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Cream Puffs

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baked goods•french•vegetarian, contains dairy, contains eggs
3 hours 30 minutes•12 cream puffs•

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cups granulated sugar (100g)
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1/4 cups cornstarch
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cups water
  • 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar (4.2g)
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cups all-purpose flour (120g)
  • 4 large egg
  • 1 large egg – beaten (egg wash)
  • 1 tbsp water – for egg wash
  • 1 cups heavy cream – well chilled
  • 2 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • powdered sugar – for serving
Cream Puffs

Instructions

  1. 1.

    Make the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan, heat 2 cups whole milk and 2 tsp vanilla extract over medium until steaming with small bubbles around the edges.

  2. 2.

    In a bowl, whisk 4 large egg yolks with 0.5 cup granulated sugar until pale, then whisk in 0.25 cup cornstarch and 0.25 tsp kosher salt until smooth.

  3. 3.

    Temper the yolk mixture with a ladle of the hot milk, whisking constantly, then return all to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking steadily, until thick and bubbling, 2–3 minutes; continue 1 minute more after the first bubbles for full starch activation. Off heat, whisk in 2 tbsp unsalted butter until glossy.

  4. 4.

    Spread the pastry cream in a shallow dish, press plastic directly on the surface, and chill until completely cold, at least 2 hours.

  5. 5.

    Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

  6. 6.

    Start the choux paste: In a medium saucepan, combine 0.5 cup water, 0.5 cup whole milk, 8 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 tsp granulated sugar, and 0.5 tsp kosher salt. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium-high heat.

  7. 7.

    Add 1 cup all-purpose flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms and pulls away from the sides, then cook and stir to dry the panade, 2–3 minutes; a thin film may form on the pan.

  8. 8.

    Transfer the hot dough to a mixing bowl. Let cool 5 minutes, then beat in 4 large eggs one at a time, mixing fully before the next, until the dough is smooth, glossy, and falls from the spatula in a thick V-shaped ribbon.

  9. 9.

    Spoon or pipe 12 mounds onto the prepared sheet, about 1.75 inches wide and spaced 2 inches apart. Smooth any peaks with a damp fingertip.

  10. 10.

    Make an egg wash by mixing 1 large egg with 1 tbsp water. Lightly brush the tops.

  11. 11.

    Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes, then reduce to 375°F (190°C) without opening the oven and bake 15–20 minutes more until deeply golden, puffed, and feel light yet set. Turn off the oven.

  12. 12.

    Immediately poke a small hole in each puff with a skewer to vent, return to the turned-off oven, and dry with the door ajar for 5–10 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.

  13. 13.

    Whip the cream: In a chilled bowl, beat 1 cup heavy cream, 2 tbsp powdered sugar, and 0.5 tsp vanilla extract to medium peaks.

  14. 14.

    Make diplomat cream: Whisk the chilled pastry cream to loosen, then gently fold in the whipped cream until smooth and airy.

  15. 15.

    Fill the puffs: Either poke a slightly larger hole in the base of each puff and pipe in diplomat cream until the puff feels heavy, or split puffs horizontally with a serrated knife and spoon in the filling before capping.

  16. 16.

    Dust with powdered sugar and serve within a few hours, or refrigerate filled puffs up to 1 day for a softer shell.

Cream puffs are airy shells of pâte à choux with a delicate crispness outside and a tender, hollow interior ready to hold a cool, creamy filling. Their flavor is a graceful balance of buttery dough and fragrant vanilla cream, finished with a snowy dusting of sugar. Bite for bite, they offer contrast—light pastry giving way to lush cream—and they feel celebratory whether stacked on a tray or plated individually.

In France, this family of pastries is known as choux à la crème, with close cousins like éclairs and religieuses sharing the same dough but different shapes and finishes. The dough itself traces to 16th‑century cooks working for Catherine de’ Medici, later refined by French pâtissiers such as Avice and Marie‑Antoine Carême. Over time the cream puff became a patisserie staple across Europe and beyond, filled with pastry cream, Chantilly, or lightened creams, and sometimes dressed with chocolate or caramel for festive occasions.