Choux à la Crème

I just got back from a 4 mile run. Why? I told myself I was only allowed to eat one cream puff if I made them, and ended up eating SIX. Ughhh the lack of self control is horrible. I must say, it was worth it!! This was my first attempt at baking choux à la crème, aka cream puffs in America. They remind me of the time I spent in Paris a few years ago (that’s me with the Eiffel Tower & at the cutest French café below). I miss the bakeries and all of the amazing treats you can get there. These cream puffs seem difficult to make, but if you follow the directions EXACTLY as written, I promise they will come out beautiful and delicious. I did not have heavy cream for the créme pâtissiére (pastry filling), so I did some research and saw that some recipes used milk. If any of you out there know the TRUE French way of making pastry cream, let me know!! I have seen so many variations. I went with using the milk I had in the fridge (2%) and it came out really, really good. I wouldn’t make it with heavy cream because it is much more fattening, and I am perfectly happy with how the filling came out this time.


5.0 from 3 reviews
Choux à la Crème
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total
 
Type: Dessert
Serves: 10
Ingredients
Créme pâtissiére (pastry filling)
  • 1¼ cups milk
  • 3 egg yolks
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 1½ tbsp flour
  • 2 tbsp corn starch
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
Pâte á choux (pastry dough)
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • ½ cup flour
  • 2 eggs
  • Powdered sugar for garnish
Instructions
Filling
  1. Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and corn starch.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolk and sugar until blended (save egg whites for brushing later).
  4. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and whisk until smooth and well blended.
  5. Just before the milk starts to boil, add ⅓ of it to the egg mixture and stir quickly with a whisk until blended. Add back into saucepan with remainder of the milk and whisk together over medium high heat constantly until thickens.
  6. Lower heat to medium and continue stirring, but more slowly. Remove from heat once lighter and easier to stir.
  7. Add butter and vanilla, and stir with whisk.
  8. Transfer to a bowl and let cool a few minutes before covering.
  9. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing on the top layer to avoid clumping, and place in refrigerator.
Puffs
  1. Mix together water, milk, sugar, butter, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Once it begins to boil, remove from heat and add flour, stirring rapidly with a wooden spoon.
  3. Put back over medium heat and stir. Dough should be well-blended, but firm and pulling away from pan easily.
  4. Remove from heat and continue stirring to cool.
  5. Add eggs, one at a time, and stir until the flour mixture soaks them up. This may take a few minutes of stirring. The dough will become very smooth.
  6. Put dough into a cake decorating bag or ziplock bag, and cut off the top corner (about ½ inch hole).
  7. Preheat oven to 410 degrees F.
  8. Squeeze dough out onto parchment paper, keeping hand steady over one spot, until you make a 2 inch thick mound. Twist and pull up to release the dough.
  9. Brush with egg white gently, and use brush to flatten tips down.
  10. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower heat to 350 degrees F and bake another 10 minutes. Do not open the oven or they may not bake properly. Check to see if tops are browning too quickly during the first 10 minutes through the window if you have one.
  11. Let cool, then cut a small hole in the bottom with a paring knife (or cut off the top ⅓, whichever way you prefer to fill them).
  12. Put filling into a clean decorating bag.
  13. "Inject" filling through bottoms of the puffs and hold them with two fingers on your other hand to feel them become full.
  14. Dust with powdered sugar.
Makes 20 bite-sized cream puffs

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17 comments

    • mysanfranciscokitchen says:

      Ahhh I am so jealous, I wish I could go back and spend more time there 🙂 You will have so much fun, and hopefully lots of amazing foooood!

  1. Eddie Ross says:

    These look simply divine. Such a great idea for Easter brunch. Hope you have an amazing holiday weekend.
    xo E + J

  2. Cassandra says:

    I followed your recipe and made these yesterday. I couldn’t believe how easy it was, and they were incredible! I am very excited to try more of the recipes…. Everything looks delicious!

  3. Erika says:

    I just made these- they taste amazing but they ended up like concave saucers- if you have any tips on what to emphasize on keeping the dough thicker, please let me know! The flavor is amazing…They are just more like pancakes than pastry puff. :/

  4. dygfybrdbyewhdn says:

    hi! I really enjoyed making these pastries. they were decent. During the holidays they where no match for my mother in laws but ya know thats fine. They were easy to make and my husband loved them but then again he doesn’t have super high standards. They where good, sending love xxx.

    • i lOVVEDDD these says:

      I lOVEDDD this recipe!!! SO good and a very nice taste! they where a hit at my house. maybe you made them wrong… I can offer tips on making creampuffs.

  5. cathy loves creampuffs says:

    this was decent, needs a little improvement. I added caramel sauce for a bit of flavor

  6. Cynthia Thomas says:

    I made these about 6 years ago and they were a hit at the women’s coffee. I just found the recipe after moving. Can’t wait to make them again. There used to be a crispy packaged puff that you could buy in a bag…I think DeAllessi? They don’t make them anymore because their machine broke and they were bought out so…no more crispy puffs that I filled with a whipped cream and pineapple filling. Is there a way to make them crispy? Maybe painting sugar egg wash or would they just cave in?

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