Cream puffs are a delicacy typically associated with French patisseries, but they can be used in a wide variety of ways and are known for their refined and adaptable nature. Choux à la crème (cream puffs) are best when eaten immediately after preparation; they lose their charm the next day.
As my mother taught me how to make them when I was seven years old, I’ve been making them at home ever since. I can’t get enough of the crunchy exterior and gooey, eggy center. Cream puffs filled with pastry cream (vanilla custard), Chantilly cream, or vanilla ice cream were a staple of our dinner parties over the years. To finish off a beautiful presentation, simply dust with confectioners’ sugar. To make it even more delicious (especially when paired with vanilla ice cream), drizzle some chocolate ganache or chocolate sauce over the top.
You can adjust the size however you like, but baking time may increase slightly. Usually, three people are served at a smaller (if you are plating the dessert for company). If I’m going to serve them in this fashion, I’ll use three different fillings so that everyone gets something a little bit different. One more gift I frequently gave was a ring. With a spoon or a piping bag, I connected the individual mounds into a ring. After it had baked, I carefully cut off the top and lifted it off. I filled it, put the top back on, dusted it with confectioners’ sugar, and then garnished it with fresh blueberries and raspberries.
After you try making them at home, you won’t go back to buying them from the store.
The pastry cream, in particular, benefits from being made ahead of time so that it can chill and set before being used to fill the cream puffs. Instructions for making Chantilly Cream and Pastry Cream can be found in the Notes.
Ingredients
1 cup of flour of any kind
Sugar, 1 tsp.
There should be about half a teaspoon of salt
12 cup of unsalted butter, cubed
1.5 ounces of juice
Four large, room-temperature eggs (this is particularly important)
Instructions:
Set oven temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and arrange a rack in the middle.
Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or greasing them with butter.
Mix the sugar, salt, and flour together in a medium bowl. Blend the ingredients together by whisking.
Put the butter and water in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
When the time comes, take the saucepan off the heat and add the flour mixture, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
Bring back to a simmer, and stir constantly until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a thick, smooth ball (about 2 mins.) If you want perfectly baked bread, you can’t stop working on the dough until it reaches the right consistency. Leave it alone for 5 minutes to cool down so the eggs won’t start cooking when you add them.
One by one, beat the eggs into the mixture until they are fully incorporated. The dough needs to develop a glossy, smooth texture and thicken up.
Drop the dough by spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, each about 2 inches in diameter. Space the mounds out by about 2 inches. If you’d like, you can make them bigger.
Put the dough in a pastry bag and pipe 2-inch rounds onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between each. If you prefer, you can enlarge them.
Preparing baked goods (and while doing so!)
Put them in the oven at the correct temperature and bake for 25 minutes, or until they have a uniform golden color. They may deflate if you open the oven door before they are done baking, so wait until the last few minutes.
Place on cooling racks to let cool completely before filling. If the interior of the cream puffs is getting too moist, you can poke a hole in the side and let the steam out.
When the cream puffs have cooled, cut them in half lengthwise with a serrated knife.
Instructions and Notes
Vanilla Bean Chantilly Cream
1-cup of thick whipped cream
Two Tablespoons of Extra-Fine Sugar
1/2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract (or almond if you prefer)
Put a big bowl and your mixer’s beaters in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes. Then, add the sugar and vanilla to the heavy cream and whip until soft peaks form. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use in cream puffs.
Sweet Pastry Filling (Vanilla Custard)
Full-Fat Milk, 1 1/2 Cups
1 1/2 cups of whipped cream
Extract of vanilla, 1 tablespoon
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt
A dozen large egg yolks
1 tablespoon of cold, unsalted butter
Warm the milk, half a cup of cream, and a third of a cup of sugar in a medium pot over medium heat, whisking occasionally. When it reaches a boil, remove it from the heat and set it aside.
The remaining 13 cup of sugar, cornstarch, and salt should be mixed together in a large bowl. Next, incorporate the egg yolks. Stir with a whisk until the mixture is smooth and a light yellow color. Whisking constantly, add half a cup of the hot milk mixture. Stir in the remaining scalding milk. Return the strained mixture to the original saucepan.
To thicken the egg yolk mixture, cook it over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it begins to bubble. Whisking the custard should leave a distinct path in the mixture. Once the butter has melted and combined, turn off the heat and whisk it in. Fill a big bowl with the custard.
To prevent a skin from forming, cover with plastic wrap and gently press the plastic against the surface. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until serving time. The custard can be prepared in advance for up to 2 days.
Put a big bowl and your mixer’s beaters in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes. Then, add the sugar and vanilla to the heavy cream and whip until soft peaks form. Put in the fridge and cover with plastic wrap.
As soon as the custard has cooled and set, whisk it to break up any lumps. Gently fold the whipped topping into the custard until fully incorporated. Spoon the pastry cream into the cream puffs, or place it in a piping bag and use that.
To avoid deflating, avoid opening the oven door while the cream puffs are baking, especially at the beginning of the baking process. This is especially true if the oven was not fully preheated before the cream puffs were placed inside. Puffs’ rise in altitude is highly sensitive to temperature. When the oven door is opened, cool air rushes in, throwing off the oven’s internal temperature reading. Puffs need to be cooked at a very high temperature in order to rise and maintain their inflated shape.
Cream Puffs without Filling: Cream puffs that have not been filled can be kept in a sealed freezer bag for up to one month.
You’ll need to re-crisp the exterior because it will be softer than it was when it came out of the oven. Re-crisp cream puffs at room temperature by preheating the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, placing the puffs on a baking sheet, and baking for 5 to 8 minutes. Cream puffs baked from frozen should be cooked for about 10 minutes.