Vanilla and White Chocolate Choux Buns

Dr. Oetker wants everyone to celebrate the great and good about chocolate and get experimental by trying new chocolatey bakes you have never attempted before. To get everyone excited, throughout March, Dr. Oetker is running a Twitter competition to encourage everyone to have a go at baking their own yummy chocolate cakes and bakes. To enter, simply Tweet @DrOetkerbakes a photo of a chocolate bake you have made and tell them who you will be sharing it with using the hashtag #evenbetterbaking for the chance to win a deluxe hamper of Dr.Oetker chocolate products! What are you waiting for!

We are a huge fan of chocolate and I frequently bake chocolate cakes or cookies to share. Chocolate always tastes better if it’s shared with your loved ones and friends. I tried baking traditional chocolate profiteroles recently, but this time around, I decided to make a creative linked heart effect pattern on the Choux buns. This chocolate recipe can be found on Dr. Oetker’s website where you can find lots of baking inspiration for chocolate cakes and bakes.

I have been baking choux pastry and I find that the more eggs you add, the softer and spongier the choux pastry is. If you prefer to have a crisp choux pastry, then add two medium eggs. If you prefer to have a softer choux pastry, then add two to three medium eggs or 2 large eggs.

It is not necessary to get salted butter. You could just add a pinch of salt into your mixture. If you prefer sweet pastry, then add 2 teaspoons of caster sugar in it.

Also never open your oven door straight after it is baked. Leave it to dry inside the oven and your pastry should not collapse.

Ingredients:

• 50g lightly salted butter (or unsalted butter with a pinch of salt)
• 65g plain flour
• 2 medium eggs, beaten
• 150ml water

To decorate:

• 150g Dr. Oetker Fine Cooks’ white chocolate
• 15 g Dr. Oetker Fine Cooks’ 72% extra dark chocolate
• Oetker Madagascan vanilla grinder
• 200 ml double cream at room temperature

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven, 400°F, gas mark 6). Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.
2. Put the butter in a saucepan with 150ml water. Heat gently until melted then bring to the boil.
3. Turn off the heat and immediately mix in the flour, beating well until thick, glossy and smooth – the mixture should form a soft ball of dough in the saucepan.
4. Leave it to cool for 5 – 10 minutes before you add the eggs. Be careful not to add it when it is still hot as it will cook the eggs.
5. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm wide plain nozzle and pipe 12 x approximate 5cm diameter mounds on the baking tray.
6. Bake for 25 minutes until puffed up, golden and crisp.
7. To decorate, break 100g White Chocolate into one heatproof bowl and put the Extra Dark Chocolate in another small heatproof bowl. Stand both bowls over saucepans of barely simmering water until melted. Or microwave it.
   
8. Slice through each choux bun completely. Working on one of the choux bun tops at a time, dip the top in white chocolate and sit back on the wire rack. Put the melted extra dark chocolate into a small piping bag, snip off the end and pipe 5 or 6 small drops in a circle on top. Using a cocktail stick, drag through each chocolate drop to make a linked heart effect. Grind over the vanilla.
   
9. Repeat the covering and piping with all the choux tops. Leave aside in a cool place to set.
10. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 50g of white chocolate as above and remove from the water. Cool for 10 minutes. Whilst whisking the chocolate, pour in the cream and keep whisking to make a thick, glossy cream. Grind over some vanilla and gently mix in.
11. Either spoon some white chocolate cream on to each of the base pieces or load the cream into a piping bags fitted with a 1.5cm wide plain nozzle and pipe some filling into each. Grind over more vanilla and set aside.
12. To serve, sandwich the 2 halves of the choux buns together. Your choux buns are now ready to serve and enjoy!

If your children didn’t like vanilla bits, then grind the choux bun with chocolate instead. I loved baking this, especially learning the technique to use a toothpick to create a linked heart effect! Do remember to tweet Dr. Oetker your chocolate creation!

Disclosure: We received the sample for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own.