Name: Cream Puffs
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 30
Ingredients: 1 cup water; ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 4 eggs plus 1 for egg wash; Filling; 2 cups very cold heavy whipping cream; ¼ cup powdered sugar; ½ teaspoon clear vanilla extract ** see notes; Garnish; Strawberries; Blackberries; Raspberries; 2 cups whole milk; 3/4 Cup Sugar; 5 egg yolks; 1/4 cup cornstarch; pinch of salt; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 2 tbsp sugar; 1/2 cup Heavy whipping cream

This Cream Puff Recipe is deliciously airy, delicate pastry shells filled with the most mouthwatering pastry cream & whipped cream filling. They’re a classic dessert that everyone loves, and usually buys because they can seem intimidating to make at home. The truth is, making cream puffs at home is actually very simple!

Cream puffs sprinkled with powdered sugar with fresh berries in the background.

If you’ve never had Cream Puffs before, then you need to make this delicious recipe right at home! It’s the perfect sweet treat.

Close up shot of a cream puff sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Prepare the perfect dessert with this delicious Cream Puffs recipe. These sweet treats have a perfectly crisp exterior with a creamy, soft center that tastes amazing.

What Is a Cream Puff?

Cream Puffs are light and fluffy pastries filled with a creamy, sweet center. The cream varies from one puff to the next, depending on what you use and prefer. You can learn how to make the perfect filling for Cream Puffs using this recipe. These baked goods are similar to donuts, but they’re not the same.

Overhead shot of Cream puffs sprinkled with powdered sugar with fresh berries in the background.

Why You Should Try This Cream Puffs Recipe

Cream Puffs are a light dessert full of flavor.
It’s not too hard to make these delicious puffs!
You can customize the puffs to your liking with some of your favorite toppings added to them.
They’re the perfect dessert to have at any time.

Three Cream puffs sprinkled with powdered sugar with fresh berries in the background.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make the Cream Puffs

If you have the right ingredients, you can learn how to make Cream Puffs with ease. The ingredients you need to have include:

Unsalted Butter. Use one stick of butter and make sure it’s salt-free.
Granulated Sugar. Give your Cream Puffs that perfect level of sweetness with granulated sugar.
All-Purpose Flour. Create the puffs using this type of flour as the main ingredient.
Heavy Whipping Cream. You’ll need to use cold heavy whipping cream to prepare the filling.
Powdered Sugar. Combine the powdered sugar with the heavy whipping cream. Don’t forget to set some off to the side to add a dusting of the sugar to your puffs.
Vanilla Extract. The vanilla extract adds the perfect touch to the creamy filling.

The other ingredients you’ll need include eggs and salt. You can also garnish these Cream Puffs with fresh fruit.

All ingredients needed to make this recipe.

Why do I need heavy whipping cream?

You need heavy whipping cream to create that sweet filling that you’ll add to your Cream Puffs. It’s important to keep it refrigerated before you use it. The cream needs to be cold before you combine it with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract to create a sweet and tasty filling.

Which fruits taste best when added to the Cream Puffs?

Lots of fruits taste good with these Cream Puffs. Some of the best ones to use as garnish include sliced strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Of course, you may choose to use any fruits that you like best.

How many Cream Puffs does this recipe make?

You’ll make a minimum of 28 and a maximum of 30 Cream Puffs when you’re following this recipe. You’re going to have more than enough for the family! This recipe also comes in handy when you want to make a sweet homemade treat for special events, such as baby showers and birthday parties. Your guests will love them.

How long will it take to make these sweet treats?

The Cream Puffs won’t take long to prepare. It takes around 20 minutes to prepare your ingredients and then five minutes to cook everything. So, you can expect to have these delicious puffs ready to eat in no time.

A lot of people think that its difficult to make these and they don’t even try! I am here to tell you, foodie friends, they are really easy! Cream puff pastry, or pate a choux, is made from just four ingredients: water, butter, flour, and eggs. The ingredients are combined in a saucepan and cooked over medium heat until a ball of dough forms. The dough is then transferred to a mixer and beaten while adding eggs one at a time, until the mixture is smooth. Then the dough is piped into small circles onto a baking sheet, and baked until golden brown and puffy. Once you take the pastry shells out of the oven, you must allow them to cool completely before being filled with my whipped cream/pastry cream filling.

When do I add the filling to the puffs?

Don’t add the filling to the pastry too soon. You should add it within four hours or less of serving the Cream Puffs to your loved ones.

Should I add anything else to the Cream Puffs?

While you don’t need to add anything extra to the Cream Puffs to get them to taste good, you have options. Some people like adding a chocolate drizzle over these puffs with powdered sugar and sliced strawberries. If you don’t like chocolate, you can always use warm caramel syrup to drizzle over your pastry for an added touch. If not, feel free to keep it simple and add a dusting of the powdered sugar before serving your baked goods.

Can I make a chocolate version of the cream filling?

You absolutely can make a chocolate version of the cream filling for these puffs. If you prefer chocolate, add a bit of cocoa powder into the filling mixture with the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. It’ll turn into a chocolate filling that tastes great. Feel free to make other versions of the filling for your Cream Puffs, including strawberry, pineapple, and even blueberry. The possibilities are endless.