Description
Classic French Cream Puffs feature delicate choux pastry shells filled with a luscious homemade vanilla pastry cream. This recipe guides you through making the perfect airy puffs and a rich, silky custard filling, resulting in an elegant dessert that’s light yet indulgent. Enjoy dusted with powdered sugar for a beautiful finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Pastry Cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- â…“ cup + 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar (divided)
- 1 vanilla bean (split in half lengthwise)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 large egg yolks (room temperature)
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (softened and cut into 4 pieces)
Choux Pastry
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup unsalted butter (cut into 8 pieces)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 4 large eggs (room temperature)
Finishing
- Powdered sugar (for dusting cream puffs)
Instructions
- Prepare Pastry Cream: Combine cream, milk, â…“ cup sugar, vanilla bean, and salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring frequently until sugar dissolves and mixture simmers. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Mix Egg Mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 3 tablespoons sugar for 15 seconds until sugar begins dissolving. Sprinkle cornstarch over mixture and whisk until combined and slightly thickened.
- Temper Eggs: Slowly drizzle about â…“ cup of warm cream mixture into egg mixture while whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Continue whisking as you gradually add the rest of the cream mixture until fully combined.
- Cook Pastry Cream: Return combined mixture to saucepan and heat over medium heat, whisking frequently until thickened. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl, discarding the vanilla bean pod.
- Add Butter: Whisk in softened butter pieces one at a time until fully incorporated. If not using vanilla bean, stir in vanilla extract now. Cover surface with plastic wrap to prevent skin formation and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours to chill.
- Prepare Choux Pastry: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring water, butter, and salt to rolling boil.
- Add Flour: Remove from heat and immediately add flour. Return to medium/low heat and stir constantly until dough forms a ball and pulls away from sides of pan.
- Cool Dough and Add Eggs: Remove from heat and stir to cool dough for a few minutes. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition until mixture is smooth and glossy.
- Pipe Choux Mounds: Transfer dough to piping bag fitted with round tip. Pipe mounds approximately 2 inches wide and 1 inch tall, spacing 1.5 inches apart on prepared sheets. Moisten fingers with water to smooth any peaks.
- Bake Puffs: Bake for 30 minutes until dry and light golden brown. Remove from oven and use a sharp knife to pierce bottom center of each puff halfway through to release steam.
- Dry Puffs in Oven: Return puffs to oven, turn oven off, and crack door open. Let them dry inside oven for 10 minutes. Remove and cool completely on baking sheets.
- Fill Puffs with Pastry Cream: Transfer chilled pastry cream into piping bag with small tip. Insert tip into each puff’s hole and fill until cream begins to emerge.
- Finish and Serve: Lightly dust filled cream puffs with powdered sugar just before serving to preserve texture. Store leftovers in airtight container in refrigerator for 2-3 days or freeze for longer storage.
Notes
- Tempering the eggs with warm cream is crucial to avoid cooking scrambled eggs.
- Be sure to pierce the cream puffs after baking to let steam escape and prevent sogginess.
- Vanilla bean gives the pastry cream an intense flavor, but vanilla extract is an acceptable alternative.
- Use room temperature eggs for better incorporation into dough.
- Store cream puffs unfilled at room temperature up to a day, but fill only when ready to serve for best texture.
