How to Make Cream Puffs

Many people wonder how to make cream puffs. Rumor has it, it’s not an easy thing to do; however, you’d be surprised. Learning how to make cream puffs is fairly easy if you follow a few simple instructions.

Cream puffs are a puffed dough filled with some type of a cream. The pastry is baked and then, after the pastry puffs have cooled, they are filled with cream. Cream puffs have a round shape, but they are closely related to profiteroles, which use the same pastry but are filled with ice cream, or éclairs, which have a long thin shape and are typically filled with custard and topped with chocolate.

There are several different kinds of pastry. The pastry used for cream puffs is known as pate choux, or choux pastry. Choux pastry is made by boiling water and butter together and then mixing in flour and salt. After the flour has been incorporated and the mixture forms a smooth ball. The dough is removed from heat and cooled. Then eggs are beaten in one at a time until incorporated. The pastry is spooned onto parchment and baked – first at a high temperature to cause the dough to rise, puff, and hollow out, and then at a lower temperature to firm up the outsides of the shells. After the shells have cooled, filling is added.

The traditional filling for cream puffs is sweetened whipped cream; however, some cooks like to either flavor the whipped cream with vanilla or other extracts, or to fill the puffs with custard. Some cooks even like filling cream puffs with some type of a flavored pudding.

There are two methods. The first is simple. Using a serrated knife or bread knife, gently slice the cream puff in half and put the cream in with a spoon. Replace the lid. Voila, you have a cream puff.

The second method is slightly trickier. Use a small stick like a toothpick to bore a hole in the dough. The hole should be large enough to insert the tip of a pastry bag through it. Put your filling in a pastry bag, and pipe through the aforementioned hole.

A traditional cream puff is not frosted, but rather is dusted lightly with powdered sugar. To do this, put a few tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar in a wire sieve and tap the sieve gently over the cream puffs.

Other cooks prefer to frost their cream puffs in the style of an éclair. A chocolate glaze works well for this.

If you prefer, you can leave your cream puffs naked – with no powdered sugar or glaze. It is entirely up to you.

Now that you know the basics of how to make cream puffs, here is a recipe. You can vary the recipe as outlined above to make the cream puffs your own unique creation.

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/4 cup of unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup of water

2 large eggs, lightly beaten.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cover a baking sheet with parchment.
3. Bring the water and butter to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat.
4. Stir in the flour, sugar and salt, stirring constantly over medium heat until the dough forms a smooth ball. Remove the dough from the heat and cool.
5. When the dough has cooled slightly, transfer it to an electric mixer or a bowl that can fit an egg beater.
6. Beat the dough for a few minutes to allow any trapped steam to escape from the dough.
7. Gradually add in the eggs, beating constantly. Mix until the dough has become a smooth, thick paste.
8. You may either pipe the dough from a pastry bag or spoon the dough onto the baking sheet covered in parchment.
9. Space each puff about two inches apart.
10. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
11. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and continue cooking for 30 to 40 minutes until shells are golden. They should be dry inside when split.
12. Turn off the oven and open the oven door. Let shells sit in open oven for an additional ten to 15 minutes.
13. Cool and then fill with filling.

• One cup of extremely cold heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon of sugar

1. Chill the bowl and beaters that you will be using to whip the cream while the pate choux is being prepared.
2. Whip the cream to soft peaks.
3. Stir in the sugar and vanilla.

Once you know the basics, you can make all sorts of variations on cream puffs.

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