I love how cream puffs are a simple but elegant dessert perfect for any occasion. Making choux pastry, also known as pâte à choux, may seem difficult at first, but it’s pretty straightforward. All you need are a few simple and inexpensive ingredients along with some patience, and you’ll have the technique mastered in no time.
The combination of textures in the cream puffs make them so addictive! The pastries are light, airy, and crisp, whereas the filling is creamy and sweet. These are sure to impress your family and friends. If you are planning an afternoon tea or have guests to entertain, try making my petit fours recipe, macarons recipe, or mille feuille recipe alongside this cream puffs recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Vanilla bean — the beans add flavorful and beautiful specks to the cream filling.
Milk and cream — I recommend using full-fat milk and heavy cream for the best results. They add the best flavor, body, and texture to the cream.
Cornstarch — this helps thicken the cream filling without adding a strong flour flavor to the cream.
Butter — be sure to buy unsalted butter and not salted butter. Salted butter does not have the same amount of salt across different brands. These cream puffs are delicate little desserts, so I recommend adding measured salt to avoid overly salty pastries.
Eggs — you need multiple eggs for both the cream filling and pastry. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature so they are able to blend effortlessly and you can avoid over mixing. Place your eggs in a bowl of warm tap water if they are cold.
How to Make Cream Puffs
1. Combine the milk, ½ cup cream, and scraped vanilla seeds in a medium pot and place on medium-high heat, whisking occasionally. Bring to a boil and immediately turn off the heat and set aside.
2. Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together, then add the egg yolks. Whisk until pale yellow and smooth. Slowly whisk in the hot milk and then strain the mixture into a saucepan.
3. Cook the egg yolk mixture over medium-high heat, constantly whisking, until thickened to a custard-like consistency and just starting to bubble. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until fully melted and combined. Transfer the custard to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until ready to use.
4. In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, immediately take the pan off the heat.
5. Add all of the flour at once to the saucepan and stir hard with a wooden spoon until all of the flour is incorporated. Return to medium heat and cook, stirring for about 60 seconds.
6. Add the mixture to a stand mixer bowl and beat at medium speed for about 2 minutes to cool the mixture down. With the mixer running, add 3 eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl between each egg. If the dough is still clinging to the beater, then add the remaining 1 egg and mix until incorporated.
7. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe dollops roughly 2 inches in diameter and 1 inch high. Lightly wet a finger and tap down the spike on top. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the dough is golden brown and appears dry. Carefully poke holes in the side of each puff by inserting the tip of a small knife about halfway into the puff. Return to the oven and bake for another 3 minutes. Remove and let cool completely on the baking sheet.
8. Place the remaining 1 cup cold cream from the filling in a large bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the custard before transferring to a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Cut the tops of the cooled puffs off with a serrated knife and pipe the cream filling into each pastry, then place the cap on, and lightly dust the cream puffs with confectioners’ sugar.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- The number of eggs that the choux pastry requires varies. The size of the yolks, the humidity of your kitchen, or even a bit of extra flour will affect the number of eggs you need. Hold off on the last egg to see if your dough needs it. Only add enough eggs for your dough to be shiny, thick, and smooth.
- I highly recommend using a scale to measure the dry ingredients. Flour, in particular, is easily mismeasured when using a measuring cup. For a reliable choux, measure the flour by weight.
- Gently tapping the tops of the piped dough prevents the tip from burning.
- When adding the eggs, make sure the mixture is warm but not piping hot. You do not want the egg yolks to cook from the heat.
- It’s essential to let the choux pastry cool before piping in the filling. If you rush the processor, the heat will melt the filling.
- If you haven’t made pastry cream before, you should check out my full how to make pastry cream tutorial.
- Want to try a different filling for these cream puffs? Try using whipped cream with some fruit jam or ice cream for a frozen treat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my pastries deflate?
If your cream puffs deflated in the oven, it may be due to opening the oven door, the oven not being fully pre-heated, or you removed the puffs from the oven too soon. Temperature is very important to the puffs rising. Every time you open the oven door, cool air rushes in, and the heat temperature is no longer accurate. High heat is critical for the puffs to rise and stay puffy.
Can I store the pastries before filling them?
You can make the shells 1-2 days ahead of time. Allow the pastries to cool and store them in an airtight container at room temperature until you’re ready to fill them. However, they will not be as crisp as immediately after baking. You can re-crisp the shell by baking them at 300F for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Can I freeze them with cream inside?
Yes! You can freeze these cream puffs before or after assembling. Keep in mind that once frozen, they lose the crispy texture. Flash freeze the puffs on a lined sheet pan and freeze for about 30 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer until ready to enjoy.
What is the difference between this recipe and eclairs?
Both pastries use choux pastry, but the main difference is the shape and filling. Eclairs are oblong in shape and are filled with custard and topped with a layer of chocolate.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Cream Puffs recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Cream Puffs
Video
Equipment
- Large saucepan
- Stand or electric mixer
- Piping bags and tips
Ingredients
For the Cream Filling:
- 1½ cups whole milk (360mL)
- 1½ cups heavy cream (360mL)
- 1 vanilla bean split and seeds scraped
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (133g)
- ¼ cup cornstarch (30g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
For the Choux Pastry:
- 1 cup water (240mL)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113g)
- 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
- 3 to 4 large eggs
- confectioner's sugar for dusting
Instructions
For the Filling:
- Combine the milk, ½ cup cream, and scraped vanilla seeds in a medium pot and place on medium-high heat whisking occasionally. Bring to a boil and immediately turn off the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together then add the egg yolks. Whisk until pale yellow and smooth. While whisking, slowly pour in ½ cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture. Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan.
- Cook the egg yolk mixture over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and just starting to bubble. The whisk should leave a defined trace when moved through the custard. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until fully melted and combined. Transfer the custard to a large bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. The custard can be made up to 2 days in advance.
For the Choux Pastry:
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, immediately take the pan off the heat.
- Add all of the flour at once and stir hard with a wooden spoon until all of the flour is incorporated. Return to medium heat and cook, stirring for about 60 seconds.
- Scrape the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (you can also use a hand mixer). Beat at medium speed for about 2 minutes to cool the mixture down. (it will still be warm.)
- With the mixer running, add 3 eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl between each egg. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated. The dough should be thick but fall slowly and steadily from the beater when lifted out of the bowl. If the dough is still clinging to the beater, add the remaining 1 egg and mix until incorporated.
- Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe dollops roughly 2 inches in diameter and 1 inch high. Lightly wet a finger and tap down the spike on top. (For additional color during baking, you can brush the tops of the dough lightly with an egg wash.)
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until the dough is golden brown and appears dry. (Try not to open the oven door during the bake.) Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Carefully poke holes in the side of each puff by inserting the tip of a small knife about halfway into the puff. Return to the oven and bake for another 3 minutes. Remove and let cool completely on the baking sheet. (You can turn the oven off and leave the puffs in the oven with the door cracked open after baking if you'd like them to really dry out.)
For the Assembly:
- Place the remaining 1 cup cold cream from the filling in a large bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Remove the custard from the fridge and whisk it to break it up and smooth the texture out. Fold the whipped cream into the custard. Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a star tip
- Cut the tops of the cooled puffs off with a serrated knife. You can scoop out some of the softer strands inside, if desired. Pipe the cream filling into each pastry then place the cap on, and lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar. Cream puffs are best if enjoyed within a few hours of assembly. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Notes
- The number of eggs that the choux pastry requires varies. The size of the yolks, the humidity of your kitchen, or even a bit of extra flour will affect the number of eggs you need. Hold off on the last egg to see if your dough needs it. Only add enough eggs for your dough to be shiny, thick, and smooth.
- I highly recommend using a scale to measure the dry ingredients. Flour, in particular, is easily mismeasured with a measuring cup. For a reliable choux, measure the flour by weight.
- Gently tapping the tops of the piped dough prevents the tip from burning.
- When adding the eggs, make sure the mixture is warm but not piping hot. You do not want the egg yolks to cook from the heat.
- It’s essential to let the choux pastry cool before piping in the filling. If you rush the processor, the heat will melt the filling.
- If you haven’t made pastry cream before, you should check out my full how to make pastry cream tutorial.
- Want to try a different filling for these cream puffs? Try using whipped cream with some fruit jam or ice cream for a frozen treat.
