An Easy Halal Japanese Cream Puff Recipe To Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth Cravings

[Updated 7 July 2020]

Japanese desserts are always a joy to eat. From fluffy cheesecakes and souffle pancakes to creamy custard pudding, these delightful treats can brighten up anybody’s day, even those who don’t have a sweet tooth ? One special dessert that’s definitely part of that is the Japanese cream puff. Also known as shu cream, all it takes is one bite out of its crunchy topping along with some creamy chantilly filling to fall in love. So fish out your apron and prepare to whip up a batch of them using this halal Japanese cream puff recipe!

Ingredients (yields 12)

For the craquelin

• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature 
• 6 tbsp sugar
• ½ cup all-purpose flour

For the choux pastry

• 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp granulated white sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• ½ cup water
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the filling

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Directions

1. For the craquelin: In a bowl, combine butter, sugar and flour. Mix well until it forms into a ball of dough. 
2. Place the dough in between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it out into a thickness of about 3mm. Keep it in the freezer until ready to use.
3. For the choux pastry: Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt.
5. In a pot, add butter and water over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once the butter has melted, remove the pot from the heat and add the flour mixture and stir to combine. Then return it to the heat, and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until the dough forms a thick, smooth ball. 
6. Transfer the dough to the bowl of your stand mixer (or you can use a hand mixer), and beat on low speed for a abou 1 minute. Add lightly beaten eggs and let everything continue to mix until you have a smooth, thick paste.
7. Place the pastry into a piping bag (or DIY one using a ziploc bag), and pipe onto the lined baking sheet into 3 to 3.5cm sized balls. Remove the craquelin from the freezer and with a 3cm cookie cutter, cut out rounds from it and gently place one on top of the pastry. To get an idea of how this is done, check out this video from Nino’s Home:

8. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180°C. Continue baking for another 30 to 35 minutes or until the shell of the pastry has a nice golden brown colour. 
9. For the filling: In a large bowl, combine heavy cream, vanilla essence and sugar. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Once chilled, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. 
10. Split the pastry shells in half and pipe (or fill) the whipped cream onto one shell. Place the other half on top of the cream. Serve and enjoy!

Making Japanese cream puffs at home isn’t impossible and if anything, it’s a fun activity that you can do during the weekend with your friends and family. So, grab your baking partner (or team) and whip up a batch of these goodies to enjoy ?