These chocolate choux are light, crisp, and deeply cocoa-flavored with a crackly cocoa craquelin top. The shells bake up hollow and airy inside, with that beautiful crisp exterior that makes them perfect for filling with pastry cream, whipped ganache, mascarpone cream, or anything creamy and rich.

The craquelin gives them a clean bakery-style finish and helps the choux bake into a more even, rounded shape.

Highlights Of This Recipe

Deeply Rich Flavor: Infused with high-quality cocoa powder and a touch of honey for a perfectly balanced chocolate profile.
Bakery-Style Finish: The cocoa craquelin creates a beautiful, uniform, crackled texture that ensures an even, rounded shape.
Airy and Crisp Texture: Perfectly formulated to rise into light, hollow shells with a distinct crisp exterior that holds up beautifully against rich fillings.
Versatile Canvas: A gorgeous foundation ready to be paired with everything from classic pastry cream to whipped ganache and hazelnut praline.

Essential Prep for Success

Measure Accurately: For the best results, use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients in grams rather than volume.
Temperature Control: Ensure your unsalted butter for the craquelin is at room temperature so it creams smoothly, while your eggs for the choux should be at room temperature to incorporate easily into the warm paste.
Chill the Craquelin: Keep the rolled craquelin dough completely cold in the fridge or freezer right up until the moment you place the cut rounds onto the piped choux.
Prepare the Piping Bag: Set up your piping bag with a medium or large round tip before you finish making the choux dough so you can pipe it while it's fresh and warm.

Secrets for the Perfect Chocolate Choux With Cocoa Craquelin

Watch the Pan Film: When cooking the flour and cocoa mixture on the stovetop, wait until a thin film forms on the bottom of the pan and the dough pulls away cleanly from the sides. This ensures the flour is cooked and the right amount of moisture has evaporated.
The "V" Test: Don't just dump all the eggs in at once. Add them one at a time, checking the consistency frequently. The dough is ready when it is smooth and glossy, and forms a slow-falling "V" shape when lifted off the paddle attachment.
No Peeking: Avoid opening the oven door during the initial 15 minutes of baking. A sudden drop in temperature can cause the expanding steam inside the choux to escape, leading the shells to collapse.
The Dry-Out Phase: Cracking the oven door open at the end of baking allows the trapped moisture to escape, ensuring the interiors of your chocolate choux stay hollow and the exteriors stay wonderfully crisp.

Yield: Approximately 12–15 choux shells (depending on piping size)

Cocoa Craquelin

Ingredients

85 g unsalted butter, room temperature
105 g granulated sugar
15 g cocoa powder
90 g all-purpose flour

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and flour.
Cream together with the paddle attachment. The mixture will look crumbly at first, but it will eventually come together into a soft dough.
If needed, gently knead it by hand until smooth.
Roll the craquelin dough between two sheets of parchment paper until thin and even.
Chill in the fridge for about 1 hour, or until firm.
Once chilled, cut into 2–2.5 inch rounds.
Keep the craquelin rounds cold until ready to place on top of the piped choux.

Chocolate Choux Pastry

Ingredients

75 g unsalted butter
1 tsp honey
85 g water
85 g whole milk
90 g all-purpose flour
20 g cocoa powder
3 g salt
4 g granulated sugar
3 large eggs

Make the Chocolate Choux

Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa powder. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, honey, water, milk, salt, and sugar.
Place over medium heat and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. The butter should be fully melted.
Once boiling, remove from the heat and add the flour-cocoa mixture all at once.
Stir immediately with a spatula until a thick dough forms.
Return the pan to medium-low heat and cook the dough for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly. The dough should pull away from the sides of the pan and leave a light film on the bottom.
Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Mix on low for a few minutes to cool the dough slightly. It should be warm, not hot, before adding the eggs.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. The dough should become smooth, glossy, and pipeable. You may not need every last bit of egg depending on the size of your eggs, so watch the texture.
Transfer the choux pastry to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
Pipe mounds onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each one.
Place one chilled cocoa craquelin round on top of each piped choux mound.

Bake

Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
Continue baking for another 20–25 minutes, or until the choux are puffed, crisp, and feel light.
Do not open the oven too early, or the shells may collapse.
Once baked, turn off the oven and crack the door open slightly.
Let the choux sit in the warm oven for 10 minutes to help dry out.
Remove from the oven and cool completely before filling.

Fill

Once fully cooled, poke a small hole in the bottom of each choux shell and fill with your favorite cream.

These would be beautiful with:

Chocolate pastry cream
Vanilla bean pastry cream
Whipped mascarpone cream
Coffee cream
Hazelnut praline cream
Whipped ganache

Notes

The most important part of choux is texture. After adding the eggs, the dough should be glossy and smooth, and when you lift the paddle, it should form a soft V shape.

Keep the craquelin cold until baking so it cuts cleanly and sits nicely on top of the choux.

These are best filled close to serving so the shells stay crisp. Store unfilled shells at room temperature, then fill when ready to serve.

Faqs

Can I make the craquelin in advance?

Yes! You can roll out and cut the cocoa craquelin rounds ahead of time. Store them in the freezer separated by parchment paper for up to a month, and place them directly onto the piped choux right before baking.

Why did my choux pastry deflate after baking?

Choux relies heavily on trapped steam to rise and hold its structure. If the oven door is opened too early, or if the pastry isn't baked long enough to dry out the interior walls, the steam escapes and the shells collapse. Be sure to utilize the dry-out step with the oven door cracked.

How do I know if I’ve added enough egg?

The final dough should be glossy and hold its shape well. Lift your spatula or paddle attachment out of the mixture; if the dough breaks off into a clean, smooth triangle or "V" shape that gently hangs down, it has the perfect amount of moisture.

Can I store the filled choux pastries?

Filled choux pastries are best enjoyed the same day they are assembled, as the moisture from the cream will eventually soften the crisp shell. Unfilled shells can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, or frozen for up to a month and crisped up in a warm oven before filling.

Show Me Your Work

I love seeing your creations come to life in your own kitchens! If you bake these rich, crackly chocolate choux pastries, snap a photo and share your results. Tag@sashacakeschicago on Instagram so I can see and share your beautiful bakes!

If you loved the bakery-style results of this Chocolate Choux with Cocoa Craquelin, you will find even more inspiration in my Fantastic Pastry Cookies ebook. This guide is curated specifically for the home baker who wants to master unique flavor combinations—like these rich, crisp treats with deep chocolate pockets—right in their own kitchen 🍫✨

Download the Fantastic Pastry Cookies Ebook Here

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