Christmas Craquelin Profiteroles: A Matcha Strawberry Festive Delight
- bigboyrecipe2015
- Dec 17, 2025
- 5 min read
Christmas is always filled with warmth and sweetness, and a cute, richly layered dessert often becomes the highlight of any party. Today, I'd like to introduce the Christmas Craquelin Profiteroles – Oozing Matcha Strawberry Flavor. Not only do they look just like Santa's red hat, but they're packed with rich matcha filling—one bite sends the creamy center gushing out, making you exclaim, "Wow, so satisfying!"
The Perfect Contrast: Crispy Outside, Soft Inside
The star feature of these cream puffs is the thin layer of craquelin topping. Made from butter, sugar, and flour, it's rolled out, cut into rounds, and placed on top of the choux batter before baking. Once out of the oven, the surface develops beautiful even cracks with a festive red tint—not only making the puffs rounder and plumper but also adding that delightful "crunch-crunch" texture. The first bite brings a wonderful contrast between the sweet crispiness and the airy choux interior—pure classic French pastry magic.
The puff itself uses traditional choux pastry dough, resulting in a lightly crisp shell with a large, even hollow cavity inside—perfect for holding plenty of filling. This light texture means you won't feel heavy even after a few, making it ideal for holiday gatherings.
Oozing Matcha Filling: Rich Yet Not Bitter
The soul of these puffs lies in the matcha Diplomat Cream filling. It's based on matcha pastry cream, lightened with whipped cream for a silky, fluffy texture. The matcha flavor is deep and aromatic, carefully balanced to avoid excessive bitterness, with sweetness just right—perfectly suited to Asian tastes. One bite, and the vibrant green cream slowly flows out; that "oozing" visual and sensory experience is incredibly satisfying!
Strawberries and Whipped Cream: The Christmas Touch
To amp up the holiday vibe, each puff gets a ring of snowy whipped cream on top, crowned with a fresh strawberry, dusted with powdered sugar, and finished with a tiny dollop of cream on the berry tip—transforming it into an adorable "Santa hat." The strawberries' tangy sweetness perfectly balances the richness of the matcha, adding layers of flavour and making every bite feel like savouring spring fruit in a winter wonderland—light and joyful.
Festive Craquelin Profiteroles Perfect for Homemade Fun
Though these Christmas Craquelin Profiteroles look professional, the steps are actually quite straightforward. From making the craquelin, cooking the dough, baking, to preparing the filling—everything can be followed step by step. The finished product is not only eye-catching but also unforgettable in taste. Place them on your Christmas table, and they're guaranteed to be the star everyone rushes to photograph.
If you're feeling crafty this Christmas, why not give them a try? Crispy outside, soft inside, with an oozing center and cute strawberry hats—they'll add heaps of sweetness and laughter to your celebrations. Merry Christmas, and happy eating! 🎄🍓
Watch the video below now! Scroll down for a detailed written recipe and instructions.
Ingredients (24 pcs)
Choux Craquelin:
Unsalted butter | 50g |
|---|---|
Sugar | 25g |
Plain Flour | 50g |
Red Food Colouring | few drops |
Choux Pastry (24 pcs):
Water | 165g |
|---|---|
Unsalted butter | 65g |
Salt | 1 pinch |
Sugar | 1 pinch |
Plain Flour | 125g |
Eggs | 4 each (58 g each) |
Matcha Diplomat Cream:
Sugar | 90g |
|---|---|
Egg | 1 each |
Egg Yolk | 2 each |
Corn Starch | 45g |
Milk | 330ml |
Matcha Powder | 15g |
Unsalted butter | 45g |
Thickened Cream | 300g |
Others:
Thickened Cream | 100g |
|---|---|
Strawberry | 24 each |
Icing Sugar | to garnish |
Steps
Craquelin:
1.
In a small bowl, use a silicone spatula to mix the softened butter and sugar until smooth. Add the flour and mix until a soft dough forms.
2.
Add the red food colouring and mix until evenly combined.
3.
Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to about 1/8 inch thick (approximately 3 mm).
4.
Freeze the dough for 30 minutes. Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut out circles, then return them to the fridge or freezer to chill. Set aside.
Choux Pastry:
5.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Sift the flour and set aside.
6.
In a saucepan, combine the water, butter, salt, and sugar. Heat over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat immediately, add the flour, and stir vigorously until fully combined.
7.
Return the pan to the heat and continue stirring over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, until a thick dough forms and a thin film appears on the bottom of the pan.
8.
Remove from heat, transfer the dough to a large bowl, and let it cool for about 5 minutes.
9.
Meanwhile, fit a large piping bag with a large round tip and set aside.
10.
Once the dough has cooled, add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next. Mix until the dough is smooth and thick; when lifting the spatula, the dough should form a pointed inverted triangle.
11.
Transfer the choux dough to the piping bag and refrigerate for 10 minutes to stabilise the dough.
12.
Pipe rounds of choux dough about 1.5 inches in diameter onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place one craquelin disc on top of each round.
13.
Bake at 200°C for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180°C and bake for a further 15 minutes. When the choux puffs are fully risen and golden brown on the bottom, remove and let cool.
Matcha Diplomat Cream:
14.
In a mixing bowl, combine the egg, egg yolk, and sugar. Sift in the cornstarch and matcha powder, and mix until fully combined. Set aside.
15.
Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until just starting to boil.
16.
While whisking the egg mixture continuously, slowly pour in the hot milk to temper the eggs.
17.
Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes, until thickened into a custard (when you draw a line with a spatula, the custard separates and slowly comes back together after 1–2 seconds). Remove from heat.
18.
Add the butter and stir until fully melted and incorporated. This is the matcha pastry cream.
19.
Transfer the matcha pastry cream to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly touching the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Once completely cooled, refrigerate until needed.
20.
Whip all the cream (300 g + 100 g) until nearly stiff peaks form.
21.
Take 2/3 of the whipped cream and gently fold it into the matcha pastry cream using a silicone spatula, folding from the bottom upwards to avoid deflating too much air. This is the matcha Diplomat cream.
22.
Transfer the matcha Diplomat cream into a piping bag. Transfer the remaining whipped cream into another piping bag.
Assembling:
23.
Pierce a hole at the bottom of each choux puff and pipe the matcha Diplomat cream inside until full. Pipe a ring of whipped cream on top of the choux craquelin, place a strawberry on top, then pipe a small dot of whipped cream on the tip of the strawberry to resemble a Santa Claus hat. Finish with a dusting of icing sugar and serve.
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