Strawberry nutella cream puffs are little cream puffs filled with nutella pastry cream, stuffed with a strawberry slice and frosted with a toasted vanilla meringue.
Strawberry nutella cream puffs are cute little cream puffs filled with nutella pastry cream, stuffed with a strawberry slice and frosted with a toasted vanilla meringue.
Hi frienddddsssss! It’s been a while. Three weeks to be exact. & I’m not sorry, lol. I needed a little break from baking, shooting & writing.
So what have I been doing you ask?! Well, I’ve spent some time with the family which we should always make time for anyway. & I also have been reading and learning a lot. I mentioned in some of my stories that I felt glued to the couch after working so much in December so I made that time useful. I’m currently studying the science of baking…in like everything. From lean dough to enriched dough to pastry dough, laminated & non-laminated dough. all of it. Different butter creams, different sponges, I’m learning it all!
How to make strawberry nutella cream puffs
Cream puffs
Cream puffs. Oh, cream puffs. I’m not going to lie, these aren’t the easiest of treats to make. I would say they’re easier than macarons so you have that going for ya but they are finicky as well. I’m certainly not trying to scare you off, just wanting to let you know what to expect!
I also make a craquelin for the top of my choux. It’s basically a thin piece of (cookie light) dough that sits on top of the choux while baking and creates a nice crispy top. 10/10 recommend crispy > not crispy, lol.
Ingredients:
Water – water is essential to create the steam that gets release to make the choux rise in the oven.
Butter – I use unsalted butter but if you only have salted, use that and omit the salt from the recipe. It doesn’t matter if your butter is cold or soft because it gets melted anyway.
Flour – I use all-purpose flour and I don’t recommend a substitutions at this point.
Salt – salt just brings out flavors and balances sweetness
Eggs – what makes choux a little difficult is that the recipes can never specify the number of eggs to use. The number of eggs you’ll need depends on how the dough looks at a certain point which is related to temperature/humidity in the air, size of eggs, etc. Essentially you want your dough to be stiff enough to pipe but soft enough to form a ‘V’ shape hanging off the paddle attachment or spoon.
Nutella pastry cream
Pastry cream, or creme patissiere, is basically a custard. The eggs and sugar get whisked into warm milk and then cooked until they thicken together into a glorious pudding. Add nutella to the mix and we’re in heaven!
Toasted meringue
Meringue is one of my favorite ways to elevate a recipe. It’s really just egg whites and sugar cooked until the sugar is dissolved (and the eggs are safe to eat) and then whipped into a gorgeous cloud of fluff.
I use a culinary torch to toast it but for something as small as cream puffs, you can also try a lighter.
How to store the cream puffs
I recommend storing the cream puffs refrigerated. Make sure to keep them in an airtight container to stay fresh. The cream puffs should be good for up to a week, depending on how fresh the strawberries were.
I don’t recommend freezing the finished cream puffs but you could freeze empty choux pastry. After they’ve baked and cooled, place them in a freezer bag, making sure to squeeze out all the excess air. Thaw them at room temperature overnight and fill with desired filling.
Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below, i’m happy to answer! If you’re a fellow nutella lover, make sure to check out my nutella swirl cake! If you make this chocolate chip almond cake I would love to see the results, please make sure to tag me @baranbakery on instagram and. As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
10gramsDutch-process cocoa powder, spooned and leveled
113gramsunsalted butter, softened
Choux Pastry
240mLwater
113gramsunsalted butter
120gramsall-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/2tspsalt
4-6large eggs, room temperature
1large egg, room temperature, for egg wash
Meringue
150gramsgranulated sugar
3large egg whites, room temperature
Method
Pastry Cream
Begin with making the pastry cream so it has time to cool. In a medium, heat proof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Use about 1/4-1/2 cup of the milk to thin out the mixture so it's easier to mix later. Set aside.
3 large egg yolks room temperature, 66 grams granulated sugar, 42 grams cornstarch, 1/8 tsp salt, 180 mL milk
In a medium saucepan, heat the rest of the milk and cream, whisking constantly and remove just before boiling.
360 mL heavy cream
Temper the egg mixture by SLOWLY pouring the milk in while whisking constantly. Once it's all combined, pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan, whisk continuously over medium-low heat until it thickens and the whisk leaves track marks.
Remove the mixture and pour it back into the heat proof bowl and add the butter and Nutella, stirring until everything is fully combined. If there are chunks, push it through a sieve.
Cover it with plastic, putting the plastic directly onto the cream so as not to form a skin and allow it to cool completely in the fridge.
Craquelin
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until they are fully combined.
100 grams light brown sugar lightly packed, 60 grams all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, 10 grams Dutch-process cocoa powder spooned and leveled, 113 grams unsalted butter softened
Roll it to 1/8" thick on a parchment paper and refrigerate/freeze it until it is ready to use.
Choux Pastry
Preheat the oven to 425F (218C) convection (400F/204C conventional) and line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium sauce pan, heat the water and butter over medium heat until the butter is fully melted.
240 mL water, 113 grams unsalted butter
Remove it from the heat, add in the flour and salt, and mix it together until it is fully combined. Place it back on the heat and continue mixing it for 1-3 minutes until the dough turns into one lumpy mixture (sticks to itself in a ball).
120 grams all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, 1/2 tsp salt
Remove it from the heat and place it in the bowl of a stand mixer (you can do it by hand too). Use a paddle attachment turn it on low speed to help it cool a little before adding the eggs. Once it is warm to the touch and not hot enough to scramble the eggs, add one egg to the mixture and turn the mixer on medium speed. It will look like it is splitting- just let it fully combine, then add in another egg.
4-6 large eggs room temperature
Make sure to add one egg at a time and check the consistency of the dough before each one. It should be pipe-able but not at all runny. When the mixer stops and the paddle is lifted, the dough should form a 'v' shape hanging off of the paddle attachment.
Place the dough into a piping bag and pipe out a 1-2-inch circles. Remember they double-triple in size. Beat the egg for the egg wash and lightly brush each choux.
1 large egg room temperature, for egg wash
Remove the craquelin from the fridge and cut it into circles, the same size as the choux pastry. Place one circle on top of each choux, pressing only lightly so it sticks.
Place them in the oven and immediately turn the oven down to 375F (191C) and bake them for 25 minutes. Lower the oven to 325F (163C) and bake for another 15-20 minutes (depending on size) until golden brown. I like them crispy so I leave them in as long as possible to dry them out without burning.
Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool.
Meringue
Combine the sugar and egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer (a hand mixer works too).
150 grams granulated sugar, 3 large egg whites room temperature
Heat the egg and sugar mixture over a double boiler, whisking until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove the mixture from the double boiler and use a whisk attachment on medium-high speed to whip up the meringue until stiff peaks form (vanilla or flavoring can be added if desired).
Assemble
Once the choux pastry is fully cooled and the pastry cream is fully chilled they are ready to assemble.
Slice off a tiny little cap from each choux so you can see the inside (press all the sides down to make room for filling if necessary). Fill them about halfway full with pastry cream and then insert a slice of strawberry in the middle of each one. Pipe a round of meringue and top it with some more chunks of strawberries. Place the cap back on.
10 strawberries
Use a torch to brown the meringue if desired and frost it with a little powdered sugar.
