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Our Classic Cream Puff Recipe brings bakery-fresh pastry home!
When strolling through your favorite bakery, so many choices call out to you. Cream puffs! Should you buy just a few? Of course, you might. But why not try our classic cream puff recipe to create these tender delights at home. They come together quickly, take few ingredients, and make you look like a professional baker.
A little history…
My Mom was an incredible home baker. Although she didn’t make these frequently, the Classic Cream Puff Recipe brings back many happy memories of her still almost warm, filled pastries. The delicious aromas from her baking days remain etched in my mind and elicit a warm feeling and smile just thinking about them.
Special Thanks to THEUBECAKE
For our classic cream puff recipe, I thank my friend Hanna from THEUBECAKE. She provided the inspiration for this post, along with her fantastic cream puff photos. You can find more of her inspirations on her Instagram page.
Why not just use puff pastry?
Simply put, it’s not the same thing. Puff pastry, as you find in Baklava, uses fat to puff up in volume. Many recipes call for butter to be added between the very thin sheets, which creates that high rise.
Cream puffs are made with a pâte à choux dough. They rely on the high water content in eggs as leavening to steam open the paste. Thus, when formed into a mound on your baking sheet, it bakes into the classic Profiterole or cream puff look.
So, while you certainly could put the cream filling into puff pastry, the resulting dessert would not be a classic cream puff.
Ensure Success with our Classic Cream Puff Recipe
- Bake your puffs at the required temperature and time. If you remove them too soon, they may look done, but they will collapse as they cool. Those flat little desserts still taste good, but you miss the puff!
- If you will be serving them immediately, you don’t need to refrigerate. However, if dessert is an hour away, it’s best to put them into the refrigerator to keep the filling at its best. NOTE, however, that these tender little puffs may soften if left in your refrigerator for more than an hour or perhaps two. The solution? Make the filling and keep it in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Your puffs store well at room temperature for several hours, left unfilled. Just allow a few minutes to fill them before serving for a fresh classic cream puff recipe success!
- Our Classic Cream Puff Recipe freezes easily. Filled or ready to fill, put the puffs on parchment paper and freeze for about 4 hours. When completely frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe storage container, seal, and store in your freezer until ready to use. I prefer to thaw in my refrigerator overnight before using.
- If your unfilled puffs soften too much, re-crisp them. Simply bake at 300°F for 5 to 8 minutes. For frozen unfilled pastries, bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Classic Cream Puffs
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup butter unsalted
- 1 cup flour all-purpose
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 large egg yolk lightly beaten
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- melted chocolate drizzle optional
- additional confectioners sugar optional
Instructions
Make the Puffs
- In a large saucepan, combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Add the flour all at once. Stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray with nonstick spray.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny.
- Drop by ¼ cupfuls onto 2 baking sheets, spacing them 5" apart. Use a second baking sheet, if necessary, to maintain adequate spacing.
- Combine milk and egg yolk. Stir to mix. Brush the puffs with this mixture.
- Bake at 400°F until puffs rise and turn a light golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.
- Remove to wire racks to cool.
Pastry Cream
- In a large bowl, beat cream until it thickens.
- Add sugar and vanilla. Beat until almost stiff.
- Put cream in a piping bag with a cone tip. Pipe cream into the middle of each puff.
- Alternatively, split each puff in half, spoon cream into the center, replace the top.
- Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.
- Drizzle melted chocolate sauce over the top of each if desired.
Omg I absolutely love sweet treats, I can say I definitely have a sweet tooth! Puff pastry or any pastry in that matter are tasty, I like how you can make them into various shapes and add many toppings such as creamy or chocolate sauce.
Thanks for this recipe, I’m going to save this for future cooking!
Yes, so many of us enjoy our sweet desserts!
I’m glad you enjoyed reading the Classic Cream Puff Recipe. When you make them, please let me know how they turn out.
Thanks!
Delightful, sweet, and savory cream puffs are a favorite in households all over the world! The recipe is surprisingly simple to make with basic ingredients you might already have at home. This dessert will be loved by everyone from children to adults of any age! Thanks for sharing this recipe! 🙂
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed reading the Classic Cream Puff Recipe. If you try making them, I’d like to hear of your results!
Hi. Thanks for this article. It was a pleasure reading it!
I am a big fan of cooking and I am usually the one who cooks at home! I alwasy try to experiment with new recipes, sweet and savory so that I neever get bored in the kitchen.
It’s a pleasure to find your recipe. I’ve never tried cream puff and I believe it will be delicious. I will try it today and see for myyself!
Best regards,
Dominique
I’m glad you found the Classic Cream Puff Recipe interesting, Dominque. Please let us know when you try the recipe how you like it.
Hey there! I LOVE creme puffs. it was my birthday on the 23rd and I had my mom bake me her specialty: creme puffs! I help her sometimes are the recipe she uses is a lot less user friendly. lol It requires about 4 hours worth of work but the result is absolutely phenomenal! Im eager to try the recipe you have provided though, Hopefully, it ends up saving us a bunch of time in the near future:) thank you1
What a great birthday treat! I’m sure your Mom appreciated the request, too. If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it.
I love food. I’m a perfect description of a foodie.
My love for foodie is prompting me to learn how to cook myself. Cooking is naturally becoming an interesting hobby.
Given these instructions of making Classic Cream Puff has given me a clear step by step way to spend my next saturday. Thank you so much
Do you think i’ll have to take some form of “cheat meals” to avoid the risk of adding some weight on?
Hello to a fellow foodie!
I hope you enjoy the Classic Cream Puff recipe when you try it. Please write back and let me know.
Yes, I do add some helpful hints to some recipes on how to reduce sugar and/or fat in the recipes. It can be a challenge for many of us. You might also check out: https://veganglobetrotter.com
I like this topic as a like baking new things with my daughter I used to do the same with my mum when i was a child im trying to get my other 16 year old to have a go as she needs to learn how to cook I think baking is a good starting point for her.
Yes, that is true, most kids and teens love to bake. In fact, she might find it fun to share the results with her friends. I’ve always enjoyed baking as a family and I think it does inspire kids to then try more on their own. Best wishes for you and your daughter’s experience!
Thank you for great recipe. My family love sweets and Im always trying to do something new for them. To be fair I never tried to do cream puff as I thought it will be quite complicated. But your post is very clear and I do believe I can do it with your detailed instructions. Looking forward to test it in practice !
Thank you! I do hope you and your family enjoy the Classic Cream Puff Recipe results. Please let me know when you try them.