Cream puffs are elegant, airy pastries made from classic choux dough that bakes into hollow shells and is filled with luscious whipped cream or pastry cream. Light, slightly crisp on the outside, and creamy inside, they’re perfect for holidays, tea parties, or viral dessert posts for food blogs. This bakery-style recipe gives you tall, hollow shells and stable filling — ideal for AdSense-optimized recipe articles.
⏱ Prep Time
-
Prep time: 25 minutes
-
Cook time: 30–35 minutes
-
Cooling & filling: 30 minutes
-
Total time: about 1 hour 30 minutes
🍴 Equipment
-
Medium saucepan
-
Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
-
Mixing bowl
-
Electric hand mixer (recommended)
-
Baking sheet
-
Parchment paper
-
Piping bag or zip bag
-
Cooling rack
🧾 Ingredients
For the Choux Pastry
-
1 cup water
-
½ cup unsalted butter
-
1 cup all-purpose flour
-
¼ teaspoon salt
-
4 large eggs
For the Cream Filling
-
2 cups heavy whipping cream
-
¼ cup powdered sugar
-
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Topping
-
Powdered sugar for dusting
OR -
Chocolate sauce drizzle
📝 Ingredient Notes (Important for Perfect Results)
-
Butter: Use real butter for best flavor and proper pastry texture.
-
Eggs: Room temperature eggs blend smoother into dough.
-
Heavy cream: Must be cold to whip properly.
-
Flour: Standard all-purpose flour works best; do not use cake flour.
👩🍳 Instructions
Step 1 — Prepare the Dough
-
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
-
In a saucepan, bring water, butter, and salt to a boil.
-
Add flour all at once and stir quickly.
-
Cook while stirring until dough forms a ball and pulls from the sides (about 2 minutes).
Step 2 — Add Eggs
-
Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.
-
Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
-
Dough should become smooth, shiny, and pipeable.
Step 3 — Pipe & Bake
-
Transfer dough to piping bag.
-
Pipe 1½-inch rounds onto baking sheet.
-
Bake 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F (175°C) and bake another 10–15 minutes.
-
Do NOT open oven early (they may collapse).
-
Cool completely.
Step 4 — Make Filling
-
Whip heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
Step 5 — Fill the Puffs
-
Slice each puff or poke a hole underneath.
-
Pipe cream inside.
-
Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle chocolate.
Serve fresh.
🥗 Nutrition Facts (Approx per cream puff)
-
Calories: 170
-
Carbs: 12g
-
Fat: 11g
-
Protein: 3g
-
Sugar: 4g
(Values vary depending on filling amount.)
⭐ Pro Tips (Bakery Secrets)
✔ Cook flour mixture long enough — removes raw taste
✔ Dough should be thick but pipeable, not runny
✔ Always bake at high heat first for puff rise
✔ Cool shells fully before filling
✔ Fill shortly before serving to keep shells crisp
🔄 Variations (Great for Website Traffic)
🍫 Chocolate Cream Puffs
Add cocoa to whipped cream or drizzle melted chocolate.
🍓 Strawberry Cream Puffs
Add chopped strawberries into whipped cream filling.
🍮 Custard Cream Puffs
Replace whipped cream with vanilla pastry cream.
🍯 Caramel Cream Puffs
Drizzle with salted caramel sauce for viral bakery style.
