Chouquettes

I'm not sure what it is with me lately, but French food is getting to me, maybe I want to get back to my roots? I'm not sure.

Chouquettes are cream puffs that have been rolled in pearl sugar before baking to give them a crisp, crunchy exterior. They’re not filled with cream of any kind, unlike regular cream puffs; they simply start out with the same choux pastry that cream puffs do.

This really was not a difficult recipe to make, I was in the kitchen for a little while, but ONLY because of how sticky this dough was so I had to keep washing my hands, it's horrible I know. I had never heard about these before I made the recipe, so I didn't know what I was getting myself into for taste, other than looking at the recipe and deliberating on what the outcome in taste would be. They ended up coming out, light (with a hollow centre which I LOVE LOVE LOVE), eggy, but also a really sweet crunch. You definitely want to eat as many as you can when they come out of the oven because this is when they are at their best. Boyfriend put them in his mouth and the first thing he said was "these are the BEST thing's you have ever made". That meant a lot, especially considering he shovelled those macarons in one after the other. We also decided to spread nutella on the top of some of them, oh did that ever hit the spot!

If it's a rainy day for you, like it was for me yesterday (and today) this is definitely a recipe that will make everything better. As I've mentioned before, if you don't believe me try it out for yourself, I DEFINITELY DEFINITELY say that for this recipe!!!!!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup milk I used vanilla fortified soy milk, which probably made it even sweeter than it should have been, but was definitely worth it
  
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 1/2 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup pearl sugar (or other very coarse sugar such as sanding)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

Combine milk, water, butter, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until dough comes together in a ball. Continue to cook, stirring continuously, for one additional minute.

Transfer dough to mixer or clean bowl and let mix at a low speed for 2-3 minutes until slightly cooled. Beat eggs in eggs one at a time, waiting until each egg is fully incorporated to add the next one. Increase mixer speed to medium-high for 1 minute to ensure that batter is very smooth.

Using a spoon, form the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each in the pearl sugar, then place onto prepared baking sheet.

Bake for about 18-22 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 20 chouquettes (made 25 for me)

Enjoy!