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.
Notes
I found a scoop is a more consistent sized cream puff yet both methods tested well.The cream puffs will roll around a bit once cooked, best to use a cooking sheet that has a rim around it. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for approximately 10 minutes. While these are cooling, prepare the whipped cream filling.Serving size is two Cream Puffs with filling.