Vanilla Cream Puffs
This recipe was slightly adapted from Cooks and Bakes. It is a foolproof recipe that results in beautifully light and crispy pastry every time. The only trick is to measure out the ingredients precisely. Cream puffs are best eaten the same day. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but the pastry will soften and lose its crispiness. To serve, you can either dust the cream puffs with some powdered sugar or cover them with a chocolate glaze.
Category: Cakes
Recipe in PDF format (print friendly)
- Yields 26 cream puffs
- Prep time: 1h
- Cook time: 40min
- Total time: 1h 40min
- Difficulty: Intermediate
For the Pâte à Choux:
Ingredients
- 250ml water
- 125ml neutral oil
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- pinch of salt
- 150g flour
- 250ml eggs (about 4 large eggs), beaten
Directions
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium-sized, heavy-bottom saucepan, combine water, oil, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and stir in the flour. Stir quickly, or the flour lumps will cook. Allow the mixture to cool down for a couple of minutes. Slowly add the eggs in three batches, mixing thoroughly with a wooden spoon or a hand mixer between each batch, until the eggs are well incorporated, and the batter is thick and shiny. Transfer the batter into a large pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe even circles, about 4,5cm in diameter each, onto the prepared baking sheet. Pipe the batter in a spiral movement with a bit of height to it. Leave enough room between each circle as the batter will puff up and rise significantly in the oven. Press the tip of every pastry round with a damp finger so that they don't burn. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the pastry is richly golden and evenly colored on the sides and top and is firm when tapped. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before proceeding.
For the vanilla pastry cream:
Ingredients
- 1 liter milk
- 250g sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, split lenghtwise and seeds scraped out
- 1 egg
- 5 egg yolks
- 160g cornstarch
- 150g butter, softened
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolks, and 100ml of milk. Whisk in the cornstarch, making sure there are no lumps. Combine the remaining milk (900ml), sugar, and vanilla seeds in a medium-sized saucepan. Heat until the milk reaches boiling point. Set aside until it is cool enough to touch but still warm. Slowly pour the warm milk over the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, continually stirring with your spoon, so the bottom doesn't scorch. It will quickly start to thicken to the consistency of pudding. When the cream thickens, set the strainer over a clean bowl and strain the pastry cream to get out any lumps. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the pastry cream and put it into an ice bath to cool. Meanwhile, cream the butter using a hand mixer. Add the butter to the vanilla pastry cream and whisk thoroughly with your mixer until you get a smooth and shiny filling. Refrigerate until you're ready to use.
To assemble and serve:
Ingredients
- 300ml heavy whipping cream
- some powdered sugar (optional)
- chocolate sauce (optional)
Directions
To assemble the cream puffs, cut each pastry round in half horizontally using a serrated knife. The pastry should be hollow inside. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star tip with the pastry cream. Pipe the cream into the bottom part of the pastry round, filling the hole and piping enough pastry cream to come about 1,5cm above the pastry itself. Repeat with the rest of the pastry and cream. Whip the heavy cream until firm peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe over the pastry cream. Top with the other half of the pastry and refrigerate until ready to serve. Before serving, dust the cream puffs with some powdered sugar or cover them with chocolate glaze.
Additional images
