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.
102K 3.8/5 based on 10 reviews
Grade this recipe:

Last modified on: February 10th 2019

Keywords for this recipe:
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: 24 min.
Resting: 30 min.
All in all: 54 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

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 2 %90 8 %40 6 %750 40 %3,140 40 %
Per 100 g3 1 %60 5 %30 4 %500 30 %2,090 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 €

Change currency:

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
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.
41K 3 hours 21 min.
Choux pastry (pâte à choux)
Choux pastry (pâte à choux)

Choux pastry is used for making profiteroles, eclairs and other small pastries.
526K4.5 1 hour 4 min.
Mini Mont-Blanc choux puffs
Mini Mont-Blanc choux puffs

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.
54K 1 hour 43 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Other recipes you may also like
Finger biscuits
Finger biscuits
These small biscuits, that look a bit like savoy biscuits, are delicious alone or with Champagne, but are also the base for charlottes or Tiramisu.
July 30th 2021335K5 50 min.
Lime confectioner's custard (pastry cream)
Lime confectioner's custard (pastry cream)
Taking its inspiration from lemon confectioner's custard, this version has a distinctive lime flavour. Both juice and zest are used to combine the juice's slight acidity with a hint of bitterness from the zest.
July 21th 201994K3.5 56 min.
Chestnut cake
Chestnut cake
This delightful cake is doubly chestnutty: it contains chestnut flour, and sweet chestnut purée.
May 8th 2020327K5 1 hour 13 min.
Fruit crumble
Fruit crumble
A fruit pudding: very easy to do and delicious: just a layer of fruit with a golden crunchy topping.
February 21th 2011351K4.0 1 hour 11 min.
How to cook Morteau sausage well
How to cook Morteau sausage well
This is, in my opinion, the best smoked sausage. You can cook it in a number of ways, here are three of the best known.
November 15th 20182.7M 23.4 40 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com

Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2024-09-22)

*Your e-mail Your first name or nickname
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Posted by:
I am not a leaving thing
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.

Back to top of page