Chouquettes (French Sugar Puffs)

Discover this unbeatable chouquette recipe for authentic French pastry sugar puffs - chouquettes - that disappear in no time straight from the oven. Sixty choux puffs with pearl sugar on top made in 45 minutes are what you need right now.

Nothing beats the easiest and delicious French sugar puffs - chouquettes.

Forty-five minutes of your precious time and a few ingredients reward you with 60 baked chouquette pastry cuties sprinkled with Belgian pearl sugar.

Add 10 to 20 minutes to finish them off (yes, they do not last long!), and you will be planning to make another batch again!

Chouquettes are one of our family's favorite French snacks, as well as Gruyere cheese puffs.

They are both made with choux pastry (pâte à choux in French), with the only difference that chouquettes are sweet and cheese puffs are salty.

In France, most pâtisserie sell freshly baked les chouquettes, which are the best example of an afternoon snack called le goûter in French.

For Parisians, chouquettes, financiers, and madeleines also are an excellent accompaniment for afternoon tea or coffee.

What are chouquettes?

Chouquettes (pronounced shoo-kets) are French pastry sugar puffs made with choux pastry (pâte à choux or being precise pâte à chouquettes in French) and sprinkled with pearl sugar.

"Pâte à choux, or choux pastry, is the Madonna of doughs," as per Serious Eats.

Chouquettes are the simplest member of the choux pastry family – cream puffs, eclairs, profiteroles, Paris-Brest, religieuses, and Saint Honorés.

The dough used to make these French pastry puffs is the same as making Heart-Shaped Cream Puff Dessert and Gruyere Cheese Puffs (Gougeres).

Chouquette recipe variations

Classic French chouquettes are topped with pearl sugar, which is small chunks of refined white sugar. That is why they are often called choux puffs with pearl sugar.

Another popular topping for chouquettes is chocolate chips: press them into puffs before baking.

Crushed nuts (hazelnuts, pistachios, etc.) combined with chocolate chips add crunch to French puffs.

Sprinkle chouquettes with confetti candy sprinkles and give them a festive look.

Or use crushed Pink Praline on top of choux puffs for the romantic touch.

Top them with the caramelized popcorn and pearl sugar to create a new taste and texture. 

Or add grated marzipan, orange flower water, orange zest, and sprinkle choux puffs with flaked almonds to make Marzipan Chouquettes.

To make some twist on classic chouquettes, dunk the cooled puffs in a lemon glaze and then into the sweetened shredded coconut.

Or dip the top of each la petite chouquette in the caramel, then in the toasted pine nuts.

Traditionally, pipe choux pastry using Ateco plain tip 804 or your favorite tip to give chouquette pastry playful variations.

Let chouquettes cool down after baking and sprinkle them with powdered (icing) sugar if you prefer this simplest way of decoration.

Pearl sugar

Pearl sugar (also nib sugar, hail sugar, crystal sugar, and coarse sugar) is a hard, opaque white sugar that survives high oven temperatures due to its high melting point.

It gives baked goodies their signature crystal appearance and lovely sweet crunch.

Pearl sugar is usually sold in two sizes: Belgian pearl sugar with large compressed sugar crystals and Swedish pearl sugar with smaller sugar particles.

You can find pearl sugar at your local supermarket, exclusive baking supply shop, or buy it at King Arthur or Amazon.

To replace pearl sugar, you can crush sugar cubes into coarse chunks and use those. Also, please, read about What’s A Good Pearl Sugar Substitute.

How to serve chouquettes

Serve these sugar pastry puffs on their own as a snack or accompany a cup of tea or coffee.

You can also upgrade them to French cream puffs by filling them with whipped cream or French pastry cream.

Why you should try this recipe

1. These sugar puffs make a delightful snack between lunchtime and dinner and a perfect pick-me-up in the afternoon.
2. It is one of the best baking projects to do with kids. Yes, they love to sprinkle choux puffs with pearl sugar; they love to eat chouquettes because of these sugar grains.
3. Chouquettes make a great edible gift during the holidays. And they do not need to be packed fancy: a little paper bag holding about 10 of them is what your friends need.
4. This chouquette recipe is proof of how easy to make French pastries: the recipe calls for a few ingredients you probably have on hand. The only thing you will need to buy is pearl sugar.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for detailed amounts and instructions. I recommend making this recipe as written for the best results. 

Water, granulated sugar, salt.

All-purpose flour: always sift flour with a flour sifter while baking.

Butter: use top-quality unsalted butter with a high butterfat content.

Eggs: use large eggs for this recipe.

Pearl sugar: use store-bought Swedish pearl sugar. You can also use Belgian pearl sugar by processing it in a food processor for a few seconds. You need to obtain smaller sugar crystals to cover choux mounds. If you cannot find pearl sugar, you make it yourself.

1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon of water or milk to make the egg wash.

How to make chouquettes

Preheat the oven to 355 F/180 C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or prepare a silicone baking mat.

Place water, butter, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan (photo 1) and bring to boil, stirring, until the butter is melted.

Remove from heat and add all the flour at once. Stir with a wooden spatula until the mixture is smooth.

Bring the saucepan on the heat and "dry the dough off," continually stirring until it pulls away from the sides of the pan (photo 2).

Remove the saucepan from heat and let the choux pastry dough cool for about 2 to 5 minutes.

Place it in a stand mixer or a regular large bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until the dough is smooth and shiny (photo 3). If you beat in eggs manually, use a wooden spoon.

Transfer the pate a choux into a pastry bag fitted with Ateco plain tip 804 and pipe choux buns on parchment, evenly spacing them out (photo 4).

Brush the top of each mound with the egg wash (one egg yolk combined with one tablespoon of water or milk).

Sprinkle and press pearl sugar over the top and sides of each mound (photo 5).

Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes until the puffs are golden brown (photo 6). Let cool on a wire rack.

Expert tips

1. Pipe choux mounds with a pastry bag and a plain tip to get them uniform, although you can shape them using two spoons or a small cookie scoop.
2. Use your fingertip to apply the egg wash and slightly smooth the tops of piped choux buns instead of brushing them off.
3. Bake one baking sheet at a time for even baking if you prefer.
4. To increase the crispiness of puffs, poke a hole in the side or bottom with a sharp knife right after taking them out of the oven: let the steam escape.

Frequently asked question

Love teatime cakes? Try these next!

• Classic French Madeleines
• Blackberry Friands
• French Financiers
• Browse all the Cake Recipes

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Recipe

The recipe was originally published in 2018. It has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator and is intended for informational purposes only and should be used as a general guideline. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should independently verify it using your preferred tool. Please, read the disclaimers in our Privacy Policy.