Lemon Cream Puff

Cream puff and craquelin with lemon curd whipped cream

Course Dessert

Keyword cream puff, curd, lemon

Prep Time 1 30

Cook Time 1

Total Time 2 30

Servings cream puffs

In a small pot over medium heat whisk together the lemon juice, granulated sugar, eggs, and egg yolk.
Continue whisking while cooking the curd until it begins to thicken (will be around 175°F on an instant read thermometer).
Remove from heat and whisk in the unsalted butter. Transfer to a heat-proof bowl and after cooling slightly, press plastic wrap against the surface of the curd. Allow to cool completely and refrigerate before using.

Beat together the butter, brown sugar, and flour until fully combined,
Place the dough on parchment paper and set another piece of parchment paper on top.
Roll dough into a thin sheet, about ⅛-inch thick. Freeze until cream puff dough is ready.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small pot over medium heat, bring the water, butter, and salt to a boil.
Remove from heat and add the flour. Mix until fully incorporated.
Place back on heat and continue stirring while cooking until a film forms over the bottom of the pot and the dough stays clumped together.
Remove dough from heat and transfer to a heat-proof mixing bowl. Allow to cool slightly.
Beat the eggs into the cooled dough one by one and continue beating until a thick, paste-like dough forms.
Transfer dough to a piping back and trim the tip of the piping bag.
Pipe the cream puff dough into 2.5-inch diameter mounds about 2 inches apart on the parchment lined sheet pans.
Remove the craquelin from the freezer and cut out 2.5-inch diameter circles from the dough.
Place one craquelin circle on each of the cream puff dough mounds and bake for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes reduce oven temperature to 375°F without opening the oven and bake for an additional 20-22 minutes or until browned.
Remove from oven and with a sharp knife carefully cut a small hole into the side of the cream puff. Allow to cool completely before filling.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the powdered gelatin and the water, Allow to bloom for a couple minutes.
While the gelatin blooms, beat the heavy whipping cream and granulated sugar with a hand mixer until soft peaks start to form.
Microwave the gelatin mixture for 10-15 seconds until liquid.
Add the liquid gelatin to the whipping cream and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
In a small bowl, reserve 2 tbsp of the whipped cream and mix in the cocoa powder.
Add the cocoa powder and whipped cream mixture to a piping bag. Onto a sheet of parchment paper pipe the whipped cream into ½-inch ovals and press a chocolate chip into the oval to form the nose.
Add ½ c of the lemon curd to the remaining whipped cream and mix until combined.
Repeat piping ovals and adding chocolate chips for the remaining number of cream puffs made. Place in the freezer until ready to use.
To the lemon curd whipped cream, add 2-3 drops of yellow food coloring (if desired) and stir until evenly combined.
Place the lemon curd whipped cream in a new piping bag and set aside.

Carefully cut the cream puff shells with a sharp knife horizontally to the center making sure that you do not cut through the entire shell.
Cut from the top down in the center of the cream puff shell to meet with the horizontal cut. Remove the loose piece of shell. Repeat for all cream puff shells.
Add a small amount of the extra lemon curd to the center of the cream puff shell and the pipe the lemon curd whipped cream over the top forming a circle to create the face of the bear.
Pipe 2 small circles for ears on the top of the bear's head and pipe 2 ovals over the craquelin shell of the cream puff to create the paws.
Smooth the face, ears, and paws with an offset spatula.
Remove the chocolate whipped cream ovals from the freezer and add to the lower middle section of the piped face to create the nose.
Evenly space the chocolate sprinkles above the nose to create the bear's eyes. Add the white sprinkles to either side of the nose.
Repeat steps 3-7 for the remaining cream puffs. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

It's best to prepare the lemon curd ahead of time so that it is ready to use during assembly of the cream puffs.
You can also skip creating the bear shapes by cutting the cream puff shells horizontally and filling with the lemon curd whipped cream. If you do this you can skip mixing the cocoa powder and creating the noses with chocolate chips.