Description
Delight in these classic French cream puffs made with light, airy choux pastry filled with sweet, fluffy whipped cream. Perfectly golden and crisp on the outside with a luscious, creamy filling, these cream puffs are an elegant dessert that’s surprisingly simple to make at home.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
Filling:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet: Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Make the dough: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, then add the flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a smooth dough. Cook for 1–2 minutes to remove excess moisture.
- Cool dough and add eggs: Remove the pan from heat and let the dough cool for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until the dough is smooth and glossy, indicating it’s properly emulsified.
- Shape and bake: Drop tablespoon-sized mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow room for puffing. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until puffed and golden; avoid opening the oven during baking to prevent collapse.
- Cool the puffs: Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack to maintain their crisp texture.
- Prepare the filling: Beat heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form, ensuring the filling is light but stable.
- Assemble the cream puffs: Slice each puff in half horizontally and fill generously with whipped cream. Replace the tops and dust with extra powdered sugar before serving for a beautiful finish.
Notes
- Cream puffs can also be filled with custard, pastry cream, or ice cream instead of whipped cream for variety.
- Store unfilled cream puffs in an airtight container for up to 2 days to maintain freshness.
- For longer storage, freeze the unfilled puffs and thaw before filling.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cream puff
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 85mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 90mg
