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Cream Puffs with Pastry Cream Filling Recipe

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4.3 from 11 reviews

Delight in these classic French Cream Puffs featuring light, airy choux pastry filled with a rich and creamy vanilla pastry cream. Perfectly baked until golden and finished with a dusting of powdered sugar, these cream puffs are an elegant dessert that can be prepared ahead and enjoyed fresh or chilled.

Ingredients

Pastry Cream

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ⅓ cup + 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar (divided)
  • 1 vanilla bean (split in half lengthwise)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 5 large egg yolks (room temperature)
  • 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (softened and cut into 4 pieces)

Choux Pastry

  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup unsalted butter (cut into 8 pieces)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs (room temperature)

For Finishing

  • Powdered sugar (for dusting cream puffs)

Instructions

  1. Make Pastry Cream: Combine cream, milk, ⅓ cup sugar, vanilla bean, and salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until sugar dissolves and mixture simmers. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Prepare Egg Mixture: In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks with 3 tablespoons sugar vigorously until sugar starts dissolving, about 15 seconds. Sprinkle cornstarch over mixture and whisk until blended and slightly thickened.
  3. Temper Eggs: Slowly drizzle about ⅓ cup of the warm cream mixture into egg mixture while whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Gradually whisk in remaining cream mixture until fully combined.
  4. Cook Pastry Cream: Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking frequently until thickened.
  5. Strain and Finish Cream: Remove from heat, strain through fine mesh to remove vanilla bean, then whisk in softened butter piece by piece until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap directly on surface to prevent skin. Let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate at least 2-4 hours before filling.
  6. Prepare Choux Pastry: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  7. Boil Liquid: In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, and salt over medium heat. Bring to a rolling boil.
  8. Add Flour: Add flour all at once. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir vigorously with a spatula until dough forms a ball and pulls away from pan sides.
  9. Cool Dough: Remove from heat and stir for several minutes to cool slightly.
  10. Add Eggs: Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition until dough is smooth and velvety in texture.
  11. Pipe Pastry: Transfer dough to a piping bag or large zip-top bag with a corner cut. Pipe mounds about 2 inches wide and 1 inch high onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 1.5 inches apart. Wet fingertips and smooth any peaks gently.
  12. Bake Initial: Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 30 minutes or until cream puffs are dry and golden brown.
  13. Pierce and Dry: Remove from oven and use a sharp knife to pierce the bottom center about halfway into each puff. Place puffs back on baking sheet and return to oven. Turn oven off and let puffs sit with door cracked open for 10 minutes.
  14. Cool Completely: Remove from oven and allow cream puffs to cool fully on baking sheets before filling.
  15. Fill Cream Puffs: Fill a piping bag with chilled pastry cream fitted with a small tip (Wilton 5 recommended). Insert tip into each puff and pipe cream until it starts to come out of the hole.
  16. Finish and Serve: Lightly dust the tops of the filled cream puffs with powdered sugar just before serving to keep the sugar from dissolving.
  17. Storage: Store filled cream puffs in an airtight container refrigerated for 2-3 days or freeze for longer storage.

Notes

  • Tempering the eggs with warm cream helps avoid scrambled eggs in the pastry cream.
  • You can line two smaller baking sheets if one large sheet is unavailable.
  • Be careful when piercing hot puffs to avoid burns.
  • Pastry cream can be made a day in advance and refrigerated.
  • To maintain crispness, fill cream puffs just before serving.

Find it online: https://yumntasty.com/cream-puffs-with-pastry-cream-filling-recipe/