As far as homemade snacks go, these guys are up there. Chouquettes are incredibly light puffs are choux pastry in its simplest form; there’s no need to worry about filling or glazing them, just make sure to coat them generously in pearl sugar to bring that satisfying crunch and just enough sweetness. So simple and moreish, you’ll struggle to have just one.
Chouquettes
Prep 5 min
Cook 40 min
Cool 20 min
Makes 25-30
60ml milk
50g unsalted butter
½ tbsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
75g plain flour
2-3 eggs, beaten
Pearl sugar, for sprinkling
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 and line two baking trays.
Put 60ml water, the milk, butter, sugar and salt into a pan and heat until the butter has melted and the milk just comes to a boil. Tip in the flour all at once and mix quickly until you have a thick dough; it will look lumpy at first, but keep mixing until smooth. Keep it on the heat and cook for one to two minutes, until the dough comes away from the sides.
Take off the heat, tip the dough into a clean bowl and leave to cool for a few minutes. Add a little beaten egg at a time, letting it fully incorporate before adding more, until the mixture reaches a thick, glossy, dropping consistency – you should have some egg left over, which you can use for the glaze; again, the mixture will be lumpy at first, but keep mixing. Transfer the dough to a piping bag and snip off the end.
Pipe small blobs on to the tray, leaving about ½cm space between each one. Brush gently with the leftover egg and sprinkle very generously with pearl sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the chouquettes are puffed up and deeply golden. Turn off the oven, open the door a little and leave them inside for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.
