This Chouxnut, with its iconic ridges, boasts a crisp, golden brown exterior while the inside is tender, melt-in-your mouth texture. Choose between two chouxnut glazes: maple and sweet butter (or both)!
Why You’ll Love a Chouxnut
The love child of a doughnut and a churro. A chouxnut is a delicious pastry that combines the light and airy texture of a churro with the sweet and decadent flavor of a doughnut. They are created by frying pâte à choux, which is the same base used for churros, cream puffs, and eclairs.
Delicious Treat. Chouxnuts are delicious even without a filling – a generous sprinkling of sugar or a simple glaze before serving perfectly complements the light pastry. This makes them an excellent alternative to traditional tea and coffee accompaniments, making them the ideal afternoon treat.
Quick and Easy. You can have a warm and ready-to-serve treats in under an hour!
Chouxnut vs Doughnut
Frying choux pastry eliminates the lengthy wait required for a yeasted doughnut’s two rises, resulting in a light and airy texture. You can have a warm and ready-to-serve one in under an hour.
In contrast, making homemade doughnuts takes more than three hours, as most yeasted doughs need two separate rises in addition to the time spent mixing, kneading, and shaping.
Recommended Tools To Make Chouxnut
- Stand Mixer. This appliance is a worthy investment if you love to bake!
- Parchment Paper.
- pastry/ piping bag
- any large open star piping tip (#826, #827, or #828) or any closed star tip ( #846, #847, or #848)
- I used tip #846 for the chouxnuts pictured here.
Ingredient Shopping List & Substitutions
Shop efficiently (treat this as your grocery list) and gather your ingredients at home without running circles in your kitchen. (i.e. One trip to the fridge to get all your dairy needs.)
DAIRY
For the Choux Pastry (pâte à choux):
- 60 grams unsalted butter
- 150 grams (egg weight is without shell) eggs
- That’s about 3 large eggs.
- 30 grams (egg weight is without shell) egg whites
- From 1 large egg
PANTRY
For the Choux Pastry (pâte à choux):
- 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 180 grams unbleached bread flour
- We need the high-protein content of bread flour to get that chewy texture. If you use all-purpose flour, the texture will be different. Cake flour is not an option due to low protein content.
- Bleached vs. Unbleached bread flour. Unbleached flour is less white and has a denser consistency. It tends to be best for baked goods that require structure, like yeast breads, eclairs, and pastries. But if you really can’t find unbleached bread flour, bleached is ok to use.
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- neutral tasting oil for frying
- canola, peanut, or vegetable oil will work
- depending on the size of the pot you will be using to fry the chouxnut, the oil should be about 2.5 inches (6.35cm) deep
For the Maple Glaze:
- 115 grams (1 cup) powdered sugar/ confectioners sugar
- 40 grams (2 tablespoons) maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teapoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons water
How to Make Chouxnuts Step-by-Step
STEP 1: Combine water, butter, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan. Heat the saucepan over medium-high heat to melt the butter and bring the mixture to a boil.
STEP 2: Take the pan off the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir the mixture vigorously with a sturdy spoon or stiff spatula.
STEP 3: Put the pan back on medium heat and keep stirring until the mixture becomes smooth, starts to steam, and forms a crust-like coating on the bottom and edges of the pan, which should take around 2 minutes. At this point, the batter should be very thick.
STEP 4: Transfer the batter to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, read further below for instructions).
Cool down the batter by turning on the mixer to lowest speed and let it run for about 5 minutes or until no smoke is coming out from the mixer bowl.
It will still feel hot but you should be able to keep a finger in it for a few seconds.
Don’t have a stand mixer? Take the pan off the heat and let the thick batter cool down for 5 to 10 minutes. Using a wooden spoon or a stiff spatula, stir the mixture occasionally. Although it will still feel hot, you should be able to keep a finger in it for a few seconds.
If you have a food thermometer, the temperature should read below 125°F.
Increase to medium speed, then add in the whole eggs, egg white, and vanilla one at a time, waiting until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next.
Initially, the mixture will slosh around a bit, but after mixing for about 2 minutes or so, it will come together into a smooth paste.
The choux pastry should be soft enough to pipe but firm enough to hold its shape.
STEP 5: Using parchment squares that are at least 4 inches in size, trace circles that are 3 inches in diameter. Flip the parchment over so that the side with the traced marker is facing down. These circles will serve as templates when you pipe your crullers.
STEP 6: Prepare a piping/ pastry bag with a large open or closed star piping tip and fill about halfway with choux pastry. I use a large closed star piping tip #846.
STEP 7: Hold the pastry bag about 2 to 3 inches above the traced circle and pipe a circle of choux pastry in an even manner. Ensure that the ends of the circle overlap. Repeat this step with the remaining choux pastry, refilling your piping bag as necessary, and piping each cruller on a fresh parchment square with a traced circle on the opposite side.
STEP 8. In a deep pan, heat enough oil to fill the pot 2.5 inches (6.35cm) deep to 375°F. Take one parchment square at a time and gently pick up the cruller and place it into the hot oil face down, along with the parchment. After 5-10 seconds, the parchment circle will separate from the pastry. Once this happens, use tongs to remove the parchment.
STEP 9: Fry the chouxnuts for 3 to 4 minutes until cracks appear on the surface.Gently turn the crullers over and fry for another 3-4 minutes. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to take out the crullers from the oil.
Let the crullers drain on a wire cooling rack that is placed over a baking sheet or on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Fry the remaining crullers in batches, ensuring that the oil temperature remains consistent at 375°F.
STEP 10: To make the glaze, combine all the ingredients of your chosen glaze in a small bowl and use a spatula or whisk to mix it until smooth.
STEP 11: Dip the tops of the warm chouxnuts in the glaze and serve as soon as possible. Chouxnuts are best enjoyed fresh, right after they are made.
Storage and Serving Suggestions
Chouxnuts are most definitely best right after frying as they lose freshness quickly.
Having said that, if you have leftovers you can store at room temperature for up to one day.
Baking in Grams
Bakeologie ensures that all recipes are meticulously crafted with gram measurements to allow you to effortlessly replicate them in your kitchen (regardless of location) with guaranteed success.
Volume measurements are prone to significant inaccuracies and can result in errors due to the inconsistency of measuring cups.
A common example: 1 cup of flour, depending on how you scooped it, can be anywhere form 120 grams to 145 grams, while 120 grams is still 120 grams regardless of how you scooped it.
Providing precise gram measurements (with the exception of minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp) enables you to prepare these recipes with precision and minimal cleanup. The only tool you need is a kitchen scale. They are cheap and come in cute colors, too!
In case you remain unconvinced, the recipe card also includes volume measurements, but I strongly recommend that you bake using a digital scale for a more accurate result.
I also maintain a Baking Conversion Chart which I use for recipe testings.
Watch How To Make Chouxnuts
Printable Recipe Card
Chouxnut (aka French Crullers)
Ingredients
Pâte à choux
- 255 grams (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) water
- 60 grams (¼ cup) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 180 grams (1 ½ cups) unbleached bread flour
- 150 grams (from 3 large eggs) eggs weight is without shell
- 30 grams (from 1 large egg) egg white weight is without shell
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- oil for frying canola, peanut, vegetable oil will work
Maple Glaze
- 115 grams (1 cup) confectioner's sugar/ powdered sugar sifted if lumpy
- 40 grams (2 tablespoons) maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons water
Sweet Glaze (Optional)
- 60 grams (¼ cup) melted unsalted butter
- 120 grams (1 cup) powdered sugar/ confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons milk whole or skim is okay
Instructions
Make the Choux Pastry
- Combine water, butter, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan. Heat the saucepan over medium-high heat to melt the butter and bring the mixture to a boil.255 grams (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) water60 grams (¼ cup) unsalted butter1 tablespoon white granulated sugar1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Take the pan off the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir the mixture vigorously with a sturdy spoon or stiff spatula.180 grams (1 ½ cups) unbleached bread flour
- Put the pan back on medium heat and keep stirring until the mixture becomes smooth, starts to steam, and forms a crust-like coating on the bottom and edges of the pan, which should take around 2 minutes. At this point, the batter should be very thick.
- To finish the choux pastry with a stand mixer: Transfer the batter to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment. Cool down the batter by turning on the mixer to lowest speed and let it run for about 5 minutes or until no smoke is coming out from the mixer bowl. It will still feel hot but you should be able to keep a finger in it for a few seconds. If you have a food thermometer, the temperature should read below 125°F.Increase to medium speed, then add in the whole eggs, egg white, and vanilla one at a time, waiting until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Beat for another minute after adding the last egg. The choux pastry should be soft enough to pipe but firm enough to hold its shape.150 grams (from 3 large eggs) eggs30 grams (from 1 large egg) egg white1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- To finish the choux pastry by hand: Take the pan off the heat and let the thick batter cool down for 5 to 10 minutes. Using a wooden spoon or a stiff spatula, stir the mixture occasionally. Although it will still feel hot, you should be able to keep a finger in it for a few seconds. The temperature should read below 125°F on a digital thermometer.Once it has cooled, add the whole eggs, egg white, and vanilla to the saucepan one by one, making sure to incorporate each egg before adding the next. Initially, the mixture will slosh around a bit, but after several stirs, it will come together into a smooth paste. Mix for approximately 2 minutes after adding the last egg.
Pipe the Crullers
- Using parchment squares that are at least 4 inches in size, trace circles that are 3 inches in diameter (I used a cookie cutter). Flip the parchment over so that the side with the traced marker is facing down. These circles will serve as templates when you pipe your crullers.
- Hold the pastry bag about 2 to 3 inches above the traced circle and pipe a circle of choux pastry in an even manner. Ensure that the ends of the circle overlap. Repeat this step with the remaining choux pastry, refilling your piping bag as necessary, and piping each cruller on a fresh parchment square with a traced circle on the opposite side.
- Let the piped crullers to rest, uncovered, while you heat the oil.
Fry the Crullers
- In a deep pan, heat enough oil to fill the pot 2.5 inches (6.35cm) deep to 375°F.oil for frying
- Take one parchment square at a time and gently pick up the cruller and place it into the hot oil face down, along with the parchment. After 5-10 seconds, the parchment circle will separate from the pastry. Once this happens, use tongs to remove the parchment.
- Fry the crullers for 3 to 4 minutes until cracks appear on the surface. Avoid overcrowding the crullers; fry only 2 or 3 at a time, depending on the size of the pan. Gently turn the crullers over and fry for another 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Use tongs or a slotted spoon to take out the crullers from the oil. Let the crullers drain on a wire cooling rack that is placed over a baking sheet or on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Fry the remaining crullers in batches, ensuring that the oil temperature remains consistent at 375°F.
Make the Glaze
- Combine all the ingredients of your chose glaze in a small bowl and use a spatula or whisk to mix it until smooth.60 grams (¼ cup) melted unsalted butter120 grams (1 cup) powdered sugar/ confectioners sugar1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract3 tablespoons milk
- Dip the tops of the warm chouxnuts in the glaze and serve as soon as possible. Chouxnuts are best right after they are made.