I’m not sure when craquelin, the cookie-top for cream puffs or éclairs or any other kind of pastry made with pâte à choux, became popular, but it’s a relatively new addition to CreamPuffLand and a wonderful one. It’s essentially a buttery, brown sugar, streuselish cookie dough that’s placed on top of a pâte à choux pastry before it’s baked. In the oven, it melts and forms a crisp, crackly, lacy blanket over the pastry. It’s naturally beautiful (you don’t have to fuss to make it pretty). It adds sweetness, a good thing with a dessert puff. And it adds texture — its crackle is a surprise against the puff’s softness.
When I first saw craquelin-topped cream puffs in a Paris patisserie, I assumed that making them was beyond the reach of ordinary mortals. I can’t even describe how elated I was when I discovered that it’s easier to make craquelin than it is to make a Toll House Cookie.
