Cream Puffs
Cream Puffs are adorable homemade treats that’ll make you feel like the fanciest home chef! Light and fluffy puff pastries are made from scratch and are stuffed with the BEST whipped cream filling. Top them off with chocolate sauce or powdered sugar and enjoy every perfect bite!
Cream Puffs
You know those lousy little Cream Puffs in the freezer section that are never really that great, no matter how well you follow the instructions on the box? You deserve so much better than that! Enjoy the finer things in life by making your own Cream Puffs from scratch. And don’t let that “from scratch” phrase scare you off because this recipe is pretty simple!
When Cream Puffs are made just right, they have the best light and fluffy consistency in both the pastry and the whipped cream filling. They should also be sweet, but in a delightfully subtle way. This recipe masters both the desired consistency and flavor of classic Cream Puffs perfectly! I’ve included plenty of tips and tricks to help you get through the step-by-step instructions with even more ease so they turn out delicious every single time.
If you want to feel even fancier when serving your homemade Cream Puffs, call them by their original French name – chou à la crème! I just call them little bites of heaven. Between the fluffy middles and the airy pastries themselves, they’re like biting into sweet little clouds! Serve these Cream Puffs at tea time, as your dinner party dessert, or whenever else the craving strikes.
What are Cream Puffs?
Also known as profiteroles, cream puffs are made with choux pastry dough (pate a choux) and filled with either a light, airy pastry cream, whipped cream or even ice cream.
Common in France and Italy, they can be topped with strawberry puree, chocolate sauce, powdered sugar, caramel sauce or just served as it.
How to Make Cream Puffs
Don’t stress, friends! This recipe is easy to follow. You’ll feel like a French pastry chef by the end of it!
- Boil. Mix the butter, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil for about 5-8 minutes, stirring every once in a while with a wooden spoon.
- Make the dough. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the flour all at once. Continue to stir constantly with your spoon until a dough ball forms. The goal of the dough here is to look like a really wet roux.
- Let it cool. Let the dough ball sit and cool for about 10 minutes. This is necessary to avoid the eggs cooking when they’re added!
- Add the eggs. Once the dough ball is cool, add the eggs one at a time. Mix after each addition until smooth.
- Bake. Drop the batter onto a prepared baking sheet, making sure each dollop is about 3 TBSP in size and 3 inches apart. Bake at 400°F for 28-30 minutes.
- Cool and make the filling. Let the puffs cool for about 10 minutes. While they’re cooling, make the filling by first combining the heavy cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
- Fill the puffs. Slice open each puff. Use a pastry bag with a star tip to fill each puff with the cream.
- Enjoy! Serve your Cream Puffs with chocolate sauce or a dusting of powdered sugar.
Tips for the BEST Cream Puffs
- Once cooked, the puffs will roll around a little bit on the baking sheet. It’s best to use a rimmed sheet so they don’t fall off!
- When whipping the cream, beat the ingredients together first on medium speed for about 2 minutes, then increase to high speed for an additional 1-2 minutes until those stiff peaks form.
- Be precise when placing the puff dough onto the baking sheet. Using a cookie scoop really helps! If the puffs are smaller or larger than one another, they won’t bake evenly.
How to Store Leftover Cream Puffs
In an airtight container in the fridge, leftover Cream Puffs will stay deliciously fresh for about 2-3 days.
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Get the Recipe: Cream Puffs Recipe
Ingredients
Choux Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 sticks
- 2 cup water
- 1/4 tsp salt, table
- 2 cup AP Flour
- 8 eggs
Whipped Cream Filling
- 4 cups heavy cream, cold
- ⅔ cup sugar, granulated
- 3 tsp clear vanilla extract
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium saucepan combine the butter, water and salt and bring to a boil, approximately 5-8 minutes stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
- Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball that doesn’t fall apart, an additional 1-2 minutes. (the goal of this dough is to look like a really wet roux.)
- Remove from the heat and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. (This cooling is necessary to avoid cooking the eggs when added.)
- Add the eggs, one at a time mixing until smooth after each egg.
- Drop about 3 TBSP of the batter onto a greased or parchment lined baking sheet about 3 inches apart. This can be done with a pastry bag, 1.5” around and about ½” high.
- Back for 28-30 minutes until golden brown.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the heavy cream, granulated sugar and vanilla extract. Beat on medium to medium speed for about 2 minutes then increase to high speed for an additional 1-2 minutes, until stiff peaks form.
- With a serrated knife, slice open each cream puff.
- Place the whipped cream in a pastry bag with a star tip to fill each puff with 2-3 TBSP of cream.
- Garnish with powdered sugar or drizzle your favorite chocolate sauce.