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Cream Puffs are a delicate, bite-sized pastry that is filled with a delicious homemade custard and whipped cream. Contrary to popular belief, they are really simple but feel extremely fancy.
Did you know cream puffs are named after little cabbages? They are made from classic pâte à choux pastry dough. In French, choux (pronounced shoo) means cabbage and pâte means paste. So we are making cute, mini cabbages.
You only need 5 simple ingredients to make the choux dough: water, butter, salt, flour, and eggs. To make the dough, you’ll start by boiling water, milk, and butter on the stove. Then add the flour and keep stirring. Now add the eggs in one at a time. This is an important step because the eggs act as a leavening agent and no one likes a flat cream puff.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- At first glance homemade cream puffs can seem complicated, but they are actually really easy. In fact, my 13 year old can make them!
- These are the perfect little dessert for parties, showers, or a girls night.
- Once you master making pâte à choux, the door will open for other pastries made with this same dough. Think eclairs and profiteroles. The possibilities are endless and it is always fun to expand your culinary skills.
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter – Salted or unsalted
- Flour – All-purpose
- Eggs
- Whole milk
- Heavy cream – Whipped
- Sugar – Granulated
- Cornstarch
- Vanilla extract
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Cream Puffs
Step #1. Boil water and butter, stir in flour, cool 5 minutes, then beat in eggs one at a time.
Step #2. Pipe onto a baking sheet, bake 35-40 minutes, and cool.
Step #3. Make the pastry cream filling and whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
Step #4. Cut tops off pastries, fill with pastry cream and whipped cream, and dust with powdered sugar.
Recipe FAQs
Wait until your cream puffs are completely cooled before filling them. I like to make my filling while the pastries are cooling.
You can make cream puffs 2-3 days in advance. Just keep the shell and the filling separate. Be sure to store them in the refrigerator in an airtight containers. Fill before serving.
Using your oven light, watch for the cream puffs to look golden brown and firm. Don’t under bake, even if they are looking nice and brown, follow the recipe timing. A few times I took them out too soon and they’ll collapse when they are under baked.
Cream puffs can deflate for a few reasons. Make sure the oven is completely preheated before putting the cream puffs in. These pastries require being baked at a high temperature. Refrain from opening the oven door because that will cool the oven down and could cause the pastries to flatten. Under baking will also cause them to flatten as they cool.
Expert Tips
- Use just the end of the open piping bag, or a large round tip for consistent size and shape of pastry.
- Ensure the milk mixture for the pastry cream doesn’t boil, as boiling can cause the eggs to curdle. Keep the heat medium and watch closely.
- Refrain from opening the oven door because that will cool the oven down and could cause the pastries to flatten. Under baking will also cause them to flatten as they cool.
- Chill the pastry cream completely before filling to avoid melting the whipped cream. You can speed this up by placing it in an ice bath.
- You can fold the whipped heavy cream into the chilled pastry cream (I make it ahead of time and chill overnight), so it makes a fluffy version of the pastry cream. Both are delicious options.
How to Serve and Store Cream Puffs
Cream puffs are a perfect addition to a decadent brunch. Serve them alongside a fruit platter, a cheese board , hummus platter, or artichoke dip. You can also drizzle chocolate or caramel sauce on your puffs!
You can make cream puffs 2-3 days in advance. Just keep the shell and the filling separate. Be sure to store them in the refrigerator in an airtight containers. Unfilled cream puff shells can be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before filling. Place parchment paper between layers of cream puffs to prevent sticking. Store filled cream puffs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
More Sandwich Cookie Recipes to Consider
Snacks for Kids
Quick and Easy Oven S’mores
Sandwich Cookies
Whoopie Pies
Halloween Recipes
Easy Oreo Spider Halloween Snacks
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Cream Puffs
Ingredients
For the Pastry:
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup butter, salted or unsalted
- 1 cup flour
- 4 eggs
For the Filling:
- 2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Instructions
To make the pastry:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat and set aside.
- Add the water and butter to medium sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling turn heat to low and add flour all at once; stir vigorously for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, and beat very well between each addition. The mixture will go from slimy and wet looking to smooth and uniform after each addition. This takes a little elbow grease or you can use a stand mixer if you prefer.
- Put the warm dough in a large piping bag (I don’t use a tip, just the end of the open bag, you can use a large plain round tip if you’d like).
- Pipe into mounds on parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 ½ inches wide and tall.
- Bake 35-40 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature (about an hour) before filling.
To make the pastry cream filling:
- In a large saucepan, bring the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar up to 180 degrees over medium heat, stirring very often. The mixture should be hot and start to steam across the top, but should not boil.
- While the milk is heating, mix the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of sugar together in a medium bowl.
- Add the egg yolks and whole egg to the cornstarch mixture and whisk to combine well.
- When the milk is hot, slowly whisk one cup of hot milk into the egg mixture and then whisk the egg mixture back into the pan of hot milk.
- Cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken, stirring constantly, about 6 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in butter, and vanilla.
- Let filling cool completely before filling pastry.
To assemble:
- Cut off top of the pastry.
- Fill the bottom of the pastry up with the pastry cream filling. Fill the top with the whipped cream.
- Put the top on bottom and repeat with remaining pastries, pastry cream, and whipped cream.
- Sprinkle the tops with powdered sugar and serve!
Notes
- My sister in law Beth makes these and pipes the pastry cream and whipped cream in separately. I whipped the cream and fold it into the chilled pastry cream (I make it ahead of time and chill overnight), so it makes a fluffy version of the pastry cream. Both are delicious options.
- Ensure the milk mixture for the pastry cream doesn’t boil, as boiling can cause the eggs to curdle. Keep the heat medium and watch closely.
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- Refrain from opening the oven door because that will cool the oven down and could cause the pastries to flatten. Under baking will also cause them to flatten as they cool.
- You can also fill these with a little fruit or jam in addition to the pastry cream. You can also drizzle chocolate on top if you’d like.
- If you want to make the cream puffs and fill them with chicken salad, it’s a fun dish to serve at a party!
Hi so do you have to use a piping bag? I have seen people just use a spoon
Of course, if you prefer!