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Homemade Cream Puffs

Light and airy cream puffs filled with vanilla pastry cream and dusted with powdered sugar. They are such a comfort dessert and sure to be a hit for any occasion!
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Course: Dessert
Keyword: Cream Puffs, Cream Puffs Recipe, Homemade Cream Puffs, How To Make Cream Puffs, Pastry Cream
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 18 cream puffs

Ingredients

For Cream Puffs

  • 1 cup (130g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon (5g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) water
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
  • 4 large eggs room temperature

For Pastry Cream Filling

  • 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons (23g) cornstarch
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 4 egg yolks room temperature
  • 2 cups (480ml) whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract

For Dusting

  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

Make Pastry Cream

  • Make pastry cream. In a medium bowl, whisking the egg yolks, sugar, salt and vanilla until it’s creamy and pale, then add in the cornstarch and mix. Set aside.
  • In a saucepan bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat. Once it reaches the simmering point, remove from the heat. Quickly and carefully pour half of the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly the egg mixture to prevent eggs from curdling.
  • Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture begins to thicken and comes to a boil. Remove from heat then stir in butter and whisk until completely melted and smooth. If there are any big lumps remained, you can smooth out the cream by straining through a sieve to separate the clumps from the pastry cream.
  • Cover the surface of the pastry cream with a plastic wrap (press directly onto surface) to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool and chill in the fridge.

Make Cream Puffs

  • Preheat oven to 400°F/204°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Prepare the choux pastry dough. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, water, milk, salt, and granulated sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stirring occasionally. Bring mixture just to a boil then reduce to low heat and add in flour all at once. Continue stirring until the flour is incorporated and the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan, forming a smooth dough ball. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool down for a few minutes before adding the eggs.
  • Use a stand mixer (or a handheld mixer) fitted with a paddle attachment to beat 4 eggs and vanilla extract on a low speed, one at a time, beat well after each addition until fully incorporated. Once all of the eggs have been added, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix again to ensure everything is fully incorporated, an additional 5 to 10 seconds. The dough will become smooth and shiny and can form a thick ribbon when pulled up.
  • Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip (I use Wilton 1A tip). Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days in a piping bag or with a piece of plastic wrap pressed onto the surface.
  • Bake cream puffs. Pipe the choux pastry dough onto prepared baking sheets into 18 small mounds (or 14 medium mounds). Keep 2 inch apart between the puffs. Smooth the peaks out with your finger lightly dipped with water. Bake at 400˚F for 15 minutes then reduce temperature to 350˚F and bake 20-22 min longer or until golden brown on top. Make sure not to open the oven while they are baking or cream puffs will deflate. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before adding filling.
  • Fill cream puffs. Slice the puffs in half and pipe pastry cream onto the bottom of the puff using a pastry bag fitted with a piping tip (I use Wilton 1M), then cover with the top half. You can also poke a hold on the bottom of the puff and gently pipe until filled. Dust with powdered sugar and serve. Cream puffs are best served cold.

Notes

Storing: Filled cream puffs are best eaten the same day they are made and once you’ve filled the puffs, it’s best served cold (after chilling in a fridge for at least 1 hours). Puffs can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezing: Cream puffs can be kept frozen well for up to 2 months. Thaw to room temperature before serving.
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