Sugar Puffs (Chouquettes)

This recipe is from SmittenKitchen.com. I'm planning on making this sugar puffs this afternoon=) Hopefully I can do it correctly.

Ingredients: (Makes about two dozen)

• 1 cup (250 ml) water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons (90 grams) unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
• 1 cup (135 gram) flour
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• Glaze: 1 egg yolk whisked with 1 teaspoon milk
• Toppings: Pearl sugar and/or miniature chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a cookie sheet with a reusable nonstick baking mat or parchment paper.
2. Heat the water, salt, sugar, and butter in a meduim saucepan, stirring, until the butter is melted. Remove the pot from the heat heat and dump all the flour in at once. Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
3. Let the dough cool for five minutes, then briskly beat in the eggs, one at a time, until the dough is smooth and shiny. [At this point you can cover the pot and chill it in the fridge for up to a day.]
4. Using two spoons, a piping bag fitted with a wide tip, a zip-lock bag with a one-inch corner cut off or a spring-loaded large cookie scoop, pipe or scoop the dough into walnut-sized mounds spaced evenly on the baking sheet.
5. Brush the top of each mound with some of the egg glaze then press coarse sugar crystals or miniature chocolate chips over the top and sides of each mound. You want to be generous because the puffs will expand a lot, and you’ll want that area to be covered.
6. Bake the cream puffs for 20 to 35 minutes, or until puffed and well-bronzed.
7. Do ahead: Sugar puffs are best the day that they’re made. I find if they’re stored overnight in an airtight container, they get damp on top and the sugar and chips will slide off, though you can easily re-crisp them in the oven If you can deal with them being a bit dryer on day two you can leave them out unwrapped. Chouquettes can also be frozen in a freezer bag for up to a month, and re-crisped in the oven once defrosted.In addition, you can store the unpiped/scooped dough in the fridge for up to a day.