Cream Puffs

Cream Puffs are a French dessert and they are easy to make at home. They start with crispy hollow shells made from choux pastry and they can be filled with ice cream or your favorite filling. In this recipe, we filled them with homemade pastry cream. Once you make these, you won’t be looking for the ones in the frozen section at your grocery store. These are MUCH better!

If you’ve never made Cream Puffs, now is the perfect time to learn. Making the choux pastry, also known as pâte à choux, might seem intimidating at first, but after you make it one time, you’ll see that it’s not all that scary. Once you master these delicious little gems, you’ll be making them all the time and filling them with your favorite filling.

I have a confession! The first time I made these yummy Cream Puffs I flopped the choux pastry. So…I got right back in the kitchen and made them again. The second time was a success. Don’t be afraid to make these. I’ve posted each step below along with pictures, to walk you through the recipe. I’ve also posted tips from my own learning experience.

If you’re already experienced in making Cream Puffs feel free to skip the steps and tips and go straight to the recipe!

Ready to get started? I’ve started with the pastry cream because it can actually be made a day or two in advance. You also want it to be nice and chilled when you get ready to fill the choux pastry shells.

Making the Pastry Cream

1. Add the egg yolks and cornstarch to a 2-cup measuring cup or small bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
2. Add the milk, half & half granulated sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan. Stirring frequently, bring to a simmer over medium heat (the mixture should have bubbles forming around the edges and be scalding hot).
3. Temper the eggs: Remove the pan from the heat and pour about 1/3 of the hot mixture into the egg yolks.
4. Immediately whisk vigorously for about 30 seconds. This is called tempering the eggs. If you add the egg yolks directly to the hot mixture it will cook them and turn them into pieces of scrambled egg. 
5. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and return the pan over medium heat. Whisk the mixture constantly until the mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla.
7. Chill the pastry cream: Pour the pastry cream into a glass bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the top of the pastry cream. This keeps a skim from forming on top. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate the pastry cream for at least 4 hours or overnight.
8. The Next Day: Remove the pastry cream from the refrigerator. Using a whisk, whisk the pastry cream until it’s broken up and smooth. Add 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the whipping cream on high until thick. Fold the pastry cream into the whipped cream.

Making the choux pastry (pâte à choux)

Cooking the choux pastry:

1. Add the butter, water, sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the butter melts and comes to a simmer around the edges. Using a wooden spoon, add the flour all at one time and quickly stir it in.
2. Continue stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 1 minute. The dough should come together and form a loose ball.
3. There should also be a film on the bottom of the pan. See picture #3 below.

Mixing the choux pastry:

1. Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Mix on low speed until the dough has slightly cooled, about 1 minute. It should be no more than slightly warm. If the dough is too hot it will cook the eggs.
3. Increase speed to medium. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Make sure to only add one egg at a time and thoroughly mix before adding the next egg. The dough cannot absorb all of the eggs at one time. See picture #3 below, where the two separate.
4. Keep mixing and they will come back together. 
5. Once it’s mixed, mix for about 1 additional minute.  The finished dough should be smooth and silky. It should drop slowly from the end of the paddle attachment, forming a V shape as it drops. If it doesn’t want to drop from the paddle, it needs more egg yolk. See my tips in this post.

If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can mix the choux pastry in a large bowl.

Large Bowl vs Stand Mixer

You can also mix the dough by hand in a large bowl. Transfer the dough to a large bowl. Allow the dough to cool (if the dough is too hot it will cook the eggs). It should be no more than slightly warm. Using a wooden spoon, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Each time you add an egg, the dough and egg will separate but keep stirring and they will come back together. Make sure you mix in one egg thoroughly before adding another one. The dough cannot absorb all of the eggs at one time. Once it’s mixed, mix for about 1 additional minute. The finished dough should be smooth and silky.

Piping the choux pastry

Making a template (optional):

If you have a hard time judging what size to pipe the choux pastry, you might opt to use a template as I did here. It helps to ensure all of your pastry shells are about the same size. I drew 2-inch round circles on my template but I actually piped the pastry about 1.5-inches in diameter. Here’s all I did…I used a round 2-inch cookie/biscuit cutter and traced around it with a pencil on a piece of parchemtn paper. I did this for 2 large cookie sheets. Then I flipped the paper over. That simple!

Piping:

1. Using a large round piping tip, (I used Wilton 2A, but you can also use a 1A), pipe 2-inch rounds of the dough, about 1-inch high onto the circle templates.
2. Here’s how: Place the piping bag perpendicular (straight up and down) to the parchment paper, holding the tip over the center of the circle. Apply even pressure, allowing the cream puffs to expand in both width and height. When you’re finished piping one, do not pull the tip straight up. Instead, swirl the tip when you are done and quickly pull away.
3. After you’ve piped all of them, dip your finger tip in water and gently tap on the point of the swirl to smooth it. 
4. Egg wash: Whisk together the egg and water. Gently brush the egg wash over the top of each cream puff.

Baking the choux pastry shells

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Bake the cream puffs for approximately 30 to 35 minutes until they are golden brown on top. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR WHILE THEY ARE BAKING! Cool air will cause them to collapse. Once they are baked, allow them to cool completely on the baking sheets. 
3. Once cooled, use a serrated knife to cut them in half and fill with the pastry cream or pierce the side of each one with a skewer and fill with the pastry cream or your favorite filling.

A perfect pastry shell

The picture below shows what a perfect pastry shell should look like. They should be light, airy, and crisp. The insides should be completely dry. More in my tips!

Tips for making perfect choux pastry

• Make sure you don’t open the oven door while the pastry shells are baking. The sudden change in temperature will cause them to deflate.
• Make sure you allow the pastry shells to completely dry out before filling them.
• Measure the flour correctly. If you can’t weigh the flour, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a butter knife.
• Not all eggs are precisely the same size. This pastry dough calls for large eggs. Whether you use storebought or your own fresh eggs, the size of the yolks can vary. Therefore, don’t add the last egg until you’re sure you need it. The dough should be shiny, smooth, silky, and slowly drop from the mixing paddle. If your dough is almost there but not quite, you might only need 1/2 of an egg yolk. That’s right. Nothing says you must use the whole egg.
• Once you pipe the choux pastry onto the baking sheets, dip your finger in water and smooth down the tips on the tops. This prevents them from burning.
• It’s imperative that the cooked choux pastry mixture is no hotter than warm when you add the egg yolks. If it’s too hot you’ll cook the egg yolks.

Can I make the pastry shells ahead of time?

You can make the pastry shells up to 2 days in advance. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They won’t be as crisp as the day they were made. However, you can crisp them up by placing them in a 300-degree oven for about 10 minutes. Make sure you allow them to cool completely before filling them.

Can I freeze the finished cream puffs?

You can freeze the finished cream puffs or the empty shells for up to 3 months. However, they won’t be crisp when thawed. Place them in the freezer on a cookie sheet for about 30 minutes. Then place them in an airtight container and freeze.

You might also like… Homemade Coconut Eclairs.

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Cream Puffs

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• Author: Cindy @mycountrytable
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
• Yield: 18 1x
• Category: dessert
• Method: bake
• Cuisine: French

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Description

These Cream Puffs have a light and delicate choux pastry shell and a delicious pastry cream filling. Once you make them one time, you’ll see they aren’t hard and you’ll make them time and time again!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Pastry Cream (You can make this step the day before)

• 6 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup milk, preferably whole
• 1 cup half & half
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, (or you can use one scraped vanilla bean)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, preferably soft
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Pate a Choux (the dough)

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter cut up into pieces (to melt quicker)
• 1 cup water
• 5 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 to 4 large eggs, room temperature

Egg Wash:

• 1 large egg plus 1 tablespoon of water

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Instructions

Pastry Cream (You can make this step the day before)

1. Cook the pastry cream: Add the the egg yolks and cornstarch to a 2-cup measuring cup or small bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
2. Add the milk, half & half granulated sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan. Stirring frequently, bring to a simmer over medium heat (the mixture should have bubbles forming around the edges and be scalding hot).
3. Temper the eggs: Remove the pan from the heat and pour about 1/3 of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, and immediately whisk vigorously for about 30 seconds. This is called tempering the eggs. If you add the egg yolks directly to the hot mixture it will cook them and turn them into pieces of scrambled egg. 
4. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and return the pan over medium heat. Whisk the mixture constantly until the mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla.
5. Chill the pastry cream: Pour the pastry cream into a glass bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the top of the pastry cream. This keeps a skim from forming on top. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate the pastry cream at least 4 hours or overnight.

Pate a Choux (the dough)

1. Cook the Pate a Choux (dough): Add the butter, water, sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the butter melts and comes to a simmer around the edges. Using a wooden spoon, add the flour all at one time and quickly stir it in. Continue stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan, and there is a film on the bottom of the pan, about 1  minute. The dough should come together and form a loose ball.
2. Mix the Pate a Choux (dough): Stand Mixer – Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed until the dough has slightly cooled, about 1 minute. It should be no more than slightly warm. If the dough is too hot it will cook the eggs. Increase speed to medium. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Make sure to only add one egg at a time and thoroughly mix before adding the next egg. The dough cannot absorb all of the eggs at one time. The egg and dough will separate at first but don’t worry, they will come back together.  Once it’s mixed, mix for about 1 additional minute.  The finished dough should be smooth and silky.                                                          
3. Cream Puff Templates: Cut two pieces of parchment paper big enough to fit two large cookie sheets. Using a 2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter and a pencil, trace circles onto the parchment paper, leaving plenty of room between them. Try to draw about 9 circles on the parchment paper, making sure they are plenty dark enough. This will be your piping template. This recipe will make between 18 to 20 cream puffs. Turn the templates upside down, (pencil face down) in each pan. 
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
5. Piping: Using a large round piping tip, (I used Wilton 2A, but you can also use a 1A), pipe 2-inch rounds of the dough, about 1-inch high onto the circle templates. Here’s how: Place the piping bag perpendicular (straight up and down) to the parchment paper, holding the tip over the center of the circle. Apply even pressure, allowing the cream puffs to expand in both width and height. When you’re finished piping one, do not pull the tip straight up. Instead, swirl the tip when you are done and quickly pull away. After you’ve piped all of them, dip your finger tip in water and gently tap on the point of the swirl to smooth it. 
6. Egg wash: Whisk together the egg and water. Gently brush the egg wash over the top of each cream puff.
7. Baking: Bake the cream puffs for approximately 30 to 35 minutes, until they are golden brown on top. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR WHILE THEY ARE BAKING! Cool air will cause them to collapse. Once they are baked, allow them to cool completely on the baking sheets.  
8. Finishing the pastry cream: Remove the pastry cream from the refrigerator. Use a whisk to break up the cold pastry cream and make it smooth. Whip the 1 cup of heavy whipping cream in a stand mixer until it’s very thick. Fold the pastry cream into the whipped cream.
9. Assembling the pastry shells:  Attach a star tip to a piping bag and fill the bag with the pastry cream. Using a serrated knife, cut the tops off of the cooled pastry shell. If you prefer, you can remove some of the soft strands inside. Pipe the pastry cream into each pastry shell and place the top. Dust the tops with powdered sugar. 
10. Cream Puffs are best the day they’re made. However, they are still pretty yummy the next day, just not quite as crispy.

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Notes

• Large Bowl – You can also mix the dough by hand in a large bowl. Transfer the dough to a large bowl. Allow the dough to cool (if the dough is too hot it will cook the eggs). It should be no more than slightly warm. Using a wooden spoon, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Each time you add an egg, the dough and egg will separate but keep stirring and they will come back together. Make sure you mix in one egg thoroughly before adding another one. The dough cannot absorb all of the eggs at one time. Once it’s mixed, mix for about 1 additional minute. The finished dough should be smooth and silky.