Cream Puffs

When I think of cream puffs, I picture one of two things. The first image in my head shows a graceful French pastry chef piping elegant swirls of choux pastry onto baking trays in an immaculate bakery, with classical music playing in the background. The second image is a loud and crowded expo hall at the state fair where humongous cream puffs—piled high with copious amounts of fluffy whipped cream—are plated on styrofoam plates. They’re enjoyed on checkered tablecloths as barnyard animals rally in the background. With equal vigor, these contrasting mental images make me want to do the same thing: devour a giant cream puff.

The good news is that you don’t have to visit a fancy French dessert shop or wait for the fair to roll into town to enjoy a cream puff. With our best cream puff recipe, you can make a batch of homemade cream puffs anytime you want. The method is fairly straightforward, and you’ll learn how to make cream puffs in no time flat. Then, you can get creative and flavor or fill your puffs with anything your heart desires.

How to Make Cream Puffs

Cream puff recipes begin with what’s called choux pastry (aka pâte à choux). This delicate pastry dough is used to make this recipe for cream puffs and pastries like chocolate eclairs, cheddar gougeres (cheese puffs), French cruller doughnuts and sometimes beignets.

Other doughs and batters rely on yeast or a chemical leavener like baking powder to make them rise, but choux batter has a high moisture content that creates steam as it bakes in the oven. The steam gets trapped inside the dough, creating air pockets that help the dough rise and puff.

Another defining feature of choux is that it’s mixed and prepared partially on the stovetop. Melted butter, water and salt are cooked with flour to make a thick, heavy paste (almost like a roux). Then, the mixture is removed from the heat and beaten with eggs to loosen the dough to the proper consistency. From there, the dough is scooped or piped onto baking sheets into the desired shape and baked until puffed and lightly golden.

Once baked, the shells are cooled and then dipped, glazed or filled with the desired toppings or fillings. In this case, we fill the puffs with sweetened whipped cream. You could also swap in pastry cream, a thick custard that’s another popular filling for cream puffs.

Ingredients for Cream Puffs

• Water: Water hydrates the flour to make a smooth paste. Some choux recipes use milk as a liquid. However, water-based choux recipes yield lighter and crisper cream puffs that are less prone to overbrowning in the oven.
• Butter: The high ratio of butter in choux pastry gives the cream puff shells a rich flavor and a crisp, golden exterior. For great choux, choose the best butter possible.
• Salt: Don’t skip the salt in this cream puffs recipe. While only a tiny amount is used, the salt helps make the dough smooth and strengthens the gluten in the dough, which prevents the choux from tearing as the puffs rise in the oven.
• Flour: To keep this recipe for cream puffs soft, opt for all-purpose flour. Other types of flour, like bread flour, are not ideal for pastries. Any extra protein content will produce stronger gluten strands and cause the cream puff recipe to be tough or chewy.
• Eggs: Eggs are important in choux pastry because they help stabilize the dough so the homemade cream puffs hold their shape once baked. Eggs also add fat to make the puffs soft and tender. Make sure to use room-temperature eggs for best results.
• Egg wash: A mixture of egg yolk and milk is brushed over the cream puffs before baking to give them a glorious shine.
• Whipped cream: This state fair-style cream puff recipe is filled with a humble batch of whipped cream. It’s made by beating heavy whipping cream with confectioners’ sugar and a dash of vanilla until soft peaks form. Try this coffee whipped cream for a fun twist.

Directions

Step 1: Start the choux pastry on the stovetop

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil over medium heat. Add the flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let stand for five minutes.

Editor’s Tip: Don’t rush to the next step before the mixture cools. You’ll risk scrambling the eggs if the flour mixture is too hot.

Step 2: Beat in the eggs

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and shiny.

Editor’s Tip: Stop mixing as soon as the eggs are fully incorporated, as the cream puffs may turn out tough if this choux pastry is overmixed. The perfect choux is shiny, smooth and holds its shape on its own. When scooped, it should fall heavily off the spoon in one lump without a tapping of the spoon.

Step 3: Bake the puffs

Drop the choux pastry by 1/4 cupfuls, 3 inches apart, onto greased baking sheets. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and egg yolk. Gently brush the mixture over the choux pastry, then transfer the pan to the oven. Bake the puffs until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: Just as with homemade puff pastry, air pockets are really important to choux pastry. Losing them can cause the homemade cream puffs to be flat and gummy. To maintain those pockets, bake the cream puffs in the lower third of the oven and leave 3 inches of space around each pastry so they have room to expand.

Step 4: Release the steam

Remove the puffs from the oven and transfer them to wire racks. Immediately cut a slit in each puff to allow steam to escape. Let the puffs cool.

Editor’s Tip: Cutting a slit in the puffs as soon as they come out of the oven is key to preventing soggy, flat cream puffs. Don’t forget!

Step 5: Make the filling

In a large bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until it begins to thicken. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until almost stiff.

Editor’s Tip: For an elegant look, transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.

Step 6: Fill the puffs with whipped cream

Split the cream puffs and discard the soft dough from the inside to make a hollow space. Fill the cream puffs just before serving by piping the whipped cream onto the bottom halves of the cream puffs and then replacing the top halves to sandwich the cream in the middle. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Cream Puff Variations

• Add other toppings: Instead of confectioners’ sugar, try drizzling chocolate ganache or homemade salted caramel sauce over the tops of the puffs before serving.
• Flavor the filling: If you’re bored by vanilla, consider beating a few tablespoons softened cream cheese, cocoa powder or strawberry jam into the whipped cream filling. For more inspiration, try these peach cream puffs or lemon cream puffs. The possibilities are endless!
• Change the size: This recipe for cream puffs creates large, fair-style cream puffs. For smaller homemade cream puffs, simply scoop or pipe a smaller amount of the choux pastry onto the baking sheets and bake for a reduced amount of time. Start with 15 minutes, adding additional time until the puffs are crisp and lightly golden. You can refer to this mini cream puffs recipe for more guidance.

How to Store Cream Puffs

Leftovers of this cream puffs recipe are best stored unfilled in an airtight food storage container in the refrigerator. The whipped cream filling should be stored in a separate container in the refrigerator.

How long do cream puffs last?

Cream puffs are best served within a couple of hours, as the filling may make the pastries soggy if they sit for too long. Unfilled and stored separately, however, the pastry shells and cream will stay fresh for up to three days in the refrigerator.

Can you freeze cream puffs?

For longer storage, you can freeze the unfilled cream puff shells in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer them to freezer-safe containers once they’re firm. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to two months. When ready to serve, thaw the pastries at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before filling them with prepared cream. If necessary, you can reheat them in a 350° oven for a few minutes once they’re thawed to restore their crispness.

Can you make cream puffs ahead of time?

Yes, you can prepare the homemade cream puffs ahead of time and refrigerate them unfilled up to three days ahead. Then, fill them with the whipped cream just before serving. We don’t recommend filling the cream puffs ahead of time, as the filling will leech moisture into the pastries and cause the cream puffs to become soggy and/or chewy.

Cream Puff Tips

How can you prevent cream puffs from deflating?

Cream puffs can deflate for three major reasons. Here are things to do to prevent deflating:

• Don’t underbake the puffs: Underbaking the cream puffs will cause the shells to be weak. This lack of structural integrity makes them susceptible to collapsing as they cool, so make sure to bake the puffs until they’re lightly crisp and golden.
• Give them space: When baking the pastries, make sure to leave space between each cream puff on the baking sheet to allow plenty of room for air circulation so the pastries bake evenly. This also allows the steam to evaporate instead of getting trapped inside (which would collapse the pastry).
• Let the steam escape: As soon as the cream puffs are out of the oven, you must pierce the side of each one with a sharp knife to let any remaining steam escape. If you skip this step, the steam will reabsorb into the pastry, causing it to become soggy and deflate.

Do you need a pastry bag to fill the cream puffs?

A pastry bag is the best tool for piping the filling into homemade cream puffs. It’s perfectly sized to hold all the yummy whipped cream, and its sturdy tip makes piping a breeze. That said, you can use this trick for frosting cupcakes with a resealable bag if you don’t have piping bags: Place the filling in a gallon-size zip-top bag, snip off one corner and get piping!

Are cream puffs the same as profiteroles?

Cream puffs and profiteroles are two very similar pastries, both made with choux. A cream puff recipe is typically exclusively filled with whipped cream or custard, while profiteroles can be filled with other sweet or savory fillings. In the United States, profiteroles are most often filled with ice cream and then drizzled with chocolate ganache (like these spiced pumpkin ice cream puffs).

What can you serve with cream puffs?

Cream puffs may be served with a whole host of foods. Have a fair-inspired feast and serve homemade cream puffs with a selection of other homemade state fair foods. Alternatively, make smaller cream puffs and serve them as a dessert for your next elegant dinner party or as part of a miniature dessert spread at your next baby shower, bridal shower or anniversary celebration.