S'mores Cream Puffs

S'mores Cream Puff on a small white stand with chocolate and marshmallows in the foreground.

These S'mores Cream Puffs are a new take on the classic summer treat! These cream puffs are baked with a crispy graham cracker craquelin on top, then filled with chocolate ganache and homemade marshmallow cream! Topped with *more* ganache and a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs, this will be your new favorite way to enjoy s'mores--no campfire required!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cream Puffs

Prep Time 55

Cook Time 40

Chill Time 5

Total Time 1 40

Servings cream puffs

Calories 273kcal

Author Amee

Equipment

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Craquelin

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
¾ cup flour, sifted (I used all-purpose)
¼ cup graham cracker crumbs (plus more for garnish, if desired)
pinch salt

Cream Puffs

125 grams water (½ cup + 1 Tbsp)
125 grams whole milk (½ cup + 1 Tbsp)
5 grams sugar (½ tsp)
5 grams salt (½ tsp)
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
140 grams flour (¾ cup + 2 Tbsp)
4 eggs

Marshmallow Cream (see note)

2 egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup agave syrup (see note)
¼ cup water
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (see note)

Chocolate Ganache

8 ounces chocolate, chopped finely (I used 60% cacao)
⅔ cup heavy (whipping) cream

Instructions

For Craquelin

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and brown sugar. Mix until smooth.
Add flour, graham cracker crumbs, and salt. Mix until fully incorporated and smooth.
Place the mixture between two sheets of parchment (see note) and roll to approximately ⅛" thick. Place the butter mixture (still in the parchment) on a baking sheet and freeze 5 minutes.
Once chilled, use a 2" round cutter (see note) to cut 24 rounds out of the craquelin. You can gather the scraps and re-roll them if necessary. Place the rounds in the freezer until you need them.

For Cream Puffs (Choux Pastry)

Preheat oven to 400° F. Line baking sheets with parchment (see note) and set aside.
Combine water, milk, sugar, salt, and butter in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Once boiling, and while still on the heat, add the flour. Quickly beat mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth and shiny. Mixture will pull away from the sides of the pan. (Do not underbeat or cream puffs may deflate later!)
Once mixture is thoroughly combined, scrape it into the bowl of a stand mixer. Turn the mixer on low speed. With mixer running, add eggs one a time, allowing each egg to incorporate and mixture to become smooth before adding the next.
Transfer batter to a piping bag (see note) and cut a hole in the end (about ⅓" across). Pipe mounds of choux pastry at least 2" apart, each about 2" across and ¾" tall (see notes). With those dimensions, you get about 24 cream puffs.
Remove the craquelin from the freezer and place one round on top of each cream puff gently, without pressing down the dough. The craquelin should be positioned parallel to the pan.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and turn the oven off. Bake 10 minutes with the oven off. Turn oven back on to 350° F and bake another 10 minutes. Then, turn the oven off again, leaving the cream puffs to finish baking for another 10 minutes (This is 30 minutes in the oven total). Resist the urge to open the oven until baking is complete, as this could deflate your cream puffs!
Once the cream puffs are baked, remove from the oven and poke a hole in the top of each with a toothpick. This will allow any residual steam to escape (otherwise, your cream puffs could deflate…sensing a trend here?). Allow cream puffs to cool completely.

For Marshmallow Cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment, and move onto the next step.
In a small saucepan, warm sugar, agave, water, and salt over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally. When the sugar mixture reaches about 230℉, turn the mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Continue heating sugar mixture to 240℉. (The goal is to have the egg whites to stiff peaks and sugar mixture to 240℉ at about the same time.)
Hint: You want the sugar syrup to get to the "soft ball" stage. If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can carefully drop a bit of the syrup into a bowl of cold water. Leave it to cool for a moment, then pick it up and press it between your fingers. If it's sticky and you can mold it between your fingers easily, you're at soft ball stage. If it's too hard, you've gone too far and need to start over.
When sugar mixture reaches 240℉, remove from heat. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually drizzle sugar mixture into whipped eggs (see note).
Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat mixture until stiff and glossy, about 10 minutes. Add vanilla bean paste (see note) and mix to combine.

For Chocolate Ganache

Combine chocolate and cream in a small heatproof bowl and microwave on 30-second bursts, stirring after each burst, until the mixture is smooth. The ganache will set up as it cools. If necessary it can be re-warmed to get it back to a pourable consistency.

For Assembly

Split the cooled the cream puffs with a thin, serrated knife. (I find that a bread knife works well for this.) Try to do so gently so as not to break all the craquelin.
Spoon some chocolate ganache into the bottom of each cream puff, then top with some of the marshmallow cream. I used a piping bag to pipe the marshmallow cream into the cream puff both for efficiency and to keep my hands cleaner. Place the top of the cream puff on top. Drizzle with more ganache and garnish with graham cracker crumbs, if desired.
The cream puffs are best enjoyed same-day while the craquelin is still crisp. It's also best to assemble the cream puffs as close to when you plan to serve them as possible. Leftovers will keep for a day in an airtight container.
Enjoy!

Notes

Note on 2-inch cutter: I use a round biscuit cutter to cut the craquelin rounds.

Note on piping bags: I use piping bags for both the choux pastry and the marshmallow cream for this recipe. If you prefer not to use them, you can try using a ziploc bag and snip the corner of the bag.

Notes on piping choux pastry: Choux mounds should be at least 2″ apart on the baking sheet. If they’re too close together, the steam that escapes while baking could cause them to deflate.

I give a suggested dimension for the mounds (2 inches across by ¾ of an inch tall). This will give you a yield of 24 cream puffs, and the diameter of the cream puffs will match that of the craquelin. That said, it’s more important that they’re all uniform in size rather than meeting these specific dimensions. Just be aware that bigger choux mounds will take more time to bake, and smaller ones will be done sooner.

When piping the choux, I found that if you hold the bag straight up and stay in the center as you squeeze the piping bag, you end up with a more uniform (round) shape.

Note on parchment: I use pre-cut, nonstick parchment sheets to roll out the craquelin and to line my pans.

Note on marshmallow cream: This marshmallow cream is gooey and will not hold its shape (much like store-bought marshmallow creme). If you want the marshmallow to hold a piped shape, use my Marshmallow Frosting recipe instead!

Note on agave syrup: I use agave because I have it on-hand and prefer it over corn syrup. If you prefer, you can substitute light corn syrup or honey.

Note on working with sugar syrup: Be very careful when working with sugar syrup! If it gets on your skin, it will stick and could cause serious burns. When pouring the syrup into the mixer bowl, don't worry about scraping out every bit of the syrup. Just pour in everything that you can and focus on not getting the syrup on yourself.

Note on vanilla bean paste: I really love the punch of vanilla flavor from vanilla bean paste, so I had to add it to the marshmallow cream! If you prefer to substitute, you can use an equal measure of vanilla extract.

Nutrition