Rainbow Caramel Cream Puffs au Craquelin the Beginner Baker can Make

These cream puffs are filled with caramel and topped with the rainbow!

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these rainbow and shamrock cream puffs, topped with a colorful rainbow-crisp craquelin and filled with rich caramel cream.

They’re elegant and extra, but don’t worry—Baker Khara Westergard helped to break it down for even beginner bakers.

Caramel Cream Puffs au Craquelin

INGREDIENTS

Choux Pastry (*see notes for all ingredients with asterix.)

• 4 oz. (1/2 C.) Unsalted Butter – cut up for faster melting
• 4 oz. (1/2 C.) Whole Milk (what you have can work in a pinch)*
• 4 oz. (1/2 C.) Water
• 1 Tbsp. (.5 oz.) Granulated Sugar*
• 3/8 t. Salt (omit 1/8 t. & a pinch if using salted butter above.)
• 4.75 oz. – 5 oz. (About 1C. Fluffed) Bread Flour or All-Purpose Flour* – use a scale for best results
• 4 Large Eggs (US Large, UK medium. Apx. 60 g each with shell on))

Craquelin Topping

• 4 oz. (1/2 C.) Butter – soft but cool
• 1/8 tsp. + 1 pinch Salt (omit if using salted butter above)
• 4 oz. (1/2 C.) Light Brown Sugar
• 4.5 oz. (1 C.) All-purpose Flour
• Food Color if/as desired

Caramel Diplomat Pastry Cream

• 16 oz. (2 C.) Whole Milk
• 1 Tbsp. Vanilla Bean Paste or extract
• 4 oz. (1/2 C.) Granulated Sugar
• 50g (5 Tbsp) Cornstarch
• 1/8 t. Salt
• 4 Large Egg YOLKS (US Large, UK medium)
• 1 oz. (2 Tbsp.) Unsalted Butter – Cold & cut up for faster melting.
• 8.3 oz Caramel homemade or (1/2 Jar) Mrs. Richards’s Caramel with 3/4 tsp. Vanilla & 1/4 tsp. Salt mixed into the whole jar.
• 2 Tbsp. Water – Cool or room temp.
• 1 tsp. Unflavored Gelatin
• 8 oz. (1 C) Heavy Cream (35%)
• 2 oz. (1/2 C) Powdered Sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
• 1 pinch Salt

METHOD

Choux Pastry

1. Combine butter, milk, water, sugar, & salt in a sauce pan. Stir over medium heat until simmering.
2. Remove from heat as you add the flour all at once. Mix well immediately to distribute all the hot liquid evenly. Your mixture should look like mashed potatoes. Return to the stove & continue stirring breaking up any remaining flour lumps over low heat, cooking out the liquid. Continue until mixture feels more like play dough, falls away from the sides, & develops a film on the bottom of your pan.
3. Dump into a mixing bowl to cool 3-5 minutes stirring in short spurts, every so often, to help release heat. Avoid over mixing here. I like to leave mixing leeway for the egg additions after cooling.
4. While waiting, crack eggs & prep 2 bakers 1/2 sheet pans with silpat mats or parchment paper. If parchment, spray with clean water to help avoid burnt choux bottoms & help the parchment stick to the pan.
5. Add eggs in 4 additions (1 egg at a time for a single batch, 2 at a time for a double batch, etc.). Mix well between each addition. Your ending consistency should flow off the end of your beaters just enough to form a good “V” shape without running off. If too runny, the choux dough won’t hold its shape when piped (try adding a touch more flour). If too thick, you won’t be able to pipe your dough, or it will bake up more dense. Add a bit more egg. Again, these measurements should be just right. If in question, just give it an extra mix & continue on.
6. Fill pastry bags fitted with a large round tip (optionally, sub a freezer ziplock bag & cut a rounded hole). Set aside in refrigerator & make the

Craquelin Topping

1. Cream butter, salt, & brown sugar together. Then mix flour in thoroughly. Optionally, add food colors. Chill dough well covered. Roll out flat between greased parchment paper sheets. Cut strips for a rainbow if wanted. Roll out flat again. Freeze.
2. Pipe choux dough onto parchment or silpat mat lined pans at a straight up & down vertical angle. Do not hold tip too close to the pan. Allow room for dough to fall & fill the space in a rounded shape as it hits the pan. Release pressure & lift away.
3. Remove Craquelin from freezer & punch out cookie cutter circles the size of or a little larger than your choux buns. Immediately place on top of each dough mound.
4. Bake at 350° F for 40-45 minutes depending on size of Choux buns (less for small ones). The first bake will puff the shape. After first bake, quickly open the oven to poke a hole in each puff with a skewer or toothpick to let moisture escape. Finish baking 8-10 minutes. Look for browning at the bottoms. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR TO CHECK ON CHOUX DURING BAKING. Just look through the window. Very small choux may not need the second bake time. Done choux will be well risen & well browned. If it falls after taking it out of the oven you can return to the oven & hope for the best. Or, just bake more next time. It will still be delicious. Fill as soon as cooled to hopefully recover its shape.

Fill with caramel diplomat pastry cream. Recipe below choux notes.

*Notes:

• All-purpose flour is delicious too, but bread flour gives the choux shape more structure. 4.75 oz. of flour is a favorite tender consistency, but 5oz.is better for éclairs or very round shapes.
• Milk can be optional if you substitute it with more water. Traditionally, the French used only water. Still today, some will prefer the crisper shell this produces. Many of us now prefer a more tender, richer shell produced by using milk.
• Sugar is optional. Again, it aids in a more tender, richer shell.

Gluten-Free Adjustments:

• Sub flour for a mixture of 3.5 oz. Bob’s Red Mill GF 1to1 baking flour (blue bag, NOT RED), 1 oz. Sorghum Flour (found at Whole Foods or Amazon), 1 oz. Expandex (Amazon).
• Add an extra egg for a total of 5 eggs.
• At every stage, mix just enough to combine ingredients. GF flour does best with minimal mixing. It’ll work. You’ll love it!

*If unable to get Expandex, try subbing with .5 oz extra BRM GF Flour, & .6 oz (2 Tbsp.) Corn Starch.

Caramel Diplomat Pastry Cream

1. Whisk the milk, vanilla bean paste, sugar, cornstarch, salt, & egg yolk together well. Bring to a simmer over low to medium low heat in a saucepan. Whisk constantly.
2. A french whisk has the best shape to reach in all the corners of your pot. Scrape all of the surfaces while whisking to avoid scrambling the eggs. Keep cooking & whisking until the mixture thickens, plus a minute longer. When the mixture starts “burping”, remove from the heat immediately & continue whisking to help it cool. Add the cold butter chunks & continue whisking. Add caramel & whisk to fully combine.
3. Push mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a glass dish for cooling, covered well with food wrap. Cool in fridge or freezer.
4. Meanwhile, pour gelatin into water in a small dish or cup & allow it to bloom for 10 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients together (cream, powdered sugar, vanilla, salt) without whipping yet. Microwave gelatin 8-12 seconds to melt. Add a scoop of cream to the melted gelatin & stir. Add gelatin slowly to the cream as you whip it to stiff peaks.
5. Whisk gelatinous pastry cream to return it to a cream like texture. Use an electric whisk if very stiff & not smooth after whisking.
6. Add 2 scoops of whipped cream into pastry cream & combine. Fold remaining whipped cream into pastry cream. Filling is ready!

By Balsamic Baker – Do not republish without permission.

Find more recipes from Khara on Instagram, @balsamicbaker.