Description
Light, airy Italian cream puffs with crisp golden shells and a luxurious vanilla pastry cream filling, dusted with powdered sugar for an elegant dessert.
Ingredients
1 sheet Puff pastry, thawed
2 cups Whole milk
1/2 cup Granulated sugar
1/4 cup Cornstarch
1 pinch Salt
4 large Egg yolks
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Unsalted butter
Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Make pastry cream: Heat milk until steaming. Whisk sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch and flour. Gradually whisk in hot milk. Return to heat and cook until thick (2-3 mins). Stir in vanilla and butter. Cover with plastic wrap touching surface and chill.
- Make choux pastry: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Bring water, butter and salt to boil. Remove from heat, add flour all at once, stirring vigorously until dough forms a ball. Cool 5 mins.
- Beat in eggs one at a time until shiny and smooth. Pipe or spoon 1.5-inch mounds onto parchment-lined sheets.
- Bake 15 mins at 425°F, then reduce to 375°F (190°C) and bake 20-25 mins until golden. Turn off oven, prop door open, and dry 10 mins.
- Cool completely. Slice tops off, fill with pastry cream, replace tops. Dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
- For crispier shells, poke holes after baking to release steam
- Add 1 tsp orange zest to pastry cream for variation
- Unfilled puffs freeze well for up to 1 month
- For chocolate version, add 2 tbsp cocoa powder to choux pastry
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian/French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cream puff
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 45mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 95mg