When Choux meets pastry wonderful things happen: these Raspberry and Rose Chouxnuts are filled with a delicate Raspberry and Rose Creme Patisserie and topped with a rose pink sugar glaze.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE?
The ultimate baked good unity | Chouxnuts are the perfect combination of two of our favourite bakes; doughnuts and eclairs. From the delicious choux pastry, the smooth crème patissière filling, and the doughnut sugar glaze, it really is the best of both worlds combined.
Fresh and floral flavours | Raspberry and Rose are a classic French combination that work so well together. On it’s own rose can be quite strong and soapy, but when paired with a sweet, tart raspberry the flavour becomes subtle as the the sweetness of the raspberry cuts through
Fun and creative | If you love trying new things in the kitchen then Chouxnuts are a bake to have fun with. Your flavour options are literally endless and the doughnut shapes make them so fun to eat and share with friends and family.
WHAT IS A CHOUXNUT?
Quite simply, a chouxnut nut is a doughnut shaped eclair filled with crème patissière.
They are made in the exact same way as any regular eclair, it’s only the shape that makes the difference. Eclair lovers will be thrilled too as the larger space means more area for filling!
Traditionally an choux pastry eclair would be filled with crème patissière however as this is also a doughnut you could fill it with a raspberry jam instead which would be equally divine!
MAKING A RASPBERRY AND ROSE CRÈME PATISSIÈRE
A crème patissière, otherwise known as a pastry cream, is a delicious and rich thickened custard which is used for most French patisserie and can be used in a variety of different desserts.
It sounds fancy pants but it’s actually really very simple to make and if you have it within your baking repertoire then you’ve got one huge part of French baking nailed.
The key base ingredients are eggs, milk, sugar, flour or cornflour, vanilla and butter. What you then choose to add to enhance it is your choice but just be mindful not to add to much additional liquid as this will alter the consistency.
This recipe is adding additional ingredients to make a beautiful and delicate raspberry and rose creme patisserie. To get the raspberry flavour you can use fresh raspberries but they hold a lot of moisture so instead this recipe uses freeze dried raspberries which are mixed in with the milk at the beginning and heated until boiling.
The eggs, sugar and cornflour or flour are mixed together in a large bowl, then the heated raspberry milk is added gradually a bit at time and the mixture is whisked continuously. The mixture is then returned to a pan and heated gently whilst being whisked until it thickens
When it’s thick enough, it can be passed through a sieve to remove any unwanted lumps and then covered cling film until it cools to prevent it forming a skin. Once fully cool it can be flavoured with the beautiful flavour of rose which I get from an Rose Water extract by Nielsen Massey.
If you want to use fresh raspberries then they can be simply mashed down and mixed through with the egg, sugar and cornflour mixture. Just be mindful that the mixture will be a little looser than without fresh raspberries.
TOOLS YOU WILL NEED
Wooden Spoon and Whisk | One of the main parts of the method of choux pastry is beating the eggs flour and butter together in a pan with a wooden spoon. Using a whisk for this might create too much air in the mixture so it’s important to use a wooden spoon only for this part. The whisk is required for the crème patissière to ensure there are no lumps.
Piping Bags | To get the perfect chouxnut shape the pastry must be piped through a piping bag. You can use any type of piping bag for this but as there is a lot of mixture I like to use a heavy duty large piping bag so I don’t need to refill the bag half way through.
Round Tip Nozzle | When it comes to nozzles you can opt for a few different styles which will give a different effect once piped. Open and closed star nozzles are popular if you want a groves and texture on your chouxnut, but I like to go with a plain round tip nozzle for a smooth finish.
Filler Nozzle (optional) | This tool is optional but it makes filling the chouxnuts a lot easier. The long tip means it can be inserted deep and fill the chouxnut with ease very little mess.
Flat Baking Tray | You’ll need at least two of these as there will be about 6-8 chouxnuts piped on each tray with space between them as they will expand and puff up when baked.
Baking Paper | Non-stick baking paper is essential as these will stick to the baking tray or any other surface they are baked on. Silicone liners are equally as good as baking paper but please do not use greaseproof paper as this is not non-stick.
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I would love it if you tagged me @mykitchendrawer on Instagram if you make these Raspberry and Rose Chouxnuts. It’s the biggest honour to see my recipes come to life in your kitchen and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to drop me a message. Happy baking!
Raspberry and Rose Chouxnuts
Ingredients
For the chouxnuts
- 120 g butter
- 250 ml water
- 150 g plain flour
- 1 tsp Rose Water extract
- 4 eggs
For the raspberry and rose crème patissière
- 400 ml full-fat milk
- 2 tbsp freeze-dried raspberries crushed
- 100 g caster sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 40 g cornflour
- 40 g butter cubed
- 1 tsp rose water extract
For the pink sugar glaze
- 100 g icing sugar
- 3-4 tbsp milk
- pink food colouring
- Freeze dried raspberry optional
- Dried rose leaves optional
Instructions
For the chouxnuts
- Preheat the oven to 200°C and line two baking trays with baking paper and draw out six 3 inch circles on each spaced around 2 inches apart
- Heat the butter and water together in a 20cm (8in.) saucepan until the mixture begins to boil.
- Remove from the heat, then beat in the flour all at once with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together and peels away from the pan.
- Add the rose water extract and then the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition, until the dough is elastic and shiny.
- Fit a piping bag with a round-tip nozzle and fill it with the dough, then pipe 5-7cm (3inch) diameter rings on to the prepared baking trays.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden and they sound hollow when tapped, then switch off the oven, propping open the door with a wooden spoon to let the pastry dry out for a few more minutes.
- Remove from the oven, then allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Once cool, the pastries can be kept at room temperature for up to one week in an airtight container or you can freeze them for up to 1 month.
For the crème patissière:
- Pour the milk and crushed freeze dried raspberry into a pan and bring the mixture to the boil. Once it begins boiling, remove it from the heat.
- Whisk the sugar, egg yolks and cornflour together in a large bowl, then pour a little of the hot milk over the egg mixture and whisk continuously.
- Continue with the rest of the hot milk until well combined, then return to the pan.
- Over a gentle heat, stir the mixture continuously for a few minutes until it thickens and just starts to boil, then remove from the heat and pass it through a sieve into a clean bowl.
- Add the butter to the mixture and stir until melted, then fold through the rose water extract and leave to cool.
- When ready, spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a filler nozzle.
- Make a small hole in each of the chouxnuts then insert the filler nozzle and fill them with the desired amount of crème patissière, being careful not to overfill or they’ll burst.
For the rose sugar glaze
- Add the icing sugar to a medium bowl then mix through the milk until you have a mixture the consistency of PVA glue and coats the back of a spoon . You want it runny enough for it to coat the chouxnut easily but not too watery.
- Add the pink food colouring to give a soft pink tone and mix it through well.
- Dip one flat side of each of the chouxnuts into the pink icing, then sprinkle over some freeze dried raspberries and dried rose leaves.
- These are best eaten fresh on the day so serve immediately.
