Apple Pie Choux au craquelin

This Apple Pie Choux au craquelin (crispy cream puff) is the perfect combination of American Apple pie and French Choux pastry, a showstopper dessert that will be the start this Fall! I love how the crispy Choux au craquelin bonds with the creamy homemade Apple pie filling while the whipped mascarpone on top balances the flavors. Its delicate texture and delicious flavor will certainly impress everyone, try it!

Jump to:

• 📝 Ingredient notes
• 👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe
• 🍰 More Choux pastry recipes
• Apple Pie Choux au craquelin

📝 Ingredient notes

For the Choux buns (crispy cream puff)

1. Milk: Whole milk is the best, definitely avoid using milk substitutes for this recipe unless you are aware of how to reformulate the recipe
2. Sugar: This choux dough is made using granulated sugar. While heating the mixture up make sure sugar fully dissolves. If you want to learn about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking, please read my  sugar guide
3. Water: The milk-water ratio in this Pâte à choux recipe is 50-50%. If you are more experienced, feel free to play around with different ratios
4. Salt: An essential ingredient in most of dessert recipes. Salt balances the flavor and enhances other ingredients, in the choux pastry recipe it also contributes to the right texture
5. Butter: Use always unsalted as you want to be in control of the quantity of the salt. I am using 82% fat content butter in all my recipes.
6. Flour: Make sure to use high protein content bread flour to achieve that lovely huge air pocket. I am using a 12% protein content flour, and get very poor results with low protein pastry flour. If you want to be a Pro when it comes to deciding what type of flour to use in your baking, please read my flour guide
7. Egg: Room temperature as always. I will have special notes on the quantity of the egg at a later stage of this recipe
8. Sugar: Many recipes use light brown sugar for the craquelin layer, however, I recommend cane sugar for the signature velvet texture.
9. Flour: Simple all purpose flour works perfectly fine for the craquelin
10. Butter: Unsalted room temperature butter is the best for craquelin

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

For the homemade apple pie filling

1. Apple: Almost any apple can work to make the filling of this Apple Pie Choux au craquelin recipe
2. Lemon juice: Lemon juice and its acidity is balancing the flavors in the Apple pie filling, you will need freshly squeezed juice of one lemon
3. Sugar: Use either granulated or brown sugar. Brown sugar gives more molasses flavor, while the benefit of granulated sugar is that it keeps the filling light in color
4. Spice:  You are absolutely free to use your favorite spices eg. cinnamon, cardamon, vanilla bean, pumpkin spice. I decided to go with cinnamon this time but feel free to experiment

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

For the whipped mascarpone frosting

1. Mascarpone: Very rich Italian cream cheese, exceptionally smooth and easy to spread or whip. The flavor is milky and slightly sweet.  Use at room temperature.
2. Heavy cream: Also known as whipping cream, has a fat content of between 36% and 40%, the one I am using is 36%. Use it very cold and do not substitute with vegetable-based “whipping cream”
3. Powdered sugar: Powdered sugar or icing sugar is the first choice when it comes to whipping up the frosting. The question I often get is whether the quantity is a typo. NO, it´s not! You do not actually need a lot of sugar when making cupcake frosting! It stays beautifully fluffy without tons of sugar, the secret is the technique of whipping, not the amount of sugar

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe

I have a very detailed tutorial choux au craquelin tutorial that contains tons of useful information about the choux dough, how to pipe it, how to bake it, what equipment is needed etc., I even have a Troubleshooting guide in case something goes wrong. Please make sure you read that recipe first.

1. How to prepare the choux buns

For making any choux pastry whether it is Paris-Brest, eclair, or this choux bun, you have to start with a cooked dough.

• Heat butter, milk, water, sugar and salt mixture until simmering
• Remove the mixture from the heat, and add the flour in one go the whisk vigorously
• Place the mixture back on the stove and cook the dough (the so-called panade) for a few minutes (2-3minutes) over medium heat mixing constantly
• The cooking process of the panade is ready when some moisture evaporates from the dough and by then there should be a thin skin formed on the bottom of the saucepan
• Remove the mixture from the stove, let is slightly come to room temperature, then start mixing the egg in slowly while the mixer is on
• Then, move dough into a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle top and pipe 20 identical buns on a baking sheet or perforated baking mat

💡 Top Tip: Apply the “V test”: the dough is ready when it slowly falls down from the paddle attachment in a V shape. Slowly is key here, it should not be too runny, or you might find it difficult to pipe

2. How to make the craquelin disk

The craquelin recipes consist of only 3 ingredients (butter, sugar, flour), however, it might take some practice to learn how to utilize the temperature for our benefit.

• Cream room temp butter and sugar together then add the flour.  If the mixture is too soft place it into the freezer for a few minutes for the butter to harden a bit.
• When the craquelin dough hardens a bit, roll it out between two silicone baking mats into 2 mm thick then place the rolled-out sheet into the freezer with silicone mats on it for minimum of an hour
• Take the craquelin sheet out from the freezer and with the help of a cookie cutter cut out 20 circles
• Take the choux buns out of the freezer and place one craquelin disk on each of them.
• Pop the tray with the choux buns back into the freezer for 15 min

💡 Top Tip: The craquelin disk should be slightly larger in diameter than the choux buns you piped

3. How to bake

I bake the choux buns for 40 minutes at 170C / 338F (no fan), but you need to test and try your own oven.

Overall, I suggest starting with my baking suggestions however each oven is different, you have to find what works best for you.

💡 Top Tip: It is a good idea to take one out at 40 min, and wait for a minute to see whether they collapse, if not, very likely that they are well baked.

4. How to make whipped mascarpone

Using the right ingredients at the right temperature is extremely important while making whipped cream cupcake frosting.

1. for the mascarpone, use the full-fat version (41%+) 2. heave creamy needs to be very cold (pop it into the freezer for a few minutes before using it) and again, full-fat version so anywhere between 36-40% 3. icing sugar has to be sifted to avoid lumps 4. do not over whip the mixture

Once you are happy with the consistency of your frosting, move frosting into a piping bag fitted with your favorite nozzle tip, the one I am using is Wilton 1M piping nozzle tip to decorate these lovely Apple Pie Choux au craquelin desserts.

💡 Top Tip: If you do not have heavy, the recipe also works with full fat cream cheese eg. Philadephia.

5. How to make homemade apple pie filling

Making apple pie filling could not be easier, it literally comes together in less than 10 minutes!

1. Peel and cut apples into small identical chunks
2. In a saucepan, mix apple pieces with brown sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and your chosen spice(s), and cook the mixture over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the apple pieces are slightly cooked and some water evaporates from the mixture
3. The cooking time largely depends on your stove, saucepan, and type of apples you use. Please check the apple consistency and do not stick to the 5 minutes mark, do overcook your apple filling.

💡 Top Tip: Cool the apple filling to room temperature before filling the choux buns

6. How to assemble

I recommend making the choux buns first then while they are in the oven, prepare the Apple Pie filling. Once choux buns and also the Apple Pie filling is at room temp, prepare the whipped mascarpone frosting as per instructions.

1. Cut the top of each choux bun
2. Fill choux buns with the Apple Pie filling
3. Prepare the whipped mascarpone frosting as per instructions and pipe on top of each choux bun, I am using Wilton 1M piping nozzle tip
4. Decorate the cupcakes with some further Apple pie filling in the middle of the frosting

💡 Top Tip: They must be filled straight before serving as the filling quickly soften the choux buns

🍰 More Choux pastry recipes