We've all heard of profiteroles and éclairs, but have you ever heard of a chouxnut? We first discovered these tasty little treats on The Great British Bake Off when the bakers were tasked with making chouxnuts.
If you're new to choxnuts, they're simply a doughnut-shaped choux pastry bun.
If you've been inspired, why not try this delicious chouxnut recipe made by Bake Off's Giuseppe which are topped with nougatine and a sticky caramel and honey glaze.
Serves 12 | Prep: 35 minutes | Cooking time: 36 minutes | Difficulty: Needs skill
Ingredients
For the nougatine:
50g fondant icing
40g glucose
40g flaked almonds
25g sesame seeds
For the choux pastry:
120ml whole milk
100g unsalted butter, cubed
¼ tsp salt
120g 00 flour, sifted
1 tablespoon strong white bread flour
2–3 eggs
vegetable oil, to deep fry
For the glaze:
225g icing sugar, sifted
1 tbsp clear honey
3 tbsp whole milk
¼ tsp caramel extract
You will need:
Large piping bag, fitted with a large open star nozzle
Cooking thermometer
12cm squares of baking paper x12, each drawn with a 7cm diameter circle
Method
1: Make the nougatine. Place the fondant icing and glucose in saucepan set over a medium heat, stirring until smooth. Tip in the flaked almonds and sesame seeds and cook for 3–5 minutes, until golden. Pour the liquid nougatine onto a sheet of baking paper, cover with another sheet and roll it out as thinly as possible. Leave to cool and harden before breaking the nougatine into small pieces.
2: Make the choux pastry. Pour the milk and 120ml of water into a saucepan. Add the butter and salt and place the pan over a medium heat. Stir to melt the butter and then bring the mixture to the boil. Immediately slide the pan off the heat, quickly add both flours and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth.
3: Return the pan to a medium heat, beating continuously, until the mixture is glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan.
4: Tip the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater and leave it to cool for 5–10 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, gradually, add the eggs, until the batter is silky smooth and reluctantly drops off the beater when you lift it.
5: Scoop the dough into the large piping bag fitted with the star nozzle and twist the end to seal. Set aside.
6: Half fill a deep-fat fryer or large, heavy-based saucepan with vegetable oil and place it over a medium heat. Heat the oil until it reaches 180°C on the cooking thermometer.
7: Turn all the baking-paper squares over so that the drawn circle is on the underside and pipe a choux ring on each of two of the paper squares. Carefully lower the choux rings into the oil, with the baking paper uppermost. Gently remove the baking paper using tongs and fry the rings for 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown all over. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked rings from the oil and set them aside on a wire cooling rack lined with kitchen paper. Leave to cool while you fry the remainder of the rings, two at a time, until you have 12 rings altogether. Leave the rings to cool completely.
8: Meanwhile, make the glaze. Tip the icing sugar into a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, gradually beat in the honey, milk and caramel extract until the icing is smooth and thick.
9: Dip each choux ring into the glaze and return to the cooling rack, dipped side uppermost. Decorate the chouxnuts with the pieces of nougatine and serve.
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