Ahh, cream puffs 🤍—light, airy, and dangerously easy to love. Here’s a classic, foolproof guide to making them from scratch.
🥐 Classic Cream Puffs (Choux à la Crème)
Ingredients
For the Choux Pastry
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
For the Filling (choose one)
- Sweetened whipped cream
- Vanilla pastry cream
- Custard or pudding
Optional Toppings
- Powdered sugar
- Chocolate ganache
- Caramel drizzle
Instructions
1. Make the Dough
- Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a saucepan, bring water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, add flour all at once, and stir vigorously until a smooth dough forms and pulls away from the pan.
- Remove from heat and let cool 2–3 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each, until dough is smooth and glossy.
2. Bake
- Spoon or pipe dough into 1½-inch mounds on the baking sheet.
- Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes, then reduce to 350°F (175°C) and bake another 15–20 minutes until golden and puffed.
⚠️ Do not open the oven door while baking.
3. Cool
- Turn off oven, crack the door slightly, and let puffs sit inside 10 minutes to prevent collapsing.
- Transfer to a rack and cool completely.
4. Fill
- Slice in half or poke a hole in the bottom.
- Fill with whipped cream or pastry cream using a spoon or piping bag.
✨ Tips for Perfect Cream Puffs
- Dough should be thick but pipeable—if it falls off the spoon slowly, it’s perfect.
- Dry the dough slightly on the stove before adding eggs for better puff.
- Fill just before serving so they stay crisp.
🍫 Variations
- Chocolate cream puffs: Dip tops in melted chocolate
- Craquelin puffs: Add a thin sugar-butter cookie layer before baking
- Savory puffs: Skip sugar, fill with chicken salad or herbed cheese
💡 Fun fact: Cream puffs rely entirely on steam—no baking powder or yeast. That’s the magic of choux pastry ✨
If you want, I can give you a 5-ingredient shortcut version, or a bakery-style pastry cream filling that’s insanely good.
