Strawberry Nutella Cream Puffs Recipe
The perfect Valentine's Day cream puffs filled with Nutella pastry cream, strawberries, and topped with meringue!
Ingredients
Pastry Cream
- 3 large egg yolks room temperature
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (40g) cornstarch
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (180mL) milk
- 1 1/2 cup (360mL) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (250g) Nutella
- 10 strawberries
Craquelin (Chocolate Cookie on Choux Pastry)
- 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1/2 cup (65g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 2 Tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder spooned and leveled
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter softened
Choux Pastry
- 1 cup (240mL) water
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4-6 large eggs room temperature
- 1 large egg room temperature, for egg wash
Meringue
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites room temperature
Instructions
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, 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar, 1/3 cup (40g) cornstarch, 1/8 tsp salt, 3/4 cup (180mL) milk
- In a medium saucepan, heat the rest of the milk and cream, whisking constantly and remove just before boiling.1 1/2 cup (360mL) 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.1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (250g) Nutella
- 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.1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar, 1/2 cup (65g) all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder, 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter
- 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.1 cup (240mL) water, 1/2 cup (115g) 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).1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour, 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
- 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
- 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).3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar, 3 large egg whites
- 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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 183kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 3gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 54mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11g
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