Easy praliné Paris-Brest recipe: nail it every time!

You think Paris-Brest is reserved for pastry pros? This easy praliné Paris-Brest recipe will prove you wrong. Done with excuses like "it's too complicated" or "I'll never manage": with our chef's tips and our simplified approach, you'll make a dessert worthy of the finest patisseries. The secret? A mastered choux pastry, a silky praliné mousseline cream for Paris-Brest, and above all an excellent homemade praliné that makes all the difference. This easy and quick Paris-Brest recipe will not only impress your guests, but also reconcile you for good with French pastry. It's Mrs Praliné's foolproof recipe, so put on your apron, let's dive into this indulgent creation together!

The traditional Paris-Brest recipe: a bit of history

Paris-Brest is an indulgent dessert, sure, but also a real slice of French history! This iconic pastry was created in 1910 by Louis Durand, a pastry chef from Maisons-Laffitte, to celebrate the Paris-Brest-Paris cycling race. Its wheel shape is therefore no accident: it's a tribute to the riders of the era!

The magic of this traditional Paris-Brest recipe? It's the perfect meeting between a golden, crisp choux pastry and a praliné mousseline cream of wonderful smoothness. The hazelnut Paris-Brest remains THE reference version, the one that made this dessert's reputation. Why hazelnut? Because its intense, slightly roasted taste brings that indulgent note that makes you drool just thinking about it…

Here, a riddle: do you know the difference between a good Paris-Brest and an exceptional Paris-Brest? Yeah, it starts like a joke, but we're dead serious… What makes the difference is the quality of the praliné, obviously! An artisanal praliné with a high nut percentage and a touch of vanilla totally changes the tasting experience. And contrary to what you might think, making a Paris-Brest isn't that complicated… provided you know the right tips.

Where to find praliné for Paris-Brest? Our expert advice

Where to find quality praliné for Paris-Brest? It's THE recurring question, and we get why! No question wasting hours prepping such a refined dessert to ruin it with an industrial spread stuffed with palm oil and weird preservatives.

Artisanal praliné is another world! At Plaisirs Pralinés, our artisanal spreads contain 60% nuts (versus 50% and therefore more sugar in most traditional recipes). This detail (which isn't one) gives them an intensity and flavour that are incomparable.

💡 Our advice: the classic hazelnut & almond praliné is perfect for an authentic Paris-Brest. But if you want to play originality, our variations like pistachio praliné will bring a flavour that'll be a sensation!

Pssst: still hesitating on which flavour to pick for this easy praliné Paris-Brest recipe? Our discovery box lets you test our 8 praliné varieties and find YOUR perfect combination. Because yes, a peanut or pecan Paris-Brest is totally possible and delicious!

If you'd rather make your own homemade praliné, make sure to follow the steps (we explain how in our article What is praliné). We also advise having an ultra-powerful robot for grinding. Otherwise, you risk ending up with a grainy praliné and a broken blender… We tested it for you!

How to make your easy praliné Paris-Brest recipe?

Put on your apron, we're getting to the heart of the matter! Here's our easy praliné Paris-Brest recipe, explained step by step. You'll find at the bottom of this article the condensed version, easier to copy and print. To the kitchen!

The ingredients for an easy and delicious praliné Paris-Brest

Here, we're not offering you a Marmiton Paris-Brest recipe: it's Mrs Praliné's secret recipe, which meets wild success at every tasting! To reproduce it at home and reap all the laurels at dessert time, here are the ingredients you need for an 8-choux Paris-Brest:

For the choux pastry

• 125ml water
• 60g butter
• 2g salt
• 2g sugar
• 80g flour
• 125g egg (about 3 eggs)
• icing sugar for the decor
• flaked almonds if you skip the craquelin

For the craquelin (optional):

• 40g soft butter
• 50g brown sugar
• 50g flour
• a pinch of sea salt

For the praliné mousseline cream

• 250ml whole milk
• ½ vanilla pod
• 2 egg yolks
• 50g sugar
• 10g cornflour
• 10g flour
• 150g soft butter
• 175g hazelnut & almond praliné (here, no compromise!)

The day before, freeze 100g of pure praliné in small silicone moulds about 3cm, like chocolate or half-sphere moulds. We'll create inserts to place right at the heart of the mousseline cream: a killer!

Step 1: the Paris-Brest choux pastry

Choux pastry is scary, but it shouldn't be! Follow all the steps carefully to nail it.

• In a saucepan, bring the water, the butter cut into pieces, the salt and the sugar to a boil. As soon as it boils, remove from the heat and add the flour all at once. Return to low heat and stir vigorously with a spatula until the dough dries and pulls away from the sides (about 2-3 minutes).
• Transfer to a bowl or your stand-mixer bowl and let cool 5 minutes. Now, incorporate the eggs one by one, mixing well between each addition. Your dough should be smooth and shiny, and close back up when you trace a furrow with your finger.
• For piping, use a piping bag (or an improvised one with a freezer bag cut at a corner). Draw a crown of 8 circles of 4cm touching each other on parchment paper. Flip the paper and pipe your choux over the marks.
• The little extra that makes the difference: the craquelin (optional but wow!). If you really want a pro-patissier finish for your Paris-Brest, prepare a craquelin to cover your choux. Mix your 4 ingredients until you get a dough. Roll it thinly between two sheets of parchment paper (3-4mm), cut discs the size of your choux (4cm) and place your craquelin in the freezer 15 minutes.
• Gently place the craquelin discs on each choux. This craquelin helps the choux pastry bake better, and above all gives this easy praliné Paris-Brest recipe an ultra-crisp texture and crazy caramelised taste.
• Can't be bothered with craquelin? Scatter flaked almonds!
• And off your choux pastry goes into the oven for 35 to 40 minutes at 180°C. ABOVE ALL, don't open the oven before the end, or collapse is guaranteed! Then let cool on a rack.

Step 2: the praliné mousseline cream

This praliné mousseline cream for Paris-Brest is the heart of your dessert! To make it, nothing simpler.

• Start by making a classic pastry cream: heat the milk. Whisk the yolks with the sugar, the sifted flour and cornflour, then pour half the hot milk over the mixture. Pour everything back into the remaining milk, return to the heat and whisk until thickened.
• Let your pastry cream cool, spread out and film contact-side. Once cold, whisk it to loosen, then incorporate the creamed butter little by little, then the remaining 75g of praliné. Your cream should become smooth and light.
• Last step (the best): dip your spoon and taste (but don't eat it all)!

Step 3: assembling the Paris-Brest

We're almost at the end of this easy praliné Paris-Brest recipe: assembly. You'll need to fill your choux pastry with the cream and the praliné insert, and add the final decorative touch to your dessert. Here we go!

• Once your choux crown has cooled, delicately cut it in half through the thickness with a serrated knife (bread-knife style).
• Generously fill the base with half your praliné mousseline cream using a piping bag (or a spoon, we don't judge!).
• For an even more indulgent result, add the pure-praliné insert in the centre before piping the rest of your mousseline cream and closing with the choux-pastry cap.
• Dust with icing sugar… And there you go, your praliné Paris-Brest is ready to be a sensation at the next family meal!

Our tips for an easy and successful praliné Paris-Brest recipe

Worried about messing up your dessert? Follow these few tips to be sure to nail this easy praliné Paris-Brest recipe!

Tip 1: the right baking temperature! Your oven must be well preheated and above all, resist the temptation to open the door during baking. The choux need that constant heat to rise well.

Tip 2: choux pastry collapsing? It's often due to insufficient baking or an oven opened too early. Your choux should be nicely golden and sound hollow when you tap them.

Tip 3: mousseline cream splitting? If your mousseline cream isn't smooth and forms little grains, your butter was too cold when you added it. To avoid this, make sure it's well at room temperature and incorporate it gradually. If it's already gone wrong, a quick bain-marie (not too hot), whisk well and it recovers!

Tip 4: vary the pleasures! Feeling like a pastry-adventurer? What if you tested variants to create your own praliné Paris-Brest recipe? Easy: the possibilities are endless! Try:

• a summery pistachio-praliné Paris-Brest with fresh raspberries inserted into the mousseline;
• an even more indulgent peanut, almond & sea-salt praliné Paris-Brest with a pinch of sea salt and crushed peanut bars for the crunch…

What to make with the leftover praliné?

You have praliné left after making your Paris-Brest recipe? (Hard to believe, but let's admit it!) Even though it keeps for 12 months, no need to leave it lingering in a cupboard. This little indulgent treasure can adorn plenty of other desserts! You can spread it on crêpes, fill cookies, flavour a tart cream or simply… finish the jar by the spoon.

To discover all the creative ways to use your praliné, you'll find a ton of inspiration and recipes in our complete guide "What to make with praliné". Enough to let your creativity run free!

📝 RECIPE CARD: Easy Praliné Paris-Brest!

Prep time: 45 minutes
Baking time: 35 minutes
Serves: 8
Difficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients

The choux pastry

• 125ml water
• 60g butter
• 2g salt
• 2g sugar
• 80g flour
• 125g egg (about 3 eggs)
• icing sugar for the decor
• flaked almonds if no craquelin

The craquelin (optional):

• 40g soft butter
• 50g brown sugar
• 50g flour
• a pinch of sea salt

For the praliné mousseline cream

• 250ml whole milk
• ½ vanilla pod
• 2 egg yolks
• 50g sugar
• 10g cornflour
• 10g flour
• 150g soft butter
• 175g hazelnut & almond praliné (here, no compromise!)

Preparation instructions:

1. The praliné insert: the day before, place 100g of pure praliné in small silicone moulds about 3cm (chocolate mould for example) and freeze it.
2. The choux pastry: bring the water, butter, salt and sugar to a boil. Off the heat, add the sifted flour all at once. Return to low heat and let dry 2-3 min, stirring well with a spatula. Let cool, then incorporate the beaten eggs one by one (in a stand mixer if you have one). Mix well.
3. The craquelin (optional): mix soft butter, brown sugar and flour, roll thinly between 2 parchment papers, freeze 15 min, cut 4cm discs.
4. Piping: preheat the oven to 180°C static. On parchment paper or a baking mat, pipe 8 choux of 4cm diameter in a crown with a piping bag. Place the craquelin on the choux. Otherwise, scatter flaked almonds.
5. Baking: bake 35-40 min at 180°C. No opening the oven on the way!
6. The pastry cream: sift the flour and cornflour. Heat the milk and vanilla in a saucepan. Whisk together the yolks, sugar, flour and cornflour. Pour half the hot milk over this mixture, then return everything to low heat whisking until thickened.
7. The mousseline: let the pastry cream cool, filming contact-side. When at the same temperature, mix together the creamed butter, 75g praliné and the pastry cream. Whisk them together faster and faster.
8. Assembly: cut the choux crown in half, pipe half the mousseline cream, add your pure-praliné inserts then fill with the remaining mousseline. Resist the urge to start tasting, close your Paris-Brest then dust with icing sugar. This easy praliné Paris-Brest recipe is done… and nailed!

💡 Storage tip: 2-3 days in the fridge in an airtight container.

FAQ

Can the Paris-Brest be prepared in advance?

Absolutely! You can prepare the choux pastry the day before and keep it in an airtight container. The mousseline cream keeps 2-3 days in the fridge. Assemble only at the last moment to avoid the choux softening.

How to rescue a mousseline cream that has split?

Don't panic! First check your butter was well at room temperature. If your cream doesn't look smooth, pass it a few minutes over a bain-marie while whisking, or carefully give a blowtorch pass on your bowl if it's stainless and mix again. It'll become homogeneous again.

Can the hazelnut praliné be replaced with something else?

Of course! All our pralinés play the game: pistachio for originality, almond for softness, or even peanut for a bolder version. Each variety brings its own personality to the dessert. Up to you to create your own easy and unique praliné Paris-Brest recipe!