Chouquettes are small round pastries sprinkled with pearl sugar. They’re often eaten in France as an afternoon snack. You can fill them with custard to make cream puffs. These airy pastries are pretty cool, because they puff up without any kind of rising agent. Apparently the high water content makes steam when baking, which is all that’s needed. It is pretty satisfying to pipe a small dollop and see it rise into an airy Chouquette. I add cinnamon to mine. When I’ve brought them to parties, people are always saying, “Oh I’ll have another – they’re mostly air, right?”.

Guessipe

• 1 cup water
• 6 TBSP butter
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup flour
• 4 large eggs

Topping

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp milk
• pearl sugar
• cinnamon

Heat the water, butter, sugar, and salt until the butter is melted.

Remove from heat and dump in all the flour.

Put back on the heat and stir rapidly until the mixture is smooth.

Let cool for a few minutes, then beat in eggs one at a time.

Use a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain tip to pipe 1 1/2-inch dollops onto parchment-lined baking sheet.

Mix together the egg yolk and milk.

Brush each of the Chouquettes with egg wash, then sprinkle with cinnamon and press pearl sugar on the top and sides. Be generous with the pearl sugar – it will spread when the Chouquettes rise.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.