Craquelin (sweet cracker dough)


Craquelin (sweet cracker dough)
This sweet cracker dough ("craquelin" in French) is a very simple mixture: equal parts of flour, butter and light brown sugar. It is simlilar to a shortbread dough and can be rolled out very thinly and cut into any shape as desired. Craquelin is mostly used (though not exclusively) on top of choux pastry (pâte à choux) to give a more attractive and regular result, with eclairs, for example, and gives them a delicious crisp crust on the top.

This is very much the current trend in French patisserie: less icing, at least on choux pastries, and more use of "craquelin". The pastries lose a bit of colour, but are less sweet and are crisper.
118 K 3.8/5 (10 reviews)
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Last modified on: February 10th 2019
For 150 g, you will need:
  • 1 flour 50 g flour
  • 2 brown sugar 50 g brown sugar
  • 3 butter 50 g butter
  • Total weight: 150 grams

Change these quantities to make:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 25 min.
Resting: 30 min.
All in all: 55 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
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Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - 5 min.
Craquelin (sweet cracker dough)
Put into a mixer bowl: 50 g flour, 50 g brown sugar and 50 g butter, cut into small pieces.

Stage 2 - 5 min.
Craquelin (sweet cracker dough)
Knead on medium speed until the dough is evenly mixed.

Stage 3 - 3 min.
Craquelin (sweet cracker dough)
Gather the dough into a flat cake and pat this out with your hand on a sheet of plastic film and cooking papers (very important, as the craqulelin dough tends to stick easily).

Stage 4 - 30 min.
Craquelin (sweet cracker dough)
Lay a second sheet of cooking parchment over the top, then roll out thinly with a rolling pin to about 1/8 of an inch (2 or 3 mm) maximum.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Stage 5 - 3 min.
Craquelin (sweet cracker dough)
After this time, lay the dough on the worktop and gently remove the top sheet of paper.

Dust the dough with a little flour.

Stage 6 - 3 min.
Craquelin (sweet cracker dough)
Turn the dough over onto the floured side, then gently remove the other sheet of paper.

Your craquelin is now ready for cutting out.

Stage 7 - 5 min.
Craquelin (sweet cracker dough)
Use cutters to cut out any shapes you want. Here I'm cutting small circles to use on choux puffs.

Stage 8
Craquelin (sweet cracker dough)
Sit a circle of caquelin on each mound of choux, put in the oven immediately and bake as usual.

Stage 9
Craquelin (sweet cracker dough)
When they come out of the oven, you will see how lovely and regular your choux puffs are when topped with craqulin.
Remarks
If you use softened butter, which has been out of the fridge for at least an hour, you will find the mixing at stage 2 far easier and quicker.

This recipe does not call for salted butter, but it is fine to use it if that's all you have to hand.
Keeping: 1 or 2 days in the fridge, covered with plastic film.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe4 RDI=2 %90 RDI=8 %40 RDI=6 %750 RDI=40 %3,140 RDI: 40 %
Per 100 g3 RDI=1 %60 RDI=5 %30 RDI=4 %500 RDI=30 %2,090 RDI: 30 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man
Possible allergens in this recipe: Gluten, milk
How much will it cost?
  • For 150 g : 0.50 €

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Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipe
Choux pastry (pâte à choux)
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Choux pastry is used for making profiteroles, eclairs and other small pastries.
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Galette de Fougerolles
Galette de Fougerolles

This Galette de Fougerolles is a flattish cake filled with a hazelnut buttercream and topped just before baking with a "craquelin" (sweet cracker) crust, studded with griottine cherries.
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Mini Mont-Blanc choux puffs
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These mini choux puffs are topped with a layer of craquelin and filled with Mont-Blanc cream: a mixture of whipped cream and sweetened chestnut purée.
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