Description
Light, golden cream puffs with crisp shells and cloud-soft vanilla whipped cream inside. The perfect balance of airy, buttery pastry and silky filling, and let me tell you, it’s worth every bite.
Ingredients
- Water: 1 cup
- Unsalted Butter: 1/2 cup, 113 g
- All-Purpose Flour: 1 cup, 120 g
- Fine Salt: 1/4 teaspoon
- Large Eggs: 4, room temperature
- Heavy Cream: 2 cups, well chilled
- Powdered Sugar: 1/4 cup, plus extra for dusting
- Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon
Instructions
- Preheat: Heat oven to 220°C, 425°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make Choux Base: In a medium saucepan bring water, butter, and salt to a gentle boil. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously until the mixture forms a smooth ball and a thin film coats the pan, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Cool Briefly: Transfer dough to a bowl and let sit 3 to 5 minutes until warm, not hot, to the touch.
- Add Eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time until the dough is glossy and falls from the spoon in a thick V shape.
- Pipe: Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a round tip and pipe 12 mounds, about 4 cm wide, spacing well. Smooth any peaks with a damp fingertip.
- Bake: Bake 10 minutes at 220°C, 425°F, then reduce to 175°C, 350°F, and bake 20 to 25 minutes until puffed and deeply golden.
- Vent and Cool: Pierce each puff with a skewer to release steam and cool completely on a rack.
- Whip Filling: Beat cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to soft, billowy peaks.
- Fill: Split puffs or poke a small hole underneath and pipe in whipped cream until just full.
- Finish: Dust lightly with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
Notes
- Even Heating: Avoid opening the oven during baking so puffs do not collapse.
- Room-Temp Eggs: They incorporate more smoothly for a better rise.
- Make-Ahead Shells: Bake and cool shells, store airtight up to 2 days or freeze up to 1 month.
- Filling Tip: Chill the bowl and whisk for the fluffiest cream.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cream puff
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
Keywords: cream puffs, choux pastry, profiteroles, easy dessert, whipped cream filling, French dessert