Chouquettes (French Sugar Puffs)
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Chouquettes are a staple of French bakeries! The good news is, they’re incredibly easy to make at home with just a few simple ingredients. In this recipe, I’ll show you how to make golden, fluffy homemade chouquettes, along with all my tips for mastering the perfect pâte à choux (choux pastry).
Table of contents
A Quick Note Before We Start
Chouquettes bring back such sweet childhood memories for me. When it was my dad’s turn to pick up the bread (baguette), he’d (almost) always come back with a small paper bag of chouquettes. I absolutely loved them!
In France, we usually buy chouquettes by weight, often in 100g (3.5 oz) portions, from the bakery. They’re perfect for an afternoon snack or with a cup of coffee after a meal. What I love most is how light they are: they’re hollow inside and just sweet enough, not overly sugary, despite their topping of pearl sugar. Fair warning: they’re dangerously addictive 😉
Recipe card
Chouquettes (French Sugar Puffs)
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Ingredients
- ½ cup water 125 ml
- ½ cup whole milk 125 ml
- 7 tbsp unsalted butter cubed (100 g)
- 2 tsp sugar 8 g
- ¾ tsp salt 4 g
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour 150 g
- 4 large eggs about 210–220 g (7.5-7.8 oz) total when weighed out of shell
- Pearl sugar – use generously
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) convection or 375–390°F (190–200°C) conventional.
- In a saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat, add all the flour at once, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together.
- Return to medium heat stirring constantly for 1–3 minutes to dry it out. It should pull away from the sides of the pan and form a thin film on the bottom.
- Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and let cool for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, beat the eggs and weigh them, aim for around 7.5-7.8 oz (210-220 g).
- Add the eggs gradually in four additions, mixing well between each. Use a wooden spoon or flexible spatula (not a stand mixer). The dough may look lumpy at first, but it will become smooth, shiny, and pipeable.
- Transfer the dough into a piping bag (optional), or use two teaspoons.
- Pipe or scoop small mounds (about 1.2 inches / 3 cm wide) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Leave space between each, as they’ll puff up.
- Generously sprinkle with pearl sugar.
- Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until golden and puffed, do not open the oven door during baking! Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
What Sugar Should You Use for Chouquettes?
The secret to a crunchy, irresistible chouquette topping is pearl sugar. These are large sugar crystals that don’t melt in the oven, adding a lovely sweetness and contrast to the unsweetened choux dough.
You can find pearl sugar online (search for “Swedish pearl sugar” or “nib sugar”) or in specialty baking stores.
Tip: Be generous! Some of the sugar will fall off during baking or handling, so don’t hold back when sprinkling.
Tips for Perfect Choux Pastry
Choux pastry has a reputation for being tricky, but it’s actually quite simple once you know what to watch for. Here’s how to avoid flat or soggy chouquettes:
- Measure precisely: Weigh your ingredients carefully—including the eggs! Four eggs should weigh around 210–220 g. If you’re over, remove some. If under, beat another egg and add just enough.
- Dry out the dough well: After adding the flour (off the heat), return the pan to medium heat and stir for 1–3 minutes until the dough is glossy, pulls away from the sides, and leaves a thin film on the bottom. Then let it cool a bit before adding the eggs.
- Add eggs gradually: Lightly beat the eggs first, then incorporate them in 3 or 4 additions, mixing thoroughly each time. Use a wooden spoon or spatula—not a mixer. The dough might look broken at first, but keep stirring; it will come together.
- Keep your puffs rather small: The dough expands a lot in the oven. Leave room between mounds and let them bake until deeply golden. Underbaking can make them collapse as they cool.
Can You Make Chouquettes Gluten-Free or Dairy-Free?
In baking, swapping out ingredients can often change the texture significantly… but with choux pastry, it actually works really well! I’ve tested it several times, and the result is still wonderfully light and airy, even without gluten or dairy.
- Gluten-free version: Works well with a gluten-free flour blend for baking, or even just cornstarch. Use the same quantities as in the original recipe.
- Dairy-free version: Use a plant-based margarine instead of butter and swap out the milk for more water.
FAQ: Homemade Chouquettes
Usually, it’s because the dough wasn’t dried enough after incorporating the flour, or they were removed from the oven too early. Make sure the dough forms a film in the pot before adding the eggs, and never open the oven door during baking. Bake until they’re fully golden and set.
Not really. Once the eggs are mixed in, the dough starts to lose its rising power if it sits too long. You can refrigerate it for 1–2 hours max, but I recommend piping and baking it right away for the best result.
They’re best the same day. If you need to store them, avoid airtight containers, use a paper bag instead. To crisp them up, pop them back in the oven at 320°F (160°C) for 5 minutes. Avoid the microwave, it’ll make them soft and soggy.
Just made some, they came out beautifully. I am going to freeze them to use with cream cheese and smoked salmon canapés on Christmas eve.
Thank you so much, Zeina! So happy you will try the Smoked Salmon Cream Puffs!
Fantastic
Sublime
Thank you, Lee!