How to Make Classic Cream Puffs

By Tatyana's Everyday Food · 150 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Fit a large piping bag with a simple medium round tip.
2. Pour the water into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cubed butter and heat until it simmers and the butter has fully melted.
3. Add the salt and all the flour at once. Stir with a whisk, then switch to a spatula once a dough ball forms. Keep cooking for another 30 seconds.
4. Take the dough off the heat and move it to a large bowl. Let it cool until just lukewarm, about 20 minutes.
5. Beat in the eggs one at a time at medium speed. The dough will look crumbly at first, then come together. It should be smooth and elastic when done.
6. Spoon the choux dough into the piping bag.
7. Pipe medium dollops onto the paper, about 1½ inches apart. Smooth any sharp peaks.
8. Bake at 425°F/218°C for 10 minutes, then lower the oven to 350°F/177°C and bake 30 to 35 minutes more. Do not open the oven door during baking. Bake until the shells are a rich golden brown.
9. Let the shells cool completely on the baking sheet at room temperature.
10. Filling (pastry cream and whipped cream, as in the video): make about 1½ cups of vanilla pastry cream from the creator's linked recipe, ideally a day ahead and chilled overnight. Whip 2 cups chilled heavy cream with 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for 4 to 5 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Add 1½ cups of the pastry cream and whisk until uniform. If too soft, chill about 1 ho
11. Assemble: cut off the top third of each cooled shell with a serrated knife. Fill a piping bag fitted with a small star tip with about half the filling, and pipe a generous amount into each puff. Replace the tops, then chill on the sheet to set.
12. Ganache: pour 1/3 cup heavy cream into a large measuring cup, add 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring after each, until smooth. Let it cool until thickened, then spoon over each filled puff.
13. Chill the filled, glazed puffs for at least 4 hours or overnight, then store in a large airtight container in the refrigerator.

Summarized from Tatyana's Everyday Food's video. Watch it for the details.

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