Classic French Cream Puffs (Choux à la Crème)
Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Yield: 12–15 cream puffs
Ingredients
Choux Pastry (Shells)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
Vanilla Diplomat Cream (Filling)
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream (whipped to stiff peaks)
Instructions
- Make Pastry Cream: Heat milk in a saucepan until warm. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth. Slowly temper hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking continuously. Return to pan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thick and bubbling. Remove from heat, stir in 2 tbsp butter and vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap directly touching the surface and chill completely in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Make Choux Dough: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a saucepan, bring water, milk, 1/2 cup butter, sugar, and salt to a boil. Reduce heat to low, add all the flour at once, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms and pulls away from the sides (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.
- Add Eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing fully after each addition until the batter becomes smooth, glossy, and holds a pipeable shape.
- Pipe & Bake: Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe 2-inch mounds onto the baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Smooth down any pointed tips with a wet finger. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F (175°C) and bake for another 15 minutes until golden brown and hollow inside. Do not open the oven door during baking. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Assemble: Lightly fold the whipped heavy cream into the chilled pastry cream to make a light diplomat cream. Transfer cream to a piping bag. Slice off the top third of each cooled choux shell, pipe a generous mound of cream into the bottom half, and top with the pastry cap. Dust with powdered sugar if desired and serve chilled.
