🥯 Classic Cream Puffs Recipe

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🥯 Classic Cream Puffs Recipe

1. The Pastry (Choux)

  • 1/2 cup Unsalted butter

  • 1 cup Water

  • 1/4 tsp Salt

  • 1 cup All-purpose flour

  • 4 Large eggs (room temperature)

2. The Filling (Pastry Cream)

  • 2 cups Whole milk

  • 1/2 cup Sugar

  • 1/4 cup Cornstarch

  • 4 Egg yolks

  • 2 tbsp Butter

  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Make the Filling First

  1. Whisk: In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth.

  2. Heat: In a saucepan, bring milk to a simmer. Slowly pour half of the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly (to temper the eggs).

  3. Thicken: Pour everything back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until it thickens into a pudding-like consistency.

  4. Finish: Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap (touching the surface so a skin doesn’t form) and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Make the Shells

  1. Boil: Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). In a pot, combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil.

  2. Stir: Remove from heat and dump in all the flour at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a ball forms and pulls away from the sides.

  3. Cool & Eggs: Let the dough cool for 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each egg until the dough is glossy and “v-shaped” when you lift the spoon.

  4. Bake: Pipe or spoon rounds onto a parchment-lined tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and firm.

    • Pro Tip: Poke a small hole in the side of each puff after baking to let steam escape—this keeps them from getting soggy!

Assembly

Once the shells are completely cool, either slice the tops off or use a piping bag to inject the chilled pastry cream into the center.

Fun Fact: If you freeze these after filling them and dip them in chocolate sauce, you’ve officially made Profiteroles!

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