Chouquettes

Date Completed: 3/13/2026

Book: French Pastry Made Simple by Molly Wilkinson

Chapter: Pâte À Choux: The Multipurpose Dough!

Overall Score: 8/12

Recommended? I’ve been watching people make choux pastry on TV for years, from British Bakeoff to Kids Baking Championship. Anytime I have seen a kid baker making it, I’ve kicked myself for being intimidated. Still, “make choux pastry” was an unfinished square on my 2025 bingo card. Even though I never worked up the nerve in 365 days of 2025, I went ahead and placed it in my 2026 bingo card. And, today, I did it! And, once again, it was way easier than I built it up to be in my head! I definitely made it as easy on myself as possible by selecting the chouquettes. How so? Since they’re unfilled, I kept my focus solely on the choux!

Process Report:

Process Score: 2 - Quite Involved

We’re making French pastry, so let’s see how many French cooking terms I can use in this write-up. A few hours in advance, I did my mise en place. Waiting for it all to reach room temperature gave me time to source the pearl sugar, a crunchy, non-melting sugar that I needed to top my chouquettes.

I found it at a local baking supply store and accidentally scandalized the owner by suggesting I would put it in the food processor to break up the larger-than-expected chunks. She thought I intended to pulverize it back into regular sugar granules, which, I agree, would have been scandalous. She suggested giving it a few gentle taps with a meat mallet, so I promised to do that instead.

bec d’oiseau

Back in the kitchen, I added most of the ingredients to a saucepan to bring to a boil: water, milk, butter, and small amounts of sugar and salt. Once boiling, I added flour and stirred with a wooden spoon. I tried to remember all the tips I’d picked up from my shows!

I transferred the dough to my stand mixer and beat it on low until it cooled. Then, I began mixing in the eggs one at a time. After the first three eggs, the instructions guided me to check for the bec d’oiseau in between each new addition. This is a test during which you pick up the dough with your spatula and let it slide off the side. You want it to fall after just a few seconds. And, you want the breaking point left on the spatula after the dough falls away to look like a bird’s beak. Since the amount of eggs required to get to this point varies based on factors like flour and humidity, you have to keep checking!

Once my bec d’oiseau passed muster (at least to my untrained eye), I transferred it to a piping bag and piped it onto the macaron mats I bought earlier this year. It worked perfectly as a guide for my little choux piles. I sprinkled the pearl sugar atop each and got them into the oven.

It was important to let them bake the full duration without opening the oven door and letting the all-important steam seep out.

So I waited patiently and only checked through the window to watch them turn golden brown.

I admit that my heart swelled with pride when I peeked in to see that the choux had puffed up! The final test was to pick one up and see if it felt hollow.

Taste Report:

Taste Score: 2 - So Good

They’re definitely a casual choux pastry! No fancy fillings in sight. Molly mentioned that these are a snack she likes to pick up at her local boulangerie. Now that I’m in the know about chouquettes, I would do the same. They are delightful as a snack! I’m just missing a local boulangerie, so I’ll have to be my own snack supplier!

I could eat them in two bites and noticed two textures: crispy and chewy. They had a prominent eggy aroma and taste. The pearl sugar added a hint of sweetness to each bite. Experientially, eating the first one surprised me because I forgot that it was going to be hollow. Somehow, that only added to the delight! A cream-less cream puff!

The cookbook has lots of suggestions for fillings. Now that I have one round of choux experience, I have my eye on the profiteroles. Adding ice cream and chocolate sauce feels like the right move!

Mess Report:

Mess Score: 2 - Moderate

I think the photo says it all: the meat mallet, the egg shells, the squeezed-out piping bag, and the trays of choux scattered about.

This was post-photoshoot, too!

Leftover Report:

Leftover Score: 2 - Flexible

The recipe notes that chouquettes are best eaten on the same day, but I’m going to experiment with freezing them. I think it will be fine!

All thanks to G for the lovely photos! I was happy to bake him up a reason to practice with his fancy new camera. Consider the “make choux pastry” bingo square officially daubed!

Love, Paula KS

More from French Pastry Made Simple:

• Génoise et Joconde: Rolled or Layered Sponge Cake: Bûche de Noël