 1 tsp Vanilla Optional (omit if using vanilla sugar)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F or 175 C. Line a baking sheet or tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Place water, butter, sugar (and salt, if using) in a saucepan and heat on medium hear until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat immediately. If using vanilla, add it now and stir.
- Add the flour all at once. Using a firm utensil (like a wooden spoon), mix until everything is combined and place the pot back on medium heat.
- Keep stirring for about 2 minutes until a cohesive dough forms and the raw flour taste cooks off.
- Leave the dough to cool for about 10 minutes. You can also move the dough to a separate bowl to cool faster.
- Whisk the egg in a separate bowl. Then, add it to the dough. Mix vigorously until a smooth and pipeable dough/thick batter forms. If still too dry, whisk another egg in the separate bowl and add it a little at a time until it reaches a smooth, pipeable thick batter.Note: It may look like the dough has separated - this is absolutely normal. As you continue to mix, it will come together.
- See Notes for Tests on the right consistency.
- Fill a piping bag or quart-sized Ziploc bag and snip the edge to about 1/2 an inch or 1.3 cm wide. Pipe small mounds of about a tablespoon each onto your baking sheet, leaving a bit of room between each Chouquette. Sprinkle pearl sugar generously over each one.
- You should have 10-12 or so Chouquettes.
- Bake the Chouquettes for 25 minutes. Do NOT open the door. After 25 minutes, open the oven door for a second to allow steam to escape, then close and bake for another 8-12 minutes until golden.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet or wire rack. Bon Appétit!
- Optional: Poke a small hole at the bottom to release some steam.
Notes
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- Measure your ingredients by weight, if possible. I use a kitchen scale, like this sleek kitchen scale or this more precise coffee scale, great for smaller amounts.*
- I LOVE using Vanilla Sugar. I prefer this Vanilla Sugar, which is sustainably and ethically sourced from the Kingdom of Tonga (Polynesia)*
- Pearl sugar is, in my opinion, an important element for Chouquettes, because they aren't very sweet. They also provide a lovely textural contrast. I buy Swedish Pearl Sugar.*
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- Whisk your eggs separately. Start with the lower amount, but have an extra egg handy just in case you need it.
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- Do NOT open the oven door until after about 25 minutes. The Chouquettes need the steam to rise.
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- Make sure your Chouquettes are nicely browned before taking them out of the oven. They need to be fully baked and dried, so they do not collapse once they're out of the oven.
- Test 1: Run your finger through the dough - it should leave a smooth path and not fill in again.
- Test 2: Dip your spatula or spoon in the dough then lift it up. A bit of the batter should hang off the tip. It shouldn't drip, or be too firm that nothing hangs off at all.