These light and airy cream puffs make for a great dessert to share and impress! This recipe is way easier than you might imagine and just as delicious.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe are affordable and items you are likely to already have at home.
- For the filling: heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Unsalted butter
- Whole milk: Be sure not to use the nonfat or reduced fat versions as they do make a difference in the pastry.
- Cold water: While you do end up heating the water in the skillet, initially cold water seems to make the pastry more light and fluffy than warm water.
- Sugar and salt: Omit the salt if you used unsalted butter.
- All-purpose flour
- Eggs
Making the Cream Puffs
Begin by adding your heavy whipping cream, cane sugar, and vanilla extract into a large bowl. Use an electric or stand mixer to mix until you form stiff peaks. Be sure not to over-mix because your filling will turn out lumpy!
In a medium saucepan, add your milk, water, sugar, salt and butter over medium heat until it begins to boil, then remove the pan from the heat. Add the entire cup of flour into the saucepan and mix. Return the pan over medium heat and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the dough forms a ball and forms long ribbons when pulled.
Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl and mix to cool down. Once the dough has cooled, begin adding 1 egg at a time, mixing in between each egg. Transfer the dough to a piping bag or ziplock bag with a cut corner. Pipe the dough into small mounds at least 1 inch apart
Bake at 425ºF for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes while the cream puffs are still in the oven, decrease the baking temperature to 325ºF. Bake for another 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown all over. Allow cream puffs to cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, slice each puff 1/3 of the way up and pipe the whipped cream filling into the pastry. Top with powdered sugar and serve.
Cream Puffs
Ingredients
Whipped Cream Filling
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 4 tbsp cane sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Choux Pastry
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 tsp cane sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup AP flour
- 4 eggs
- powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
To Prepare Whipped Cream Filling
- In a large bowl, combine heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Whisk with an electric mixer until stiff peaks are formed
To Prepare the Cream Puffs
- Add butter, milk, water, sugar, and salt into a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until it just starts to boil.
- Remove from heat, add in all the flour and mix together.
- Place back onto the heat and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the dough comes together like a ball.
- Move the dough to a large mixing bowl and mix to cool down.
- Add in each of the 4 eggs, one at a time. Mix in between each egg addition until combined.
- Pipe the dough into small (1 1/2") mounds using a gallon ziplock or piping bag. Place at least 1" apart.
- Bake at 425ºF for 10 minutes. Decrease bake temp to 325ºF and bake for another 20-25 minutes until everything is golden brown.
- Allow puffs to completely cool on a wire rack.
- Once cooled, cut 1/3 of the way up from the bottom, add whipped cream filling, and top with powdered sugar.
