Classic Cream Puffs
Tender crispy French cream puffs with Diplomat cream filling
Making the dough of the cream puffs
Start by combining butter, milk, and water in a small saucepan and place it over medium heat. Add the flour and a roux will start to form. At this stage you want to cook out as much liquid as possible from the dough. You'll know the puff dough is ready once it clearly comes together and separates from the sides of the saucepan. The second stage is adding the eggs. Place the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and add the eggs one by one — only once the previous egg is fully incorporated can you add the next one.Shaping the cream puff dough
Once the dough is ready, place it in a piping bag and put the bag in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour. You don't want the mixture to be unstable — you want it to hold its structure and not spread to the sides when you pipe it onto the parchment paper.Baking the cream puffs
Like every step in this recipe, this stage is also divided into two parts. Start baking at 180°C/375°F for 15 minutes — here you want the steam inside the choux pastry to expand rapidly and make the puffs grow dramatically. Then (remember, don't open the oven door!) lower the temperature to 170°C/340°F and bake for another 20–25 minutes. In this part of the bake you want the puffs to lose all their moisture and dry out. That's how they get that crispy texture once they're out of the oven.Filling the cream puffs
Once the cream puffs are completely cooled, you can either inject them with a filling or cut them gently with a knife and pipe in whatever filling you like. Since the puffs are hollow, they'll take any filling that comes to mind. The most popular fillings are pastry cream, diplomat cream, and chantilly cream — but you can really play with it, even add savory pastes or whatever feels good and serves the purpose of the cream puffs you're making.
Method
- 1
Making the dough· 20 minutes
Place a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the water, milk and butter and stir until the butter dissolve completely. Bring the saucepan to a gentle simmer and add the flour. Continue stirring the roux for 2-3 more minutes until roux forms up to a stable dough. Constantly stir, when the dough has completely formed into a solid shape, reduce heat to low and stir for another minute. Once the dough is done, immediately remove from heat and place the dough a in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the dough for 1 minute in order for to cool down before adding the eggs. Add the eggs one at a time, wait for the egg to fully incorporate into the dough before adding the next one. If you think the last egg is not necessary don’t add it. A good option for the last egg is if you think only half an egg is needed, scramble the last egg and pour just half of the mixture.
- 2
Shaping the choux pastry· 1 hr 10 minutes
preheat oven to 180°c/375°F. Put the choux pastry in a piping bag and set in the fridge to refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Place a parchment paper on a baking pan, cut the tip of the piping bag and shape small cream puffs circulating the piping bag from the center. Keep at least 2 inch between each cream puff.
- 3
baking the cream puffs· 40-45 minutes
Place the baking pan in the oven and bake on 180°c/375°F for 15-18 minutes, after the first baking stage reduce the heat to 170°c/340°F and bake for another 20-25 minutes. Cream puffs need to be golden and crusty, but not burnt. Dont open the oven door, it can cause the puffs to deflate, when you feel it's the right time, turn off the oven and open the oven door slightly, for about 5 minutes, afterwards take the baking pan out of the oven.
- 4
Fill the Cream puffs· 5 minutes
Put the diplomat cream in a pastry piping bag. Use a knife to cut the cream puffs and pipe the diplomat cream inside. another option is to inject the cream puffs with the cream using a still narrow tip in the piping bag.
Jaron Kimhi
Jaron Kimhi — self-taught home cook from Tel Aviv, writing and cooking every recipe on this site himself. 20+ years of tinkering in the kitchen, leaning toward slow cooking, classic technique, and honest ingredients.
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