Cream Puff Recipe

This delectable treat is the perfect balance of sweet and fluffy, like tasting a cloud! 

To make the dough for cream puffs (called Choux Paste): 

1. Measure 1 cup of flour and set next to you 
2. In a large saucepan combine: 
   1. ½ cup of water 
   2. ½ cup of milk 
      1. Instead of this, you can use one cup of water or one cup of milk 
   3. ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 
   4. 1 tbsp sugar 
   5. ½ tsp salt 

1. Stir over medium heat until the mixture starts boiling 
   1. Stir constantly to not burn the milk 

1. Once boiling, add the cup of flour all at once to the milk mixture keeping it over heat 
2. Stir vigorously until combined
   1. While stirring the mixture will start out rough then suddenly it will become smooth
   2. At this point stir harder 
   3. Once the mixture stops sticking to the sides of the saucepan, remove from heat and place the mixture in a bowl 
      1. Another way to tell if the mixture is ready is to press your spatula (or whatever tool you are using to mix) gently into the surface of the dough, if it doesn’t stick and instead makes an imprint in the dough, the dough is ready 

1. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes, stirring periodically

1. Once cooled add in 4 eggs one at a time using a spoon or mixer at low speed 
   1. Fully combine each egg into the mixture before adding the next 
      1. The mixture may not look fully combined until the 3rd egg but mix each egg for at least 45 seconds each 
2. The dough should look smooth 

1. After making the dough it can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours 
   1. The dough does not have to be at room temperature to shape (it can still be warm) 

Shaping the cream puffs     

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees 
2. On an ungreased baking sheet pipe with a ½ regular piping tip circles of the dough 2 ½ inches wide and 1 inch high 
   1. Leave about an inch of space between dough circles 

* To make cream puffs pipe the dough straight onto the baking tray, no butter, no parchment paper*

1. Sprinkle the tops with a few drops of water to make the puffs lighter and fluffier 
2. Place the puffs in the oven at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and continue to cook for another 20-22 minutes 
3. Once cooked remove to a cooling rack immediately

1. Let the puffs cool fully before filling 

Filling the Puffs

There are many different types of fillings that can be used to create the “cream” in cream puffs. For this recipe, I used classic whipped cream, but a berry or custard filling is also delicious! 

Whipped Cream Recipe: 

1. Mix ½ cup of cream with 1 ½ tbsp of sugar (or to taste) 

* The amount of sugar is up to you, you can add more sugar at any point in the whipping process, or add more cream to decrease sweetness 

1. Using a mixer on medium to high speed, whisk the cream until it forms stiff peaks

Assembling the Cream Puffs

1. Cut each puff in half, place the filling on one of the halves then place the halves back together, forming a cream sandwich 

Enjoy!