Description
This classic Cream Puffs Recipe delivers light, airy French pastries with a delicate golden shell and luscious whipped cream filling. Easy to prepare and endlessly customizable, these cream puffs combine effortless elegance and a melt-in-your-mouth texture, perfect for impressing guests or satisfying a sweet craving.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Choux Pastry:
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
For the Filling:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the Choux Dough: Combine water, butter, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Once boiling, add the flour all at once and stir vigorously until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the pan sides.
- Incorporate the Eggs: Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and let it cool slightly. Beat in the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next to build the dough’s structure essential for puffing.
- Pipe the Cream Puffs: Using a piping bag, form small mounds of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them to allow expansion during baking.
- Bake to Perfection: Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and puffed. After baking, turn off the oven and leave the door ajar for a few minutes to dry out the interiors.
- Prepare the Filling: Whip heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Alternatively, use pastry cream or custard for a richer filling.
- Assemble the Cream Puffs: Once shells are cool, slice open or poke a hole on the bottom, then pipe in the whipped cream or custard filling using a piping bag.
Notes
- Use fresh, room temperature eggs for better dough consistency and rise.
- Do not open the oven door during the first 20 minutes of baking to prevent collapse.
- Leave oven door slightly open after baking to dry out the interior, ensuring crispiness.
- Use a round piping tip or cut piping bag for uniform puff shapes.
- Fill cream puffs just before serving to keep shells crisp.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cream puff
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 100mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 110mg