Classic bite-size choux pastry puffs topped with pearl sugar
by Audrey
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“Chouquettes” are ubiquitous afternoon snacks in France. These bite sized choux pastry puffs topped with crisp pearl sugar, can be found in virtually every bakery at any time of the day, and are handed to you by the dozen in paper bags. Chouquettes are also a fun treat to make at home. They’re easy, quick and require only staple ingredients… and they’ll disappear fast!
The making of Chouquettes is in essence the making of a choux pastry – known in French as “Pâte à Choux”. The soft pastry dough is then piped into little mounds on a baking sheet and topped with pearl sugar before baking, to create chouquettes. Basic ingredients for a Pâte à Choux include butter, water, flour and eggs. There is no leavening agent (ie. baking powder). Instead, it is the high moisture of the dough (made with water) that creates steam and puffs the dough while it bakes at a high temperature. As a result, choux pastry puffs are light and hollow in the center.
If you’re interested in French baking, Pâte à Choux is a great recipe to add to your repertoire. Pâte à Choux is the base dough for making classic Chouquettes, but also Classic French Profiteroles (Cream Puffs with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce), Nun’s farts,Eclairsand even savoryGougères(cheese puffs – a recipe you can find inmy cookbook).
If you’ve never made aPâte à Choux before, make sure you read the recipe twice before you start, to familiarize yourself with the process. APâte à Chouxdoes have a reputation for being an advanced technique, but I assure you it is not that complex.My tip: you want to make sure you have all your equipment prepared (saucepan, bowl, wooden spoon, piping bag, etc.) and all ingredients measured out in front of you before you start. A successful Pâte à Chouxis all about moving quickly and precise timing.
The second key component of Chouquettes is pearl sugar, which gives them both their signature crunch and white-dotted appearance. A specialty sugar popular in European baking, pearl sugar is in essence sugar nibs made from crushing blocks of white sugar. The particularity of pearl sugar is that it doesn’t melt at normal baking temperatures. This means the sugar keeps its crunch and also serves decorative purpose.
Pearl sugar is very common in French bakeries, where you find it sprinkled on Chouquettes and small brioche buns known as “brioches au sucre”. It is also well-known and used in Liege waffles, where the sugar is mixed into the waffle batter to provide a crunchy texture.
You can find pearl sugar in European grocery stores and at Ikea (for Swedish pearl sugar – smaller sugar nibs). You can also source it online on amazon or King Arthur Flour.
How to enjoy and keep Chouquettes (French Sugar Puffs)
Chouquettes are best eaten right away or within 3-4 hours of being made. I don’t recommend storing them on the counter or in the fridge for any longer, as they will soften and get “wet”.
You can however freeze them. Once cooled down to room temperature, place them in a freezer bag and freeze them for up to one month. For enjoying, let them thaw at room temperature for a few hours and re-heat them quickly (max. 5 minutes) at 350°F (180°C) so they crisp up again.
- For shaping the mounds of choux paste onto the baking sheet, it is much easier to use a piping bag. However, you can also use a cookie scoop or 2 large spoons to form little dollops and drop them onto the sheet.
I hope you’ll love this Chouquettes (French Sugar Puffs) recipeas much as I do! If you have any questions, please leave a comment.
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- French Bakery Beignets
- Classic French Butter Brioche
- Roasted Hazelnut Financiers
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Chouquettes (French Sugar Puffs)
Print Recipe
Serves: 24 chouquettes Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat
Rating: 4.8/5
( 4 voted )
Ingredients
1 cup (250ml) water
¼ cup (62.5g) unsalted butter
¼ cup (50g) sugar
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
For topping:
About 100g pearl sugar
For the egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 1 tsp 2% milk.
Instructions
Make sure you have all your equipment prepared and all ingredients measured out in front of you before you start.
Preheat your oven to 425°F(220°C) with a rack in the middle. Line two baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 1 - In a medium-sized saucepan, over medium heat, add the water, butter and sugar. Bring to a slow simmer and let the butter melt and sugar dissolve.
Step 2 - Remove from heat and immediately add in the flour and salt, all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms; return the saucepan to low heat and keep stirring until the dough ‘dries out’ – meaning it pulls away from the pan and takes on a clean, glossy look (about 30 sec to 1 minute).
Step 3 - Remove from the heat and allow the dough to cool for 2 minutes. Still using a wooden spoon, beat the eggs thoroughly into the dough, one at a time. It is important each egg is fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next. If the dough separates, keep beating and it will come together again. In the end, you should have a semi-thick, slightly sticky batter.
Step 4 –
Option 1: Using a piping bag. Transfer the batter into a piping bag (optionally fitted with a plain round ½ inch tip). Hold the filled piping bag at a 90° angle, apply steady downward pressure, and pipe 1-inch wide mounds of batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Each mounds should be at least 1 inch apart.
Option 2: Using two spoons. Scoop out a ½ tbsp-size ball of batter with a spoon and scrape if off with the other spoon onto the baking sheet. Continue until no batter is left, leaving at least 1 inch space between each mounds.
Step 5 – Gently brush the top of each mound with the egg wash and sprinkle very generously with pearl sugar. Don’t be shy, the Chouquettes will puff a lot when baking so the sugar crystals will spread out.
Step 6 – Bake each tray for 20-25 minutes, until the Chouquettes look puffed and golden-brown. Remove from the oven, let rest for 1 minute and transfer Chouquettes onto a cooling rack.
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8 comments
Sharyn February 27, 2022 - 9:56 pm
could you fill these with vanilla cream or pastry cream to make cream puffs?
Reply
Audrey March 3, 2022 - 4:37 pm
Yes, absolutely!
Reply
HANNAH LOWELL March 2, 2022 - 9:32 pm
I just made these gorgeous puffs! Easy and delicious. Thank you for this recipe.
Reply
Audrey March 3, 2022 - 4:37 pm
Thank you!
Reply
Anna May 4, 2022 - 11:50 am
Can i make these ahead of time? or best to serve on the day of baking? thanks.
Reply
Audrey May 6, 2022 - 4:13 pm
Hi Anna. Chouquettes are best served right after baking.
Reply
Judy Guenther November 9, 2022 - 7:38 pm
I tried this recipe today for the first time. I learned an important lesson–don’t get the pearl sugar on the parchment paper. if possible, shake it off gently before you put it in the hot oven. Mine started browning and then burning right under the bun. I think I was too “generous” with my application! When the burnt part was scraped off, it tasted wonderful. Won’t do that again. I do like the precise instructions and images with the recipes though.
Reply
Audrey November 10, 2022 - 8:02 am
Thank you, Judy. I do try to make the recipes as user friendly as possible, and am glad to hear they assisted you well while baking. A good lesson indeed regarding the pearl sugar and something I hadn’t thought of mentioning.
Reply
Audrey
Bonjour ! I'm Audrey Le Goff, a French cookery writer, photographer, creator of the blog Pardon your French, and cookbook author of Rustic French Cooking Made Easy.
