Soft inside, crispy outside chouquettes
Soft inside, crispy outside chouquettes is a medium French recipe that serves 6. 70 calories per serving. Recipe by Papa en Cuisine on YouTube.
Prep: 10 min | Cook: 25 min | Total: 45 min
Cost: $1.82 total, $0.30 per serving
Ingredients
- 80 g Whole milk (Used with water to achieve a dough that is both soft and crispy)
- 80 g Water (Mixed with milk to lighten the dough)
- 3 g Salt (Lightly seasons the dough)
- 3 g White sugar (Added to the liquid for butter caramelization)
- 90 g All‑purpose flour (Base of the choux pastry)
- 70 g Unsalted butter (Must be melted with the liquid)
- 3 units Eggs (Incorporated one by one, at room temperature)
- 20 g Pearl sugar (For decoration just before baking)
Instructions
Measure and prepare the ingredients
Weigh the milk, water, salt, sugar, flour, butter and eggs. Set the pearl sugar aside for decoration.
Time: PT2M
Melt the butter with the liquid
In a saucepan, pour the milk, water, butter cut into cubes, white sugar and salt. Heat over medium heat while stirring until the butter is completely melted.
Time: PT3M
Incorporate the flour off the heat
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the flour all at once and whisk vigorously until you obtain a homogeneous dough that detaches from the sides.
Time: PT2M
Add the eggs
Return the saucepan to low heat. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well between each addition, until the dough is smooth and glossy.
Time: PT3M
Dough rest (optional)
Let the dough rest for 10 minutes at room temperature, or cover and place in the refrigerator if preparing ahead.
Time: PT10M
Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 200 °C. As soon as the chouquettes are in the oven, lower immediately to 180 °C, then midway through baking to 160 °C.
Time: PT5M
Temperature: 200°C
Pipe the chouquettes
Transfer the dough to a piping bag. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, form 3 cm diameter mounds, spaced 2 cm apart.
Time: PT5M
Sprinkle pearl sugar
Immediately sprinkle each chouquette with pearl sugar before baking.
Time: PT1M
Bake the chouquettes
Place the chouquettes in the oven. Bake 10 minutes at 200 °C, then lower to 180 °C and bake another 10 minutes, finally 5 minutes at 160 °C until they are golden and dry.
Time: PT25M
Temperature: 200°C → 180°C → 160°C
Cooling
Turn off the oven, leave the chouquettes in the closed oven for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
Time: PT5M
Nutrition Facts
- Calories
- 70
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- 9 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
Dietary info: Vegetarian, low-carb, low-calorie, very-low-calorie, low-fat
Allergens: Milk, Eggs, Gluten
Ingredient Substitutions
- Instead of Whole milk: Semi-skimmed milk, Almond milk (lactose‑free version)
- Instead of Water: Additional milk, Light broth (for savory version)
- Instead of Salt: Sea salt, Himalayan pink salt
- Instead of White sugar: Cane sugar, Coconut sugar (slightly different taste)
- Instead of All‑purpose flour: T45 wheat flour, Rice flour (gluten‑free version)
- Instead of Unsalted butter: Vegetable margarine, Coconut oil (for a different flavor)
- Instead of Eggs: Flax egg (1 tbsp + 3 tbsp water), Chia egg (1 tbsp + 3 tbsp water)
- Instead of Pearl sugar: Coarse granulated sugar, Colored sugar pearls
Equipment Needed
- 20 cm saucepan
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Kitchen scale
- Mixing bowl
- Piping bag with plain tip (1 cm diameter)
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Cooling rack
Critical Steps — Do Not Skip
- Incorporate the flour off the heat to avoid lump formation.
- Incorporate the eggs correctly to obtain a smooth and glossy dough.
- Never open the oven door during baking.
Chef Tips from the Video
- Use high‑quality butter for a richer flavor.
- Sift the dough before putting it in the piping bag to eliminate any lumps.
- For a perfectly round shape, rotate the sheet 90° midway through baking.
Troubleshooting
Chouquettes collapse after baking
Make sure the baking reached 180 °C–160 °C throughout and that the dough rested properly. Do not open the oven during baking.
No rise, chouquettes stay flat
Ensure the oven is fully preheated to 200 °C before baking and that the dough is smooth with eggs incorporated. Dough that is too cold or too liquid prevents rising.
Crust too hard or burnt
Reduce the initial temperature to 190 °C or cover the sheet with aluminum foil after the first 15 minutes.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container 3 to 5 days.
Freezer: Freeze unbaked chouquettes in a freezer bag for 1 month; bake directly from frozen adding 5 minutes of baking time.
Room temperature: At room temperature, in a dry container, up to 2 days.
Make-Ahead Tips
- Choux pastry dough can be piped and frozen raw; bake directly from the freezer extending baking time by 5 minutes.
- Baked chouquettes keep well for 2 days at room temperature; reheat 2 minutes at 150 °C to regain crunch.
Last updated: August 20, 2026
