Cream puffs, sometimes also called profiteroles, are french choux pastries that are light in texture but tastes rich and buttery and usually filled with sweetened whipped cream. These pastries are actually extremely easy to make and tastes amazing with afternoon tea and coffee, or simply as a snack.
You can make cream puffs small or large. These palm size versions are inspired by Mash's cream puffs from Mashle: Magic and Muscles anime. They are enormous and is perfect for those of us who love whipped cream.
Ingredients needed
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
- Milk, water, butter - These three are the wet ingredients needed to make the choux pastry. A mixture of milk and water ensures that the dough is flavorful but not too heavy, while the butter makes the pastry rich and buttery.
- Granulated sugar and salt - For seasoning the choux pastry.
- All-purpose flour - The main dry ingredient to make the choux pastry dough. Don't use bread flour as it will make the pastry too dense.
- Eggs - These are added to to thin out the choux pastry dough to the right consistency and they are also what makes choux pastries puff up!
- Heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract - These three ingredients are for making the whipped cream filling. Vanilla extract is highly recommend for best flavor.
- Powdered sugar - This is optional for dusting the tops of the cream puff.
How to make cream puffs
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and instructions!
Make the choux pastry dough:
1. Heat wet ingredients. Add the milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt to a saucepan over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until the butter melts, then bring the mixture to a simmer. Remove from heat.
2. Add flour. To the hot mixture, immediately add all of the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined and a dough forms.
3. Cook dough. Place the saucepan back on the stove, over low to medium low heat, and cook the dough by stirring constantly until a thin film forms at the bottom and sides of the pan and the dough is smooth and no longer sticks to the saucepan.
4. Add eggs. Take the saucepan off the heat but keep mixing the dough to help it cool down quicker. If you prefer, you can transfer the hot dough into a heatproof mixing bowl to help it cool down faster. Once the dough and pan is no longer scorching hot, add the eggs in 3 to 4 additions, making sure the egg is fully mixed in before the next addition.
The result should be a tacky and thick, ribbon textured dough batter. If you scoop up some dough with the wooden spoon and let it fall off the spoon, the batter should form a triangular tail.
🌟 Pro tip: Depending on your environment, more or less egg may be needed. We recommend holding back about 1 tablespoon of egg in case your dough does not need all of the egg. If more egg is needed, add in 1 tablespoon increment.
Bake the choux pastry:
5. Pipe. Transfer the dough to a pipping bag fitted with a large round tip. We like to use this Wilton 1A tip but we usually skip fitting a tip in the bag altogether. You can also use a Ziploc bag instead.
Pipe the choux dough onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. You should be able to pipe 9 mounds, each mound should be about 2 inches wide, 1 inch tall, and 2 to 3 inches spaced apart. Also make sure to pipe the dough straight down on the sheet pan. Don't make swirls like you would icing a cupcake. Swirling may create unwanted air pockets.
🌟 Pro tip: Dab a small amount of the pastry dough at the 4 corners of the sheet pan to help keep the parchment paper down during the pipping and baking process!
6. Smooth tip. Wet a finger with water and gently dab on the peaks of each dough mound to smooth them out. This prevents the tips from burning.
7. Bake. Place the sheet pan of choux pastry into an oven preheated to 425°F (220°C) and bake for 15 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and open the oven door for a minute to help cool the oven. Close the door and bake for another 15 minutes until the choux pastry is golden brown. Once baked, turn off the oven and crack open the door. Let the choux pastry sit in the oven for about 10 minutes then remove it from the oven. Transfer the pastries to a cooling rack and cool completely before filling.
Assembly:
1. Make whipped cream. In a mixing bowl combine heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip on medium low speed until the mixture thickens then increase the speed to medium high and whip to stiff peak. Transfer to a pipping bag fitted with or without a pipping tip and keep refrigerated until needed.
2. Assemble. Once the choux pastries have cooled completely, use a serrated knife to cut it in half horizontally. Fill the bottom half of the pastry with the sweetened cream and place the top half on the cream. Optionally, dust the tops of each cream puff with some powder sugar for garnish and additional sweetness.
2a. Alternative assembly. Instead of cutting open the choux pastry, you can fill it by poking a hole at the bottom of the pastry and pipping the cream through the hole. You'll know the cream puff is completely filled when you feel the cream puff push back with resistance.
Storage
Cream puffs are best enjoyed within a couple of hours of making once they're filled because the choux pastry will start becoming softer and because whipped cream starts to become soft after sitting at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Leftover cream puffs should not be stored in the fridge because the humidity is too high. Instead, freeze the cream puffs on a tray or plate then transfer them into airtight containers for storing. When ready to eat, simply let the cream puffs thaw at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes.
Alternatively, if the cream puffs are not filled yet, the choux pastry can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days. To make the choux pastry crispy again, reheat at 350°F (175°C) for about 5 minutes. Allow the pastries to cool before filling.
FAQs
Cream puffs are usually filled with sweetened whipped cream which is made of heavy cream, sugar, and optionally some vanilla extract. The alternative filling is a called diplomat cream, which is pastry cream with whipped cream folded in.
Although cream puffs and profiteroles are used interchangeably, there is one main difference between the two. Profiteroles are usually bite size while cream puffs can be small like profiteroles or as large as palm size.
This is usually due to the oven being not hot enough or the dough batter did not have enough egg/ is not the right consistency.
📖 Recipe
Cream Puffs
Ingredients
For the pâte à choux dough:
- ¼ cup milk preferably whole
- ¼ cup water
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into smaller pieces
- 1½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup all-purpose flour fluffed, spooned, and leveled* see notes
- 2 large eggs beaten
For the whipped cream filling:
- 1¼ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar optional for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and prepare a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Also prepare a pipping bag fitted with a large round tip. We used a Wilton 1A tip.
- Make choux pastry:In a saucepan, add the milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt. Over medium high, stir until the butter has melted then bring everything to a simmer.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and immediately add all the flour at once. Use a wooden spoon to mix in the flour until fully incorporated and a firm dough forms. Place the saucepan back onto the stove over low to medium low heat and cook the dough by stirring vigorously with the wooden spoon. The dough is ready when a thin film forms on the bottom and sides of the sauce pan and the dough becomes a smooth ball and no longer sticks to the saucepan. Take the saucepan off the heat but keep mixing the the dough for a few minutes to help cool it faster.
- Once the dough and saucepan is no longer scorching hot (very warm is okay), add the beaten egg in 3 to 4 additions, making sure to mix and fully incorporate the egg into the dough between each addition. The dough at the end should have be very tacky and flows like thick ribbon. If you pick up the dough and let it fall off the spoon it should form a triangular tail. *See post for photo reference*Note: Depending on your environment, a little more or less egg may be needed to achieve the correct consistency. We recommend holding back about 1 tablespoon of egg for just in case and add 1 tablespoon at a time as needed.
- Transfer the finished dough to the prepared pipping bag. Pipe 2 inch mounds on the prepared sheet pan, keeping each mound about 2 to 3 inches apart. Pipe the dough straight down, don't swirl it. Swirling will create unwanted air pockets. Wet a finger with water and dap the tips of each mound to smooth it out.
- Bake the choux pastry at 425°F (220°C) for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 350°F (175°C). Open the oven door for a couple minutes to allow the oven temperature to cool. Bake for another 15 minutes until the choux pastry is golden brown. Turn off the oven and let the the pastries sit for 10 minutes with the oven door cracked. Then remove the pastries from the oven and let them cool completely at room temperature before filling.
- Make filling:While the choux pastries are cooling, make the whipped cream filling. Combine heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, whip the cream on medium low speed until the mixture starts to thicken then increase the speed to medium high and whip the cream until stiff peak. Transfer the whipped cream to a pipping bag fitted with a large star tip of your preference. Keep refrigerated until needed.
- Assemble:Once the choux pastries have cooled, use a serrated knife to cut each in half horizontally. Fill the bottoms of each choux with whipped cream and place the top half on top of the cream to sandwich it. If desired, dust each cream puff with powder sugar for garnish.
Notes
- Fluff, spoon, and level - Using a scale is the most preferred method for measuring flour, especially for baking recipes. This flour measuring technique is the next best alternative. To use this method:
- Fluff up the flour in the bag or the flour canister.
- Spoon the fluffed flour into the measuring cup, without shaking or tapping, until the flour overflows.
- Use a straight-edge, like a the back of a butter knife, to scrape off the excess flour.
Equipments Recommended
Nutrition
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Soo says
It was so good! Made it and everyone loved it!
Mei says
Hi Soo! So glad everyone enjoyed it!
Mei ❤️