Cream Puffs

If you’re looking to get started in the world of pastry making, then there is no better place to start than cream puffs. They combine two basic pastry components: a pâte à choux, a dough used in a lot of French pastry applications made of flour, butter, milk, water, and eggs, and pastry cream. Once you’ve mastered these two things, then you’re set to bake countless treats. No need to be intimidated by this French pastry—with my top tips, your kitchen will begin to feel like a fancy patisserie in no time.

How To Make Cream Puffs

INGREDIENTS

• Pastry Cream: You’ll find cream puffs with all sorts of different fillings. A vanilla custard is traditional, so that’s what I went for here. If you’re looking to switch things up, you can get creative here. As far as the vanilla goes, you’ve got two options: you can use vanilla extract or a fresh vanilla pod. Different flavors of custard, like chocolate, would also be great, but whipped cream is also very common. Simply folding in a bit of jam into whipped cream is an easy way to make different flavors of filling for cream puffs. Similar to profiteroles, you can always put a small scoop of ice cream in the middle and call it a day.
• Craquelin Topping: You’ll often see cream puffs with a crunchy, crackly top called craquelin. The topping is extremely easy to make, like an even simpler cookie dough. It adds more texture to the cream puffs and an extra sweet bite to the top, and bakes into a beautiful cobbled top, making the cream puff even prettier. To make this signature topping, all you need is flour, light brown sugar (light is preferred), and unsalted butter.
• Pâte à Choux: Cream puffs are a type of pâte à choux, a dough used in a lot of French pastry applications made of flour, butter, milk, water, and eggs. The dough steams as it cooks, causing it to puff and become hollow in the center. Once you master this dough, you can use it in other French treats, like eclairs, cheese puffs, and profiteroles.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

First, whisk granulated sugar and cornstarch into a saucepan and mix until well combined. I’m using cornstarch instead of flour because it helps to thicken the mixture without adding a flour-y taste. Once combined, slowly stream in milk, whisking constantly so that it doesn’t get lumpy. Cooking the starch takes away any gumminess or flavor to it, and helps to prepare it as a thickener.

Then, slowly add 1/2 cup of that warm mixture to your prepared egg yolks in a separate bowl. This is called tempering your eggs, which prevents them from scrambling and creating a lumpy pastry cream when added to a hot liquid.

While whisking, add the warmed egg mixture back into the pot, along with your vanilla seeds. Whisk until fully combined, and stir pretty frequently until you reach a pudding-like consistency. This will set up as soon as you take it off the heat, so you can let it off a bit earlier than you might think. Once you remove from the heat, add your butter, which gives a gloss and shine to the pastry cream.

Push your pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to prevent any lumps or cooked eggs from popping up in your pastry cream. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap, and press it right over the pastry mixture so that no film forms on top of the cream. Let it rest in the fridge until fully set, then transfer to a piping bag.

Craquelin is kind of optional, but the texture and sweetness it adds are truly life-changing. To make it, add sugar and softened butter to a bowl, and cream until it comes together. Add your flour, and beat until well combined. This mixture can feel a tad unstable, so sandwich it between two pieces of parchment to handle it easier. Press into a rectangle shape, then use a rolling pin to roll it out into one flat circle.

I like to cut the rounds out before freezing the dough to make the cutting process a little easier. The dough will be soft, so I leave the cut-out dough on the parchment and remove all of the scraps around the circles after freezing. It’s a bit easier than freezing, then cutting the circles out. Use a biscuit cutter, and cut them to be slightly bigger than your cream puffs. They need to set in the freezer for around 15 minutes at least.

Now, it’s time to move onto the choux pastry. It’s halfway between a dough and a batter—thin enough so that you can pipe it, but thick enough that it will hold its shape. To make it, add milk, butter, sugar, and water, whisking as it comes to a boil over medium-low heat. Once it's bubbling, add the flour and salt, and use a wooden spoon to continue stirring the dough as it cooks. Cook until the dough forms a light film on the bottom of the pan. By cooking off the mixture, the gelatin will start to form, helping your pastry stick up more and expand in the oven without any leaveners.

Transfer to a bowl, and beat your mixture for around 5 minutes to cool it down. I do this before adding the eggs to prevent them from scrambling once added. Add an egg—one at a time—for that richness, color, and body. Incorporate each one before adding the next until you have a sticky pastry that is almost pourable but definitely pipable. It should fall away from the spatula, close to a batter.

Transfer the mixture to a piping bag, and pipe straight down on your sheet pan until you have a circle, pulling up at the end to create a pointed end. Cover each with your prepared craquelin until they are all covered. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat and bake until golden brown. The tell-tale sign that your cream puffs are ready? They should feel and sound hollow once tapped.

Once done, cut a little hole in the bottom of your cream puff with a paring knife, then fill with pastry cream until they feel slightly heavy.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Storage & Make Ahead

The craquelin topping can be kept frozen for up to 1 month before using. The cream puffs can be baked off and left unfilled 1 day ahead of time. The pastry cream can be made and stored in the refrigerator up to 3 days before using. Once filled, the cream puffs are best served the same day, but can kept refrigerated for up to 3 days. They will start to soften a bit more each day after filling.