Cream Puffs

As a kid, pastries with filling inside fascinated me. I always wondered how cream puffs had so much cream inside, how a jelly donut was made, and how my favorite blueberry buns at 85˚ had their creamy filling inside of bread. I figured one of those out: cream puffs. After many varied attempts (Oreos, burned éclairs), I finally figured out how to create a light and airy bun.

Cream puffs are made using choux pastry. Choux pastry originated in renaissance France and is made from a rich, double cooked batter that is leavened entirely by steam. It is used to make cream puffs/profiteroles, éclairs, and beignets. The dough is first cooked on the stove to evaporate some of the water and bring it to the right consistency. When it is baked in the oven, the remaining water evaporates and leaves behind a light, airy bun with plenty of room for filling.

Making choux pastry definitely takes a lot of trial and error. I have compiled some helpful resources that provide more information on making choux, knowing when it is the right consistency, and troubleshooting if something goes wrong.

Resources

• The Spruce Eats Classic Homemade Choux Pastry

• The Spruce Eats What is Choux

• The Flavor Bender How to make Perfect Choux Pastry

Ingredients

• 1/2 c butter

• 1 c water

• 1 c flour (measure by weight using 120 g)

• 1 T vanilla

• 3-4 eggs

Custard Filling

• 2 c milk

• 1/4 c + 2 T (6 T total) sugar

• 3 T cornstarch

• 2 eggs (or 4 egg yolks for a more rich flavor)

• 1 t vanilla

• 1/4 t salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F (425˚F on my oven).

2. Choux pastry. Melt butter and water in a medium sized pan until boiling. Add in all the flour and mix together into a ball for 1-2 minutes. Take off the heat and transfer into a large bowl to cool. Spread the dough around the sides of the bowl to increase the surface area.

3. Once the mixture is warm (if it is too hot it will cook the eggs), add the vanilla and one egg. Mix together. Add two more eggs, one at a time. It can be helpful to use an electric beater on the lowest setting. Test the batter to see if it is the right consistency. If it is too thick, add an extra egg. I usually always end up using 4 eggs. You can use the finger test or the V test to check the batter.

4. Pipe the batter onto a parchment paper lined baking tray into little mounds. They should be about the size of a strawberry (1.5 inch base) and spaced 2 inches apart. The recipe makes about 25 cream puffs.

5. Bake for 20-24 minutes until puffs are golden brown and well risen. Alternatively, bake at 425˚F for 10 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 375˚F for an additional 15 minutes.

6. Custard. Bring milk and sugar to a boil on low to medium heat.

7. Take off the heat and let cool for 2-4 minutes.

8. In a separate bowl, lightly whip eggs. Sift in cornstarch (VERY IMPORTANT) and salt. Mix until as even as possible.

9. Add the egg mixture into the milk WHILE WHISKING. Cook on low to medium heat until mixture boils, whisking constantly to prevent lumps.

10. Take off the heat and add vanilla.

11. Let cool in fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour before using.

12. Assembly. Fill a piping bag with a long narrow tip with custard (or filling of your choice). Poke a hole at the bottom or sides of the cream puffs. Your puffs should be very airy with plenty of room inside for filling. Fill cream puffs using the piping bag. Top with powdered sugar, melted chocolate, or ganache.