These light, airy cream puffs filled with silky pastry cream and topped with a dusting of powdered sugar are always a hit.
I mean, what’s not to love? They’re the perfect package of sweet, creamy goodness in a perfect single portion.
Cream puffs are ideal for any occasion, too! From an elegant tea party to a casual dessert night with friends, they’ll fly off the plate.
Why You’ll Love These Cream Puffs
Make-Ahead Friendly: Unfilled choux pastry can be stored at room temperature for two days or frozen for up to two months. You can even make the filling 1-2 days ahead.
Creative Customization: Try different fillings, such as chocolate or fruit, to tailor the cream puffs to your taste or event theme. You can also pipe them into fun shapes!
Fun Baking Experience: Cream puffs are straightforward but require some technique, patience, and practice. When you get it right, though, it’s magic!
Ingredients
- Whole Milk & Heavy Cream: Adds richness and body to both the pastry cream and choux dough. You’ll also need extra cream to lighten the filling.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the pastry cream and gives a touch of sweetness to the choux pastry.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the overall flavor.
- Vanilla Bean: Infuses the pastry cream with a fragrant, natural vanilla flavor.
- Egg Yolks: Thicken the pastry cream, giving it a rich, custardy base.
- Cornstarch: Helps thicken the pastry cream, making it smooth and stable.
- Unsalted Butter: Adds richness to both the pastry cream and the choux dough for a tender, buttery finish.
- Water: Hydrates the choux dough, helping it to steam and puff in the oven.
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the structure of the choux pastry, creating a light and airy puff.
- Eggs: Bind the dough and give the choux its classic rise and golden color.
How to Make Cream Puffs
This classic French pastry is sure to impress. But as mentioned, there are a few steps.
Don’t worry, though! As long as you read the post in full (including the tips), your choux will be perfect.
Make the Pastry Cream:
1. WARM the milk, 1 cup of heavy cream, 1/4 cup of sugar, salt, and vanilla bean in a saucepan until steaming.
2. WHISK the egg yolks with the remaining sugar, then add cornstarch until thick.
3. TEMPER: Slowly whisk the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Then, return everything to the saucepan and cook until thick. Whisk in the butter last.
4. COOL: Press the cream through a sieve into a bowl, press plastic onto the surface, and chill.
5. FINISH: Beat the remaining cream to stiff peaks and fold it into the cold pastry cream. Keep cold until ready to use.
Make the Choux Pastry:
1. PREHEAT: Set the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet.
2. BOIL: Heat the water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt until boiling, then remove from heat.
3. MIX: Stir in the flour until a dough forms and cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. BEAT: Transfer the dough to a mixer and beat to cool slightly. Then, slowly drizzle in the beaten eggs, mixing until smooth.
5. TEST*: Check the consistency, adding more egg if needed.
6. BAKE: Pipe rounds onto the baking sheet. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then at 325°F for 20-25 minutes until golden.
7. PIERCE: Poke holes in each puff, then bake again for 10 minutes to dry.
8. FILL: Cool completely, then pipe pastry cream into each puff. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!
*Choux pastry is ready when it achieves the following signs:
- Smooth and Shiny Texture: The dough should be smooth, glossy, and thick enough to hold its shape without being too runny.
- Spoon Test: If you scoop some dough and it forms a “V” shape as it slowly falls from the spoon, it’s ready. If it’s too thick and doesn’t fall off easily, add a bit more egg.
- Soft Peak Test: After mixing, the dough should form soft peaks when lifted with a spoon or spatula.
- Piping Test: If you’re using a piping bag, the dough should be firm enough to pipe without running, but soft enough to pipe easily without squeezing too hard.
Tips For the Best Cream Puffs
l admit, the first time I tried choux pastry, I was a bit intimidated. But with a little patience and love, these beauties came together like a dream.
The crisp exterior gives way to a soft, pillowy inside, and that rich, creamy filling… oh my goodness, it’s pure bliss!
Read through these tips before you start for the best cream puffs ever!
- Sift the flour. This ensures a smooth, lump-free choux pastry dough.
- Room temperature eggs. The eggs should be at room temperature before using in the dough for better incorporation.
- Stir vigorously. Add all the flour at once then beat it with a wooden spoon until smooth.
- How many eggs? This changes every single time you make choux because eggs vary. That’s why you’ll lightly beat them and add slowly. You might not need it all (and sometimes you might need more).
- Keep the oven closed. Do NOT open the oven during baking to ensure the puffs rise and maintain their structure.
- Dry the puffs. After baking, pierce the bottoms and let the puffs sit in the warm oven with the door cracked for 10 minutes to dry out.
- Prevent a film from forming. Cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap, directly touching the cream. This prevents skin/film from forming while cooling.
- Variations. For a lighter filling, use regular whipped cream. Or flavor the pastry cream with chocolate, coffee, or fruit purees.
How to Store
The downside to these tasty treats is that leftovers don’t store well. With the cream inside, they turn soggy fast.
But you can store them without the filling. Here’s how:
To Store: Place cooled choux buns in an airtight container at room temp for 1-2 days. Keep the pastry cream (without the whipped cream) in the fridge for 2-3 days.
To Freeze: Flash freeze cooled choux buns until solid then move to a freezer bag for 1-2 months. Thaw at room temperature before filling with pastry cream and serving. (Do not freeze pastry cream.)
More Elegant Desserts You Have to Try
Classic French Madeleines
Cherries Jubilee
Peach Melba
Lemon Chiffon Pie
Cream Puffs
24
servings1
hour45
minutes186
kcalThese light, airy cream puffs filled with silky pastry cream and topped with a dusting of powdered sugar are perfect for any occasion!
Ingredients
- For the Pastry Cream
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream, divided
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
pinch salt
1 vanilla bean
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
- For the Choux Pastry (Pâte à Choux)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
4 large eggs
Instructions
- For the Pastry Cream
- Combine the whole milk, 1 cup of heavy cream, 1/4 cup of sugar, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half horizontally and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and the pod to the saucepan and warm over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it begins to steam and tiny bubbles form around the edges. Do not let it boil. Remove from the heat.
- In a large bowl, vigorously whisk the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar with the egg yolks for 15-20 seconds. Add the cornstarch and whisk until thick.
- Carefully ladle about 1/4 cup of the hot milk-cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Keep adding ladles of the hot milk until about half has been incorporated. Then, pour the egg-milk mixture into the saucepan, whisking constantly until smooth.
- Return the pot to medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until it thickens and comes to a low boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a little at a time, until smooth.
- Strain the pastry cream into a heatproof bowl, pressing it through a fine mesh sieve with a spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and chill at room temperature for 30 minutes before moving to the fridge for 3-4 hours.
- When cold, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Whisk the cold pastry cream to loosen the texture, then gently fold in the whipped cream.
- Transfer to a piping bag with a star tip and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
- For the Choux Pastry
- Preheat the oven to 425°Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large saucepan, bring the water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until the butter melts, and then remove from the heat.
- Immediately add the flour, all in one go, and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until a dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
- Return the saucepan to low heat and cook the dough for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly to remove some moisture. The dough should form a smooth ball.
- Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and beat on medium-low speed for 1-2 minutes to cool the dough slightly.
- Lightly beat the eggs in a measuring glass with a spout. Then, very slowly drizzle the egg into the dough with the mixer running on medium speed. The dough will look lumpy at first but will smooth out.
- When about half of the egg is mixed into the dough, stop mixing, scrape the bottom and sides, and check the consistency. It should be thick and smooth.
- To test if it’s ready, scoop some onto a spoon and turn it on its side, but do not shake or tap it. If the dough falls in one heavy blob, it’s ready. If the dough doesn’t fall on its own, it’s not ready. Add more egg, about 1 teaspoon at a time, checking frequently until done.
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag with a large round tip. Pipe rounds onto the baking sheet (about 2 inches in diameter and 1 inch high), leaving space between each puff. Wet your fingertip with water and gently press down any peaks on the tops.
- Bake at 425°Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Then, without opening the door, reduce the oven temperature to 325°Fahrenheit and bake for another 20-25 minutes. The puffs are ready when they are golden brown and puffed up.
- Turn the oven off, remove the tray, and quickly pierce the bottom of each bun with a sharp knife. Return the tray to the oven for about 10 minutes to dry. Then, transfer the cream puffs to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Pipe the cold pastry cream (or regular whipped cream) into the hole on the bottom of each bun. You can also slice them in half and pipe a swirl on the bottom before nestling the top in place. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- How many eggs? This changes every single time you make choux because eggs vary. That’s why you’ll lightly beat them and add slowly. You might not need it all (and sometimes you might need more).
- Keep the oven closed during baking to ensure the puffs rise well.