Choux Cream Puffs (French Hollow Pastry with Vanilla Custard)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 70 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 12 servings
- Ingredients
- 9
About this dish
Hollow choux shells filled with cold vanilla cream start as a paste cooked in the saucepan, and in the oven the water in that dough turns to steam and inflates each mound.
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The shells must be completely cool before filling, or the cream melts. A fresh one gives a crisp crack and then cold custard, but moisture from the cream gradually softens the pastry. Fill them close to serving, or refrigerate filled puffs and eat them within two to three hours.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking sheet with parchment.
Put 120ml water, 55g butter, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan over medium heat, heating until the butter fully melts and the mixture reaches a clear boil.
- 2
When the liquid boils, lower the heat and add 70g flour all at once.
Stir hard with a wooden spoon for 1-2 minutes, until the dough gathers into one ball and pulls cleanly from the bottom of the pan.
- 3
Once the surface looks slightly matte, remove the pan from the heat and transfer the dough to a bowl for 5 minutes.
Let the steam fade so the eggs do not scramble, then beat in 2 eggs one at a time until fully absorbed.
- 4
The dough is ready when it falls slowly from the spatula and leaves a V-shaped tail.
Spoon it into a piping bag with a round tip, pipe 4cm rounds, and leave at least 5cm between them for expansion.
- 5
Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes without opening the oven door at any point.
Remove the shells when they are deep golden and feel light but firm, then cool them completely so the filling will not melt.
- 6
Whisk 250ml milk, 50g sugar, 20g cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract over medium heat until thick and smooth.
Chill until cold, pierce a small hole in each shell base, fill with the cream, and serve promptly.
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