Description

Cream Puffs are light and airy pastries filled with smooth crème légère. Made with simple ingredients like whole milk, eggs, and butter, this homemade treat is perfect for impressing guests or just indulging yourself.

Ingredients

Scale

2 cups whole milk
½ vanilla bean (split and seeded)
½ cup granulated sugar (divided)
1 large egg
2 egg yolks
¼ cup cornstarch
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter (cubed)
2 cups whole milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
5 large eggs (variable quantity)
Powdered sugar (for dusting)

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Instructions

Prepare the pastry cream by warming the milk in a saucepan.
In a bowl, whisk yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until pale.
Temper the hot milk into the yolk mixture, return to the pan, and cook over medium heat, whisking until thickened.
Continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes, remove from heat, whisk in butter and vanilla, and refrigerate until chilled.
To make the choux paste, combine water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil.
Add flour all at once and stir vigorously until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a thin film on the bottom.
Transfer panade to a stand mixer, mix to release steam, then add eggs one at a time until the paste is right consistency.
Pipe the choux paste onto parchment-lined baking sheets and brush with egg wash.
Bake at 375°F (or 350°F convection) until golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.
Whisk the chilled pastry cream until smooth, whip the heavy cream, and fold together until fully combined.
Fill each shell with crème légère and serve immediately.

Notes

For the best results, do not open the oven door while baking the choux pastries for the first 25 minutes.
Ensure your heavy cream is chilled for better whipping results.
These pastries can be filled with various creams or custards for different flavors.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cream puff
Calories: 150
Sugar: 5g
Sodium: 150mg
Fat: 9g
Saturated Fat: 5g
Unsaturated Fat: 3g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 15g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 3g
Cholesterol: 30mg