Gluten-Free Choux au Craquelin

Choux au craquelin: crisp gluten-free cream puffs baked under a thin, crackly brown-sugar cookie topping and filled with vanilla whipped cream. Choux pastry works well with a gluten-free flour blend because the eggs and steam do the lifting.

Prep: 45 min Cook: 35 min Total: 150 min Serves: 24

At a glance: This hard desserts recipe yields 24 servings in about 2h 30m (45 min prep, 35 min cook). It uses 14 ingredients — including unsalted butter, packed light brown sugar, gluten-free all-purpose flour blend — and walks through 7 steps. Updated October 24, 2026. Browse more desserts recipes or return to all gluten-free recipes.

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Cross-Contamination Warning for Gluten-Free Choux au Craquelin: When preparing this desserts recipe, reusable piping bags and tips can hold old batter in the seams, so wash them well or use new disposable bags. Flour dust travels. Bake this on a day the kitchen is not also handling flour that contains gluten, use clean bowls, beaters and baking sheets, and keep the gluten-free flour blend in its own sealed container.

Gluten-Free Notes for Gluten-Free Choux au Craquelin: Both the choux pastry and the craquelin topping use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend instead of flour that contains gluten. Use powdered sugar, vanilla and a flour blend labeled gluten-free.

Scale Recipe:

servings

Ingredient amounts update automatically

Instructions

1 For the craquelin, mix the softened butter, brown sugar and 1/2 cup flour blend into a paste. Roll it between two sheets of parchment to 1/16 inch thick and freeze flat for 20 minutes.
2 Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment.
3 For the choux, bring the water, milk, butter, sugar and salt to a full boil in a saucepan. Add the 1 cup flour blend and xanthan gum (if using) all at once and stir hard with a wooden spoon over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball and leaves a film on the pan.
4 Transfer to a bowl and beat for 1 minute to cool slightly. Beat in the eggs a little at a time. Stop when the dough is glossy and falls from the spoon in a thick V shape; you may not need all the egg.
5 Pipe 1 1/2-inch mounds 2 inches apart. Cut 1 1/2-inch rounds from the frozen craquelin and set one on each mound.
6 Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake 15-20 minutes more, until deep golden and light. Do not open the oven for the first 25 minutes. Pierce the side of each puff with a skewer and cool on a rack.
7 Whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla to firm peaks. Pipe it into the puffs through the small hole or split them and fill. Serve within 2 hours.

Tips & Notes

Add the eggs to the choux dough a little at a time and check the texture. Gluten-free flour blends absorb different amounts, and a dough that is too runny will not puff.
Keep the oven closed for the first 25 minutes. The steam inside the choux au craquelin is what puffs them, and a blast of cool air makes them collapse.
Bake the puffs until they are deep golden and feel light. Pale choux soften and sink as they cool.

Common questions

What cross-contamination risk is specific to Gluten-Free Choux au Craquelin?

Check unsalted butter, softened, for the craquelin, packed light brown sugar, gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, for the craquelin before they go into Gluten-Free Choux au Craquelin. Reusable piping bags and tips can hold old batter in the seams, so wash them well or use new disposable bags. Flour dust travels. Bake this on a day the kitchen is not also handling flour that contains gluten, use clean bowls, beaters and baking sheets, and keep the gluten-free flour blend in its own sealed container.

Which gluten-free swaps does Gluten-Free Choux au Craquelin use?

Gluten-Free Choux au Craquelin relies on 1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour blend and 1/4 tsp xanthan gum. Keep those gluten-free-labeled products in place of a gluten-containing flour or sauce.

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