La Crème de la Crème

is a visually stunning and impressive tower of cream puffs held together with caramel. This edible centerpiece is great for holiday parties because it’s not only festive, but the 150 cream puffs feed a crowd. So, if the holidays are your time to pull out all the stops, you won’t go wrong with a croquembouche. And if you’ve ever seen one and wondered how this miraculous creation comes together, let this be your go-to guide. Now, it’s only natural to be a bit (or a lot) intimidated by just looking at this masterpiece. But we’re breaking down the process into easier to manage parts that can be made over the course of a couple of days. So get your pastry pants on and be prepared for all the oohs and aahs! The components you’ll need to make this croquembouche are as follows: a crispy, sweet topping called craquelin [CRA-kuh-lin] that bakes on top of the choux puffs (it’s even easier than cookie dough); the choux puffs, which are just unfilled cream puffs made from pâte à choux