Homemade cream puffs, there’s nothing quite like a freshly baked cream puff: a light and crispy puff filled with whipped cream. With this recipe, you can make them completely from scratch, and believe me, it’s easier than you think!
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Why You’ll Love this Recipe
That light, airy choux pastry combined with a rich whipped cream filling makes them truly irresistible. Want to give them an extra twist? Dip them in melted chocolate!
A Perfect Sweet Treat
Cream puffs have been a beloved treat at parties, afternoon teas or simply with coffee for as long as I can remember. Once baked, all you have to do is fill the puffs with freshly whipped cream and of course add a generous dusting of powdered sugar. Then it’s time to enjoy!
The Origin of the Cream Puff
Did you know that cream puffs originated in French pastry-making and are derived from the classic “choux à la crème”? This light pastry was introduced to the French court by Italian pastry chefs as early as the 16th century. Since then, these treats have become an indispensable part of pastry culture and are enjoyed worldwide in various forms, and I couldn’t be happier about that!
Homemade Pastries
Making cream puffs may seem complicated, but with a good recipe and a little patience, you can definitely do it too. The key is perfect choux pastry. Here you’ll find a a handy recipe for choux pastry.
If you do happen to have some choux pastry left over, or want to make more with it right away, I can definitely recommend making sausage rolls yourself as well. For those, you use the same dough with a minced meat filling, this is such a delicious addition and really worth trying.
How to Make Cream Puffs at Home
After baking the choux pastry puffs you fill them with cream. To fill the puffs, I use a piping bag with a plain piping nozzle. There is also a special choux filling nozzle, which is certainly convenient but I don’t necessarily think it’s needed. With the plain nozzle, you can easily pierce the bottom and fill the puffs as well.
Make sure to fill them carefully, as you don’t want to overfill them, otherwise they may burst open. Of course, you also want to fill them well, because a half-empty cream puff is obviously not what we want. In the mood to bake more delicious treats? Take a look at all my baking recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make them ahead of time?
Yes, you can bake the unfilled cream puffs in advance and store them in an airtight container or freeze them. It’s best to fill them with whipped cream just before serving.
How do I store them?
Unfilled cream puffs will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container. Filled cream puffs with whipped cream can be kept for a maximum of 24 hours in the refrigerator.
Can I freeze the cream puffs?
That’s possible, they will keep well in the freezer for 1-2 months. The whipped cream filling will be less airy after freezing, though, and it’s important to package them airtight.
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Ingredients
- 100 gram whole milk
- 100 gram water
- 100 gram butter (unsalted)
- 100 gram flour
- 4 eggs* (medium-sized)
- salt
- 500 ml whipping cream
- 50 gram sugar
- 1 sachet whipped cream stabilizer
- powdered sugar for garnish
Equipment
- Food processor
- 2 Piping bags
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Plain piping nozzle, for example Wilton #1A
INSTRUCTIONS (how to make this recipe):
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius / 392 Fahrenheit with top and bottom heat.
- Heat the milk, water and butter in a small saucepan with a thick bottom until the butter has melted and it starts to simmer gently.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the flour along with a generous pinch of salt. Mix well with a whisk, then put the pan back on the heat. Set the heat to low/medium.
- Keep stirring the dough regularly with a spatula. This way, cook the dough for about 10 minutes until it forms a firm ball.
- Put the dough ball in the food processor with a flat beater, while the machine is running, add the eggs one at a time. Only add a new egg once the previous one has been incorporated.*
- Mix everything well until you have a nice smooth dough. Put this into a piping bag and pipe small balls of dough onto a baking tray (lined with parchment paper), about the size of a walnut. The dough will expand somewhat in the oven, so leave some space between them.
- Bake the cream puffs in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Leave to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling for the cream puffs.
- Whip the cream together with the sugar and whipped cream stabilizer until stiff.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a plain piping nozzle with the whipped cream.
- Insert the piping nozzle into the bottom of the cream puffs and carefully fill them with whipped cream until they are full. Decorate the cream puffs with powdered sugar and enjoy!
* To test whether your batter has the right consistency, it should be just smooth enough to flow from your spatula in a V-shape. If it is too thin, unfortunately you can no longer adjust it. It is therefore advisable to perform this test after the 3rd egg, so it may be that 3 eggs are enough. The dough should look smooth and shiny.
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