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Vanilla cream puffs served

Vanilla Cream Puffs

Looking for a simple cream puffs recipe? Our vanilla cream puff recipe is here to guide you through making these heavenly delights with ease and joy!
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Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Making Puffs: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Keyword: Baked Goods, Choux Pastry, Cream Puffs, Ganache, Pastry Cream
Servings: 14 vanilla cream puffs
Author: Marcin Skrzypiec

Equipment

  • Stand mixer

Ingredients

Choux Pastry:

  • ¼ cup water ~60 ml
  • ¼ cup milk ~60 ml
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter ~45 g
  • 2½ oz all-purpose flour ~70 g
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1¼ tsp sugar
  • 2 large eggs ~95g after cracking

Vanilla Pastry Cream:

  • 1 cup milk ~240 g
  • 2 medium egg yolks or large (about 30-35 g)
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch ~20 g
  • 3 1/2 tbsp sugar ~44 g
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter ~14 g

Chocolate Ganache:

  • 7 tbsp heavy cream ~100 g or 3.5 oz
  • 3.5 oz dark chocolate ~100 g or 3.5 oz

Instructions

Pastry Cream

  • Boil Milk: Mix milk, vanilla extract, and half the sugar. Heat until nearly boiling.
  • Prep Yolks: Whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, and remaining sugar in a bowl.
  • Temper Eggs: Gradually mix hot milk into yolk mixture to avoid curdling.
  • Thicken Cream: Cook the mixture over low/medium heat until it thickens and bubbles (2-4 minutes).
  • Off Heat Whisk: Remove from heat; whisk for another minute.
  • Add Butter: Stir in butter until fully incorporated.
  • Taste Test: Adjust sugar or vanilla if needed.
  • Cool Down: Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a crust; cool at room temp, then refrigerate if not using right away.

Cream Puffs

  • Oven Preheat: Set oven to 390°F (200°C).
  • Boil Mixture: Boil butter, milk, water, salt, and sugar.
  • Add Flour: Off heat, add flour and stir; return to heat for 2-3 minutes constantly stirring until glossy.
  • Cool Dough: Transfer to a bowl; cool for 10 minutes.
  • Whisk Eggs: In a separate bowl, whisk eggs.
  • Mix Dough: Add eggs to dough gradually, aiming for a thick, pipeable consistency. Make sure the dough passes the V-shape test.
  • Prep Tray: Line a baking tray with parchment or silicone mat.
  • Pipe Dough: Fill a piping bag; pipe dough into 12 to 16 mounds on the tray.
  • Baking: Bake at 356°F (180°C) for 40 minutes; open oven door slightly in the last 5 minutes.
  • Cool Puffs: Let puffs cool for 10-15 minutes, then carefully detach from the parchment paper and cool on a wire rack for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Chocolate Ganache

  • Chop Chocolate: Finely chop and place in a heatproof bowl.
  • Heat Cream: Cook heavy cream until bubbles form at the edges.
  • Melt Chocolate: Pour hot cream over chocolate, wait a minute, then stir until smooth. Set aside so it cools.

Assembly

  • Whisk Cream: Whisk the pastry cream before use.
  • Prep Ganache: Wait until the ganache is thick enough to coat the puffs. Warm up if too thick or cool down if too runny.
  • Fill Puffs: Pipe pastry cream into puffs using a bismark tip or cut and fill.
  • Top with Ganache: Dip or spoon ganache over the puffs.
  • Serve: Enjoy immediately for best flavor and texture.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!