Cream Puffs Recipe (Step by Step Choux Pastry)
This cream puffs recipe is a basic choux pastry, and is not difficult to make. You can easily make other pastries and eclairs with this pastry, too.
When you realize how easy cream puffs are to make, you’ll become enamored of this impressive little pastry!
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This pastry story starts at a housewarming party in 1991 (don’t worry, it’s short and funny.) After my husband and I had just purchased our very first home in North Hollywood, California, we had invited a few friends to join us in celebrating the event. Among the invited guests were my husband’s good friends, Jon and Dave, who happen to be cousins.
At one point during the evening, one of my girlfriends approached me and asked, “Who is the guy over there with the big hair?” referring to Jon, who had a lot of hair at the time. I told her he was my husband’s friend, but I wanted to know why she was asking. She informed me that he had been warning our guests who were just arriving not to eat the cream puffs as they were bad!
Well, you can imagine the earful I gave Jon. And apparently Cousin Dave had been his partner in crime, also dissuading party guests from eating the cream puffs, so they could both have more for themselves!
The “cream puff incident” has been a topic of conversation for over 20 years now, and we often laugh and make references to it. Jon likes to call them “profiteroles,” emphasizing the second syllable and sounding as if he gets as much joy out of uttering the word as he does from eating them.
Dave has been dropping hints about me making him cream puffs for years (since he lives nearby.)
You may also enjoy my step by step cinnamon roll recipe.
Last year I had wanted to make Dave some cream puffs for his birthday. His birthday is a few days before Christmas, and I was so harried and busy, I just never got around to it. However, this year I did write on my 2012 calendar “make David cream puffs for his birthday,” which just happened to be his 50th! So I made it a point to make them!
Here is a photo of Dave with his cream puffs–finally! It was a long wait, but he was a happy camper!
And here’s the recipe, especially for Jon and Dave, so they can make their own cream puffs! Also, if you don’t want to make the filling, you can substitute freshly whipped cream, but you won’t know what you’re missing!
Cream Puffs (Choux Pastry)
filling adapted from Good Housekeeping Illustrated Book of Desserts makes 14
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- butter
- water
- flour
- eggs
Filling
- one recipe of Homemade Custard, using all the same ingredients, (milk reduced to 3/4 cup (6 oz)
- heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks
- Grand Marnier liqueur
Chocolate Ganache (optional)
- dark chocolate
- heavy whipping cream
To Dust
- Confectioner’s sugar
Directions
Heat oven to 400ºF.
First prepare the choux pastry, by placing the butter and water in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, until it comes to a rolling boil.
Add the flour, all at once, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for about a minute…
…until the mixture forms a ball.
Remove from heat, and add an egg, beating well, until well incorporated, before adding the next.
Repeat with remaining eggs, until. the batter is smooth and satiny.
Place spoonfuls of the batter onto a prepared baking sheet, about 3″ apart.
Bake for about 30 minutes. Turn off oven, and leave for 10 minutes, then place on cooling rack. While the cream puffs are baking, make the filling and chocolate glaze (see recipes below.)
How to make the filling:
Whisk the prepared custard, and allow to cool, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t form a skin.
Fold in the whipped cream, until evenly blended. Keep covered and refrigerated until needed.
Make the chocolate glaze by placing the chocolate and cream together in a small pot until the chocolate is melted. Set aside.
When the cream puffs are cool, slice in half and remove any filaments of raw dough with spoon.
Fill each cream puff with a spoonful of filling.
Decorate with the chocolate glaze.
Alternately, you can just dust the cream puffs with powdered sugar.
Refrigerate if not serving immediately, but they are best served right away.
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Cream Puffs (Choux Pastry Recipe)
Ingredients
Cream Puffs:
- ½ cup butter (good quality)
- 8 oz water
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 4 eggs at room temperature
Filling:
- 1 recipe Homemade Custard (printable card below using all the same ingredients, but reduce the milk to ¾ cup or 175 ml)
- 6 oz heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp Grand Marnier liqueur
Chocolate Ganache(optional):
- ¼ cup dark chocolate
- 1 ½ oz heavy whipping cream
Alternative Topping:
- 1 Tbsp Confectioner's sugar as needed
Instructions
Make the Choux Pastry:
- Heat oven to 400ºF.
- First prepare the choux pastry, by placing the butter and water in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat, until it comes to a rolling boil.
- Add the flour, all at once, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for about a minute until the mixture forms a ball.
- Remove from heat, and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Add an egg, beating well, until well incorporated, before adding the next. Repeat with remaining eggs until. the batter is smooth and satiny.
- Place spoonfuls of the batter onto a prepared baking sheet, about 3" apart.
- Bake for about 30 minutes. Turn off oven, and leave for 10 minutes, then place on cooling rack. While the cream puffs are baking, make the filling and chocolate glaze (see recipes below.)
Make the Filling:
- Whisk the prepared custard, and allow to cool, stirring occasionally so it doesn't form a skin. Add the Grand Marnier.
- Fold in the whipped cream, until evenly blended. Keep covered and refrigerated until needed.
Make the Chocolate Glaze:
- Be sure to make this just before you want to finish your cream puffs.
- Make the chocolate glaze by placing the chocolate and cream together in a small pot and stir until the chocolate is melted and the consistency is smooth.
Assemble:
- When the cream puffs are cool, slice in half (don't go all the way through so the top and bottom are still attached) and remove any filaments of raw dough with a spoon or even your fingers.
- Fill each cream puff with some of the cream filling (or freshly whipped cream).
Decorate:
- Coat the tops with the chocolate glaze. Refrigerate for ½ hour or so to set the glaze.
- Alternately, you can dust the cream puffs with powdered sugar.
- Best when served as soon as possible.
Notes
- Nutrition information is given for cream puff filled with custard filling and dusted with powdered sugar.
Nutrition
Real, Homemade Custard
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- ½ vanilla bean (or a few drops of vanilla)
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tsp sugar (more or less, as desired)
- 1 tsp corn starch
Instructions
- Split open the vanilla bean and place in a small pot along with the milk. Heat over medium low heat, meanwhile, prepare the rest of the custard.
- In a small bowl, whisk the yolks, sugar and corn starch together until well combined.
- When the milk begins to simmer, remove the vanilla bean and pour about half a cup of hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking quickly. Add the rest of the milk, then whisk and return to the pot.
- Heat over medium heat and continue stirring, taking care that the custard doesn't stick or burn, using a wooden spoon is best at this point (the photo below is before I switched to the wooden spoon)! Add the vanilla extract if not using the vanilla bean. Continue to stir until the custard begins to thicken.
- Remove from heat, use as desired. If pouring over a dessert, use immediately.
Notes
- Using vanilla bean is far superior in flavor.
- Add less sugar to start, then add more to taste.
Nutrition
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That is such a cute story! I love cream puffs. My mom makes them every Christmas for our celebration. I love your step by step instructions! Going to pin this for the future. I hope you’ll stop by this Friday and join our Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party! Enjoy your New Years!
Thanks so much for your comment, Lois! I’m SO sorry I missed seeing it when you posted it! Better late than never, though! :) CC
What a great funny story! That just proves that these puffs are realy fantastic! :D
They definitely thought so! Ha ha! :)
Those look incredible, it’s been a while since I’ve made choux and after seeing your gorgeous cream puffs I know this is something I have to make asap. I love that you use the boxed stuff, like you I always make things homemade but hey if this works you don’t argue with success. It’s so much easier too, Saving this recipe and make it when I am snowed in this weekend.
I like how you already know you’re going to be snowed in this weekend, Suzanne! I used to live in Michigan, so I can relate! Let me know how these turn out for you! Happy New Year! CC