- Prep time 1 hour & 15 minutes
- Total time 2 hours & 15 minutes
- Portion size 12 servings
- Credits : Canadian Living Magazine: April 2023
Ingredients
Maple Craquelin:
Choux Pastry:
Maple Cream:
Method
Maple Craquelin
In bowl, using electric mixer on medium speed, beat flour with maple sugar and butter until mixture is smooth and forms ball. Shape dough into disc. Between parchment paper, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Set aside in refrigerator. (Make ahead: Can be refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to 3 months.)
Choux Pastry
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F. In saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water, the butter, sugar and salt to boil over medium heat, stirring until butter has melted. Remove saucepan from heat. Add flour all at once; stir vigorously with wooden spoon until mixture forms ball and film forms on bottom of pan. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Place batter in bowl; let cool for 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, stirring well with wooden spoon after each addition, until batter is smooth and shiny.
Spoon batter into piping bag fitted with round tip. Pipe 2-inch balls spaced 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. (Make-ahead: Can be frozen for up to 1 month.)
Using 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut shapes out of chilled craquelin dough. Place circle on top of each choux pastry ball. Bake until pastries are puffed up and golden brown (do not open oven door during baking). Place puffs on wire rack and let cool completely. (Make-ahead: Can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
Maple Cream
Place electric mixer beaters and large bowl in freezer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place gelatin in small microwaveable bowl. Add water and let stand for 5 minutes. Microwave on high, stirring once, until gelatin is dissolved, about 10 seconds.
In reserved cold bowl, using electric mixer and cold beaters, beat cream, maple syrup and extract on high speed until mixture begins to thicken. Reduce speed to low; beat in gelatin in thin stream. Beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form. (Make-ahead: Can be stored in airtight container and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
Using serrated knife, cut small circle out of top of puffs; discard. Using piping bag fitted with star tip, fill inside of puffs with Maple Cream. Continue piping cream in circle on top of puffs to form nests. When ready to serve, top cream nests with miniature chocolate eggs.
Test kitchen tip
Gelatin stabilizes the texture of whipped cream and prevents it from falling too quickly. This trick keeps our nests looking perfect. You can omit the gelatin to make a classic whipped cream but be sure to serve the nests quickly after assembly.
Did you know?
Placing the craquelin on the choux pastry before baking produces very round and crispy puffs. For a faster version, you can omit the craquelin. The puffs will be just as delicious, though slightly less uniform in shape.
Nutritional facts PER NEST
- Calories 265
- Total fat 17 g
- Saturated fat 10 g
- Cholesterol 75 mg
- Sodium 75 mg
- Total carbohydrate 25 g
- Fibre 0 g
- Sugars 17 g
- Protein 3 g
- Iron 0.9 mg
