Cream Puffs

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5 from 4 votes

Classic Cream Puff Recipe- top with whipped cream and strawberries

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Total Time1 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: dessert

Servings: cream puffs

Calories: 91kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

For the cream puff dough

1 cup (240 ml) water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick, 113 g) unsalted butter sliced
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup (120 g) all purpose flour sifted
4 large eggs room temperature
1 egg white plus more as needed

Whipped Cream and Strawberries

1 cup (240 ml) whipping cream
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
sliced strawberries optional
powdered sugar optional

Instructions

Combine the water, salt, butter, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat. There's no need to stir.
Turn the heat down to medium and add the flour all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon for about 3 minutes, or until the mixture forms a cohesive mass and pulls away from the sides of the pans, leaving a film of flour on the sides of pan.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl or a stand mixer and beat it with a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment for about 1 minute or until slightly cooled.
Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, until you've added 4. Check the consistency of the batter by pulling a wooden spoon through it. When the groove it makes slowly in on itself, you've added enough eggs. Another way to check is to see if the batter droops from the spoon when it is held sideways. If so it is ready. Add more egg whites as needed until the batter passes away the groove test. While the dough is best used right away, it will keep for several hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain tip and fill it with the dough. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. If using paper, pipe a small amount of dough underneath the paper in the four corners to hold it down.
Make 2 rows of 3 each cream puffs each. Start by holding the pastry bag about 3/4-inch above the sheet pan and squeezing. If the pastry bag tip is too close, the cream puffs won't be thick enough; if it's too far away, they won't be wide enough. As the round of pastry takes shape, lift the pastry bag until it is about 1 1/2 inches above the sheet pan. The mounds of dough should be about 3 1/2 inches in diameter and about 1 1/2 inches high in the center. Brush with an egg wash, lightly smoothing the surface with the brush at the same time. Bake the cream puffs for about 20 minutes or until puffed and golden. Turn down the oven to 300F and continue baking for 20 minutes more. Let cool for at least 20 minutes on a cake rack.
Prepare the whipped cream by placing the heavy cream into a bowl of a stand mixer. Combine with the sugar and vanilla extract and whip to soft peaks. Use a serrated knife, cut each cream puff open horizontally. Pipe the whipped cream or scoop with an icecream scoop the whipped cream into the middle and top with sliced strawberries. Top with additional powdered sugar if you choose and I think you should!

Video

Notes

Nutrition facts do not include strawberries or additional powdered sugar.
You will be making the cream puff in a saucepan so make sure to choose a heavy duty saucepan that is large enough
When you add the flour, you want to add it all at once then stir with a wooden spoon until it leaves a film onto the walls of the saucepan.
Use a digital thermometer to check the temperature of the batter before adding the eggs. You want the temperature below 121°F.
The number of eggs can vary when making cream puffs. So check if you have added enough by dragging your wooden spoon through the batter, it should leave a path that folds in on itself. Or pick up the spoon the batter should fall off the spoon and form a "V".
When piping, aim for about 1 1/2 inches high and 3 1/2 inches wide.
When piping, hold the piping bag about 3/4-inch above the cookie sheet and start piping. As the round takes shape lift the bag up to about 1 1/2-inch above the cookie sheet to allow the round to widen. You will fit about 6 on one cookie sheet.

Nutrition