Choux au Craquelin (Cream Puffs) with Thai Tea Diplomat Cream

Thai Tea Cream Puffs have delicious, golden brown, crunchy exterior filled with beautiful, bright orange diplomat cream.

One of my goals this year is to figure out how to make the perfect Choux au Craquelin. To me, cream puffs are one of those delicacies you see in a beautiful window display of a French or Japanese bakery. It is something I can never resist and I can never just have one. Is it the beautiful, crunchy, cookie-like exterior? Or is it the sweet, light and creamy interior that makes me want to dance every time I take a bite? Whatever it is, I am determined to find out the delicious secrets behind my addiction.

I must have tried and failed at least 10 times over the past few weeks. Every time I fail, I would write down what went wrong in the recipe, search for solutions, make adjustments, and do it again with modifications. In this post, I am sharing with you what I have learned through trial and error, the dos and don'ts, so hopefully you won't repeat the same mistakes that I did.

Notes:

• MEASUREMENTS: Notice that the ingredients for craquelin and choux pastry are in grams, because this recipe requires precise measurements. I tried using American cup measurements, but the results were always inconsistent. You can try to do your own conversions, but just know that it's not always guaranteed. Or you can invest in a scale (mine was from Amazon)!
• SUGAR: I use dark brown sugar for the craquelin top for a deeper rich brown color. Feel free to sub with white sugar.
• MILK vs WATER: This is a personal preference. Water makes a lighter and crisper puff, while milk makes a darker brown, softer puff. I use a 1:1 milk:water ratio to get the best of both worlds. If you choose to use milk, make sure to use whole milk. I tried using non-dairy milk and the dough failed to rise (maybe it's just me?).
• TEMPERATURES: Always use room temperature eggs. Ingredients must be combined in the right temperatures. After adding flour into the milk mixture, you will know the mixture is hot enough if you see a shiny thin film on the bottom of the pan. Make sure you cool the dough for about 2 minutes before adding eggs. It should be warm to touch. If the dough is too hot, it will cook the eggs while mixing. If it is too cool, then it will not fully absorb the eggs.
• MOISTURE: Many things can affect the moisture level. You need just the right amount of moisture evaporating in the dough to help create that beautiful hollow puff and crackly top. If you boil the water and milk for too long, the dough might get too dry. Adding too much eggs can also create too much moisture in your batter. Always add one egg at a time, mix thoroughly, and check your batter before adding another egg. Your final batter should be like thick sticky paste, forming a 'V' shape when you hold up your paddle attachment or spatula. If it is runny and does not hold its shape, then you added too much eggs. If the batter sticks to the spatula and does not form a 'v' shape, then you need more eggs.
• LITTLE TRICK: To add a little moisture for the rising process, dip your finger into water and smooth out the peaks of choux mounds. Then sprinkle some water onto the baking sheet.
• OVEN:  Cream puff needs heat and steam in order to rise. Baking at higher temperature (425F) initially will force rapid steam expansion, causing the choux pastry to expand and dome. Once the puffing is complete, lower temperature (350F) will continue to brown and dry the top, giving a crispy outer layer.
• COOLING: Again, heat and steam are crucial to the rising process. Opening the oven door will cause a drop in temperature and can have the opposite effect on your pastry. DO NOT open the oven door while baking. After baking, leaving the puffs in the oven with the door propped open will allow a slow decrease in temperature, preventing the risk of collapsing. Let completely cool before filling.

Why Thai Tea Diplomat Cream?

Traditionally the French Cream Puffs will be filled with either pastry cream or whipped Cream. You can often find classic vanilla or chocolate flavor. As usual, I want to do something different, with an Asian twist. Thai tea mix is perfect because it has a combination of black tea and spices such as star anise and cardamom. Better yet, Thai tea mix creates an amazing vanilla aroma and a luscious orange color. Unique flavor? Checked. Aesthetically pleasing? Checked.

Preppy Kitchen has a great post on pastry cream. Essentially, Diplomat Cream is a combination of pastry cream and whipped cream. You can pipe just the pastry cream into the cream puffs. But if you want a much lighter texture and flavor, fold in the desired amount of whipped cream and you'll get diplomat cream.

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Make sure you also tag me @onehappybite on Instagram and hashtag it #onehappybite so I can see your creations!

Choux au Craquelin (Cream Puffs) with Thai Tea Diplomat Cream

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• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Chilling Time: 6 hrs
• Cook Time: 22 mins
• Total Time: 6 hrs 52 mins
• Yield: 15 cream puffs 1x

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Description

Thai Tea Cream Puffs have delicious, golden brown, crunchy exterior filled with beautiful, bright orange diplomat cream.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Thai Tea Pastry Cream

• 2 cups whole milk
• 4 tbsp Thai tea mix
• ¼ cup + ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 egg yolks
• ¼ cup corn starch
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Craquelin

• 50g unsalted butter, softened
• 60g brown sugar
• 60g all purpose flour

Choux Dough

• 50g unsalted butter, softened
• 50g whole milk
• 50g water
• 60g all purpose flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 (100g) large eggs

Diplomat Cream

• 2 cups Thai Tea Pastry Cream
• 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream

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Instructions

Thai Tea Pastry Cream

1. In a large sauce pan, stir milk, Thai tea mix, and ¼ cup sugar together. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Do not let it boil.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolks, corn starch, and ⅓ cup sugar.
3. Once the milk has reached a simmer, turn the heat off. Strain the tea leaves.
4. Pour ½ cup of the milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to avoid curdling. Then quickly pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly. Return to medium heat.
5. Continue whisking until the cream thickens. This will take about 14-17 minutes so be patient! Keep whisking to avoid cooking the eggs.
6. Remove from heat once thickened. Stir in butter until melted.
7. Transfer the pastry cream to a clean cool bowl, cover, and cool in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours before using.
   

Craquelin

1. Cream butter (softened), brown sugar, and flour together using a spatula or a mixer with paddle attachment. Transfer the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough to about 1-2mm thickness, then freeze it for an hour or until ready to use.

Choux Pastry

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F
2. Pour water and milk into a sauce pan. Then add butter, sugar and salt. Place over medium heat and bring it to a boil. When the butter melts completely and little bubbles start to appear, reduce the heat to low. Add sifted flour and immediately start mixing using a spatula.
3. Cook on low heat for anther minute or so, while constantly mixing the flour until completely incorporated. The dough should be thick and smooth, but not dry. When you pull the dough away, you should see a thin glossy film on the bottom of the pan.
4. Turn the heat off. Transfer the dough to a clean mixing bowl. Let is cool for about 2 minutes. You can also cool the dough by using a standing mixer with paddle attachment, mix for about 1-2 minutes. If the dough is too hot, it will cook the eggs. You want to cool the dough, but not too much. The dough should still be warm to touch.
5. Mix the warm dough on low speed. Add eggs to the dough, one at a time, until completely incorporated. The dough should be sticky, like thick paste. When you lift the paddle attachment or spatula up, it should form and hold a 'V' shape.
6. Transfer choux pastry to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe 12-14 choux mounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The size of choux mounds depend on your tracing circles/round cutter. You want to match the size with the craquelin tops. Leave space in between as the dough will spread and expand.
7. Smooth the top/peaks with a wet fingertip. Sprinkle some water onto the baking sheet.
8. Remove the craquelin from the freezer. Stamp out craquelin with a round cutter. Gently place place each round craquelin on top of a choux pastry mound.

Baking

1. First, bake at 425°F for 12 minutes. You should see the choux pastry rise and 'puff' up!
2. Then turn down the heat to 350°F and bake for 10 minutes. This extra baking time gives the craquelin top a beautiful dark golden brown color.
3. Once done, do not take the cream puffs out of the oven right away. Turn the oven off and use a wooden spoon to slightly prop the oven door open, let cool for 15 minutes.

Thai Tea Diplomat Cream

1. In a large bowl using a handheld or standing mixer, beat the heavy cream until stiff peak forms. Then slowly fold the the pastry cream in until combined. Transfer the diplomat cream to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.

Assembly (2 ways)

1. Using a serrated knife, cut the top off the cream puffs. Pipe Thai tea cream into the hollow space until it reaches the brim. Then top with the choux lid you just cut off, like putting a hat on! Dust it with powdered sugar (optional). OR
2. Using a chopstick, poke a hole in the bottom of each cream puff. Through the hole, insert the piping tip into each cream puff and pipe the cream until the hollow space is filled. Dust it with powdered sugar (optional).

Notes

Cream puffs are best serve immediately. 

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day. 

Craquelin can be made in advance and store in the freezer for a few days.

• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: Thai

Keywords: choux au craquelin, cream puff, diplomat cream, thai tea

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