The best Easy FRENCH CREAM PUFFS Recipe

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There’s nothing quite like a plate of puffy Choux a la Crème! And making a batch of these easy French cream puffs is a cinch, with my recipe and step by step instructions. These lovely French cream puffs are sure to wow your guests at any party! Delicate and airy, these delicious French cream desserts, originally called choux a la crème, are the perfect way to indulge!

French Cream Puffs

These French cream puffs are so adorable and I had so much fun making them (and even more eating them, lol). It may be my European roots but I love anything French and of course pastry and this easy cream puffs recipe has been on my list for a long time. I love watching this French cream puff recipe baking in the oven, puffing up in the heat, all crackly and full of air! A sight for sore eyes!

A wonderful addition to any breakfast, brunch or dessert! Delicate puffs filled with rich cream – nothing says French food like that. Don’t these beauties look irresistibly fun? With a crunchy topping and a soft filling, they’re a blast to make and a blast to eat. The best cream puffs you’ll ever taste, made from scratch.

What are cream puffs?

Choux a la crème is found in all French bakeries since the sixteenth century, with only minor upgrades made in the nineteenth century. Basically, you are almost tasting history when eating these cream puffs.

The name comes from the small dough balls which grow in an irregular, round-ish shape that the French call choux. Choux is the French word for cabbage. In other words, it would mean “cabbage paste” lol.

Want more pastry recipes?

• Mini eclairs with chocolate filling
• Nutella puff pastry flowers
• Banana cinnamon breakfast croissants
• Strawberry puff pastry bread
• Orange marmalade pinwheels

The French cream puffs dessert is undoubtedly considered the “king of desserts”. I must confess that at first I found this otherwise easy cream puff recipe quite difficult to make; these puffs looked intimidating to me. But I’ve tried my hand at a few ideas for choux a la crème recipe and experimented a lot to get the absolutely perfect recipe. Also the cream puff filling recipe is super easy to make and tastes amazing, making a great pair with the puffy, light pastry!

These cream puffs are lovely and easy, and they taste great! Perfect for a special breakfast or brunch. Classic pastries that you’ll want to try baking! Although they’re a little time consuming, they’re super rewarding to make.

How do you make cream puffs?

To make the delicate shells in these French cream puffs you need what they call choux pastry (“pate a choux” as they call it in France). Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, pate a choux is probably one of the best batter to make cream puffs. This is a classic French pastry batter used to make various desserts from cream puffs to profiteroles and eclairs. The choux pastry is made by mixing milk, butter, flour, and eggs together to make a thick paste that is than baked, fried or sautéed.

While this is a simple and quite easy recipe, you need to have a bit of experience with pastry in order to make these French cream puffs.

I chose to cut the baked choux in half and then fill with cream but you may opt for simply piping the filling into the shells. They won’t look as impressive but will definitely have the same amazing taste!

I made a simple vanilla filling for these desserts, using a mixture of milk, eggs, sugar, butter and flour. The mixture gets its flavor from vanilla beans. I opted to add some homemade whipped cream too for added yumminess and make these taste even creamier.

What is the difference between a cream puff and a profiterole?

Using the same dough, you can also bake profiteroles, funnel cakes, churros, beignets or eclairs.

The difference between the choux a la crème and eclairs is mainly the shape and filling. Eclairs are oblong, while cream puffs are round. The filling is usually vanilla cream, but choux a la crème also have whipped cream and are dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Eclairs are usually covered with chocolate or vanilla cream.

Profiteroles, on the other hand, are filled with ice cream (you can try coffee, chocolate or pecan ice cream) and frozen, topped with chocolate ganache.

Churros can be covered with cinnamon and are deep-fried.

How to diversify the recipe

This recipe is very versatile and can be played up countless ways. Here are a few options:

• Sometimes, I like to add a few strawberry slices. They always go great with the whipped cream.
• Also, adding cocoa to the dough and filling with chocolate cream will make an interesting variation from the white, classical ones. Chocolate cream puffs are not really famous in France, though, but make delicious additions to any candy bar or holiday feast.
• Add chocolate filling instead of vanilla
• Go the simplest route and fill them with whipped cream only
• Non-sweet choux made from the same dough can be eaten as breakfast or snacks. You can fill them with vegetables, foie gras, shellfish, cream cheese or ham for a delicious snack while on the run.

Can cream puffs be frozen?

While the baked shells can be frozen for up to 2 months in freezer bags they do taste best when freshly baked. Thaw them at room temperature for up to 10 minutes before attempting to fill them with vanilla cream and whipped cream. Do not fill cream puffs until they are completely thawed.

If you want to make them crisp again after defrosting, thaw the buns on a wire rack for a few minutes, then bake them uncovered for about 5-8 minutes at 300 degrees F. Then col and add the filling only after completely cooled.

Can cream puffs be made ahead of time?

Choux can also be baked in advance and be kept in the refrigerator, uncovered, for up to a day before serving. Some bakers even recommend this and say that they taste even better after one day.

To keep your cream puffs looking and tasting fresh, don’t dust them with confectioner’ sugar until you’re ready to serve them. The dough will absorb the sugar while refrigerated.

How long cream puffs last?

French cream puffs filled with vanilla cream keep well at room temperature for up to 2 days and in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store in an air tight container in both situations.

When to fill cream puffs?

The best time to fill the cream puffs with vanilla filling and whipped cream is when the pastry if fully cooled. Refrain from piercing or cutting the shells as soon as they’re out of the oven. This will allow the steam inside the shells to escape, causing the shells to deflate. Instead, allow the dough to fully cool before cutting and filling.

A few tips before baking your cream puffs:

• the exact number of eggs may vary from batch to batch. You need to add eggs until the consistency is smooth and pipeable, so the quantity depends on the dough humidity or an accidental half-teaspoon of flour added. Leave a few teaspoons of beaten eggs for later and only add them if you feel the dough is not soft enough.
• don’t add the eggs while the dough is too hot, as this will cook the eggs, making your choux taste eggy.
• be careful when agitating the dough. Agitating too much can make the butter to split, and the dough will look oily.
• when boiling the choux ingredients don’t over boil them as the water will evaporate. The puffs need steam to inflate and the steam comes from the water.
• place the choux on damp parchment paper. The dough is packed with eggs, which need moist in the oven to puff. The water from the paper will create just the right amount of humidity and steam.
• as tempting as it is, refrain from opening the oven while the puffs are baking. Opening the oven will let the steam escape and as mentioned above, cream puffs need steam to inflate.
• don’t remove the choux from the oven too early. They need to get a golden brown crust before you turn off the oven. If they don’t get this firm crust, the puffs will cave on themselves.

French cream puffs are simple to make and always impressive! So easy, but so good. This cream puff recipe has an amazing light texture, one of the best recipes to use when you’re craving cream puffs or eclairs. If you’d  like to make something that looks like it came from a fancy bakery then these French cream puffs are what you need!

Choux A La Crème recipe

What do you need to make cream puffs?

For the pastry:

• Water
• Whole milk
• Unsalted butter – room temperature
• All purpose flour – sifted
• Salt
• Eggs – room temperature

For the filling:

• Whole milk
• Egg yolks
• Vanilla beans
• Sugar
• All purpose flour – sifted
• Butter

For the whipped cream

• Heavy whipping cream
• Granulated sugar
• Vanilla extract – optional for added vanilla flavor

To decorate the puffs

• Powdered sugar to dust

Equipment you’re also going to need:

• non stick large baking sheet
• parchment paper
• whisk
• sharp knife
• hand mixer or stand mixer
• large saucepan 
• flower tip

How to make cream puffs from scratch

Prepare the ingredients

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment and pre heat oven at 390 F
2. Warm up the milk and turn off heat.
3. Add the seeds from the vanilla beans and cover with a lid.
4. In a medium saucepan add water, milk (the one without vanilla), butter and a pinch of salt and bring to a rolling boil.
5. Remove from heat and turn heat off.

Make the dough

1. Immediately add flour and mix well with a whisk until well combined.
2. Allow the dough to cool a little then add eggs, one by one, mixing well after each egg is added until fully incorporated. You need the composition to resemble chewing gum and be a bit sticky. If not add one more egg.
3. Transfer the dough to a large pastry bag fitted with a flower tip. Pipe rounds onto each prepared pan and do a little swirl for a more spectacular result. If you don’t have a flower tip: with a spoon, drop a dollop of dough (about the size of a walnut) in the baking sheet but not very close to each other (about 2-inch apart).
4. Bake for about 20 minutes. Do not open the oven for the first 15 minutes.

How to fill cream puffs

1. When all dough is done and baked, let the puffs cool completely and cut each chou in half, horizontally.
2. For the filling: Take the 16 yolks and add them to a mixing bowl. Mix with sugar and flour and beat well then add the vanilla infused milk little by little. You can use a stand mixer to beat the eggs. Transfer to a saucepan and boil while stirring continuously with a whisk until stiff. Remove from heat and add butter.
3. Then make the whipped cream.
4. Fill the puffs with vanilla pastry cream and whipped cream.
5. Keep refrigerated.
6. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

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Cooking and baking these lovely desserts are fun! Did you ever try to experiment with puff pastry and made some amazing desserts? Tell us about them in the comments section, so that we can also discover new and delicious ideas!

More desserts you might like:

• Filo pastry apple pie
• Dome cake with banana and whipped cream
• Cheese pie bars with filo pastry
• Walnut shaped cookies with walnut cream filling

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French Cream Puffs

These lovely french cream puffs are sure to wow your guests at any party! Delicate and airy, these delicious french cream desserts, originally called choux a la creme, are the perfect way to indulge!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Cooling time20 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Keyword: choux a la creme, cream puffs, cream puffs recipe, easy cream puffs, french cream puffs

Servings: 20 cream puffs

Author: Petro

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going into sleep mode

Ingredients

For the pastry:

• 8 oz = 250 ml water
• 8 oz 250 ml milk
• 7 oz = 200 grams butter
• 13 oz = 375 g flour sifted
• a pinch of salt
• 9 eggs

For the filling:

• 34 oz = 1 liter milk
• 16 egg yolks
• 4 sticks vanilla
• 9 oz = 250 g sugar
• 4 oz = 120 g flour sifted
• 1 spoon butter

For the whipped cream

• 1 1/2 heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Powdered sugar to dust

You're also going to need:

• non stick large baking sheet
• parchment paper
• whisk
• sharp knife
• hand mixer
• large saucepan
• flower tip

Equipment

• non stick large baking sheet
• parchment paper
• whisk
• stand mixer
• large saucepan
• flower tip

Instructions

• Line a baking sheet with parchment and pre heat oven at 390 F = 200 C.
• Warm up the milk and turn off heat.
• Add the seeds from the vanilla sticks and cover with a lid.
• In a medium large pot add water, milk (the one without vanilla), butter and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat and turn off heat.
• Immediately add flour and mix well with a whisk until well combined.
• Allow the dough to cool a little then add eggs, one by one, mixing well after each egg is added until fully incorporated. You need the composition to resemble chewing gum and be a bit sticky. If not add one more egg.
• Transfer the dough to a large pastry bag fitted with a flower tip. Pipe rounds onto each prepared pan and do a little swirl for a more spectacular result. If you don't have a flower tip: with a spoon, drop a dollop of dough (about the size of a walnut) in the baking sheet but not very close to each other (about 2" apart).
• Bake for about 20 minutes. Do not open the oven for the first 15 minutes.
• When all dough is done and baked, let the puffs cool completely and cut in half, horizontally.
• For the filling: Take the 16 yolks and mix with sugar and flour and beat well then add the vanilla infused milk little by little. Move to a saucepan and boil while stirring continuously with a whisk until stiff. Remove from heat and add butter.
• Then make the whipped cream.
• Fill the puffs with vanilla cream and whipped cream.
• Keep refrigerated.
• Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

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