This is a very fun recipe because you get to prepare Choux Pastry, pipe it, cover it completely with pearl sugar and then flip the whole thing upside down to remove any access sugar.
Because you do not only sprinkle the pearl sugar on top, the choux pastry is covered with fine sugar dust which caramelizes in the oven and makes a beautiful crunchy surface.
Chouquettes / Puffs with Pearl Sugar
Servings 18 pieces
Ingredients
For the Choux Pastry
- 125 g water
- 2 g salt
- 50 g butter
- 75 g all purpose flour
- 140 g eggs
- additional butter for greasing the baking sheet
For Finishing
- 250 g pearl sugar
- additional egg for egg wash
Instructions
Choux Pastry
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (convection). Grease a non-stick baking tray with butter and remove access of butter with a paper towel so that there is only a very thin layer of butter coating the baking sheet.2. Combine water, salt, and butter in a pot.3. Scale eggs and flour separately and leave aside.4. Gently bring the water to a boil, remove from the heat and add the flour in one addition.It is important to heat the water gently so that not too much of it evaporates before the butter is melted.
Finishing
1. Brush a light film of egg onto the choux. Flatten the choux gently with the brush.2. Pour the pearl sugar over the choux.
3. Flip the baking sheet upside down, tap gently and flip back.It is easiest to flip the baking sheet onto a piece of baking paper or a deep container to be able to easily pour the access pearl sugar back into its paket. 
4. Bake for approximately 40 minutes.Do not open the oven during the baking process before the Chouquettes took on some golden colour otherwise they will collapse. To verify whether the Chouquettes are baked through, verify whether they are still soft. When the Chouquettes are baked through, they are dry on the outside and firm. - Et voilà!