There are two ways to fill cream puffs: piping the cream inside or slicing them open and sandwiching the filling. Piping is a bit tidier—it involves poking a small hole in the bottom of each puff and filling them doughnut-style, which keeps the cream neatly tucked inside.
What You’ll Need To Make Cream Puffs
- Whole Milk: Used in both the pastry cream and choux pastry, it provides richness and a smooth, creamy texture.
- Vanilla Extract Or Vanilla Bean Paste: Adds warm, aromatic flavor to the pastry cream.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens both the pastry cream and choux pastry, balancing flavors and adding a hint of crispness to the shells.
- Cornstarch: Helps thicken the pastry cream to give it a custard-like consistency.
- Egg Yolks: Thicken the pastry cream and give it that rich, silky texture, mellow flavor, and classic pale yellow color.
- Butter: Adds richness to the pastry cream and also adds flavor to the pastry.
- Rum (Optional): Adds a subtle touch of warmth that deepens the pastry cream’s flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the choux pastry, giving it structure.
- Eggs: Essential for the choux pastry’s rise, they provide structure, richness, and a light, airy texture.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: A light dusting adds a touch of sweetness and a pretty finish to the cream puffs.
Step-By-Step Instructions
For the Pastry CreamStep 1: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk until steaming. Stir in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks until smooth and pale. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of the hot milk to temper the eggs.
Pro tip: Tempering slowly raises the temperature of the eggs and, by adding the hot milk slowly, keeps them from scrambling.
Step 2: Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens to a pudding-like consistency—a few minutes. Take it off the heat and whisk in the butter and rum until smooth. Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface (this keeps it from forming a skin), and refrigerate until fully chilled, at least a few hours.
For the Choux Pastry
Step 1: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring it to a boil, stirring now and then, just until the butter melts. Turn the heat down to low, add the flour all at once, and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together in a smooth ball and pulls away from the sides—this should take about a minute.
Pro Tip: Cooking the dough briefly after adding the flour helps remove excess moisture, ensuring the puffs rise properly in the oven.
Step 2: Transfer the dough to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Beat on low for 30 seconds to help release some of the steam. With the mixer still on low, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one and scraping down the sides as needed. Once all the eggs are in, keep mixing for another minute or so until the dough is smooth, thick, and easy to pipe. Transfer it into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip.
Step 3: Pipe 1 3/4-inch mounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Wet your finger and press down any pointed tips to prevent burning. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, without opening the oven, until golden and well-risen. (Opening the oven too soon can cause the puffs to collapse before they are fully set.)
If piping the filling, remove the puffs from the oven and immediately poke a 1/4-inch hole into the bottom or side of each with a paring knife or skewer to release steam. (Releasing the steam prevents the interior from becoming soggy.)
Return them to the oven, turn it off, crack the door slightly, and let them sit for 30 minutes to dry out. If slicing to fill, skip the hole-poking step and simply let them cool in the oven.
Fill the Cream Puffs
Give the chilled pastry cream a quick whisk to smooth it out. If you’re slicing the puffs open, use a serrated knife to cut them in half horizontally. Spoon or pipe the pastry cream onto the bottom half, then pop the top back on. If you’re piping the filling in, transfer the cream to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. Insert the tip into the hole you made earlier and gently fill each puff. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and enjoy!
Cream Puffs
Makes 24 cream puffs Prep Time: 45 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes, plus 2 to 3 hours to chill the pastry cream- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch (1.25-mm) cubes
- 1 tablespoon rum (optional)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 4 large eggs
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until steaming (do not boil). Stir in the vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks until smooth and pale. Slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the warm milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs.
Pour the tempered mixture into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened to a pudding-like consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and rum (if using) until fully incorporated.
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate until chilled, 2 to 3 hours.
For the Choux Pastry
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the butter is fully melted. Reduce the heat to low, add the flour all at once, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 1 minute.
Transfer the dough to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then beat on low speed for about 30 seconds to release steam.
With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once all the eggs are incorporated, continue mixing for 1 minute more, until the dough is smooth, thick, and pipeable.
Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip (at this point, you can hold the dough at room temperature for up to 2 hours). Pipe 1 3/4-inch mounds (they should be about 1 inch tall) onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Wet your finger and gently press down any pointed tips (don’t skip this step or they will burn).
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, without opening the oven until near the end of the baking time, until the puffs are golden and well-risen.
If you’re planning to pipe in the filling, remove the puffs from the oven and immediately use a paring knife or skewer to poke a 1/4-inch hole in the bottom or side of each one—this helps release steam and keeps the insides light and crisp. Return them to the baking sheet and place them back in the oven.
Turn the oven off, crack the door open slightly, and let the puffs sit inside for 30 minutes to dry out. (If you plan to slice the puffs in half instead of piping, skip the hole-poking step—just leave them in the oven with the heat off.)
To Assemble the Cream Puffs
Before filling the cream puffs, whisk the chilled pastry cream until smooth to restore its creamy texture. You can fill the cream puffs using one of two methods: by piping the filling into a hole or by slicing them in half and adding the filling.
For piped filling: If you poked a hole in each pastry, transfer the pastry cream to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Insert the tip into the hole at the bottom or side of each puff and gently pipe until filled.
For sliced filling: Use a serrated knife to cut each puff in half horizontally. Pipe or spoon the pastry cream onto the bottom half, then place the top half back on.
