Chilean repollitos are cream puffs made from choux pastry of water, butter, flour, and eggs, piped and baked at 200 C (392 F) until hollow and golden, then filled with a milk and cornstarch pastry cream, optionally flavored with dark chocolate. They take 20 minutes of preparation plus 20 minutes of baking and serve 6 people.
They are ideal for afternoon tea or a festive dessert, with a thin, crisp shell and a soft, silky filling.
How to Make Chilean Repollitos?
Repollitos are a variation of French profiteroles, filled with pastry cream and optionally with a dark chocolate cream. The choux dough is cooked on the stove, enriched with eggs, piped, and baked until puffed and dry.
Nutritional Information
Each serving of chocolate cream repollitos contains approximately 320 kcal, 38 g of carbohydrates, 18 g of fat, 5 g of protein, 1 g of fiber, 12 g of sugars, 60 mg of cholesterol, and 160 mg of sodium. These values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredients and portion sizes.
Homemade Chilean Repollitos Rellenos con Crema Recipe
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 750 ml (3 cups) of semi-skimmed milk
- 250 ml (1 cup) of water
- 120 g (1 cup) of all-purpose flour
- 115 g (1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon) of granulated sugar
- 100 g (7 tablespoons) of butter
- 100 g (3.5 oz) of dark chocolate (optional)
- 4 eggs
- 4 tablespoons of cornstarch
Instructions
- In a medium pot, heat the water and butter over medium heat, stirring now and then until melted. Add the sifted flour and beat hard with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a compact ball that pulls away from the sides. Remove from the heat and let it cool slightly. Preheat the oven to 200 C (392 F) for at least 10 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing constantly, until the dough holds a peak when you lift the spoon. Fill a piping bag with a star tip and pipe the puffs onto a buttered or lined baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden and puffed. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- In a medium pot, add two cups of the milk and the sugar, stir to dissolve, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the rest of the milk with the cornstarch dissolved in it and stir constantly until it boils again. If you like, add the chocolate and stir until melted. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool. Once cold, carefully fill the puffs without breaking them and serve right away.
Additional Tips
Preheat the oven fully
Choux pastry needs a hot oven from the start to puff properly, so give it enough time to preheat.
Choose dark chocolate
The chocolate is optional, but a chocolate with more than 60% cocoa gives the best flavor.
Dry them in the oven
Once golden, turn off the oven and leave the puffs inside with the door ajar for 5 minutes so they do not collapse.
| Original ingredient | Substitute | Ratio | Flavor note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pastry cream | Chantilly cream | To taste | Lighter |
| Chocolate cream | Manjar (dulce de leche) | To taste | Sweeter, very Chilean |
| Semi-skimmed milk | Whole milk | 1:1 | Richer cream |
| Filled with cream | Filled with ice cream | To taste | Profiterole style |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How do I keep them from collapsing after baking?
Do not open the oven while they bake. Once golden, turn it off and leave the puffs inside with the door ajar for 5 minutes.
2. Can I make the choux dough ahead?
Yes. It keeps up to 1 day in the refrigerator in an airtight container and can be baked the next day.
3. How do I fill them without breaking them?
Make a small hole in the base or side and pipe in the filling with a thin tip, or cut them carefully in half.
4. How long do they keep?
Filled, up to 48 hours refrigerated in a closed container. Unfilled, they freeze for up to 2 months and can be warmed briefly in the oven.
What Are Repollitos?
Repollitos, literally little cabbages, are the Chilean name for cream puffs, named for the rounded, ruffled shape of the piped choux pastry.
Nutritional Notes
Repollitos provide small amounts of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin B2 from the milk and eggs, plus some iron and magnesium from dark chocolate.
Did You Know?
The Spanish word repollo comes from the verb repollar, from the Latin repullulare, meaning to sprout again, a reference to the layered structure of the cabbage.
How to adapt this recipe to a vegan or vegetarian version?
How to adapt this recipe to a gluten-free version?
How to adapt this recipe to a keto (ketogenic) version?
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- Chilean Cachitos Pastry Horns
- Chilean Berlines Filled Doughnuts
- Chilean Mil Hojas Cake
- Suspiros de Monja (Nun’s Sighs)
