I always thought cream puffs were a complicated thing. Certainly not something to be made at home. Only bakeries can make these correctly.
I am so happy to have been wrong!
The dough is so easy to make. It really only takes a few minutes.
And it certainly doesn’t look like much. It is very smooth, and not at all sticky. This makes it very easy to work with.
I used my SilPats to line the baking sheets. I think this helps so very much in getting things to come off the sheets smoothly. I also think it helps with even baking, but I have no proof off that.
The dough puffs a large amount while baking, so you want to make sure you don’t put the dough too close together.
There are a ton of air pockets once the dough is cooked as well. This gives you plenty of space to fill!
The cream filling is lovely. It has a custard like feel to it. I also think it gives a little substantialness to the puffs.
I also made a whipped cream filling. My husband wanted a “traditional” cream puff.
I made half the puffs with the custard filling and half with a whipped cream filling.
For the whipped cream, you beat whipping or heavy cream with a little sugar and vanilla until stiff. If you add a little confectioners’ sugar it will hold up longer.
These look great, taste amazing, and are certain to impress all your friends!
CREAM PUFFS
1/2 Cup Shortening
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Boiling Water
1 Cup Sifted Flour
4 Eggs, Beaten
CREAM FILLING
1 1/2 Cups Milk
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons Flour
1 Egg Yolk
1 Tablespoon Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
Add shortening and salt to boiling water. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat, add flour all at once and stir vigorously until the mixture forms a ball around the spoon, leaving the pan clean. Move from heat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating very thoroughly after each addition. Continue beating until the mixture is thick and shiny and breaks from spoon. Shape on a cookie sheet using 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of the pastry for each puff. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes. Cool. Making a slit on one side of each puff. For filling - Scald 1 cup milk over boiling water. Mix sugar, salt, flour and remaining milk together. Stir into hot milk and cook slowly until thickened, stirring constantly. Cover and cook over boiling water for 5 minutes. Add mixture slowly to egg yolks and cook 1 minute longer. Add butter and vanilla. Cool. Fill each puff with a small amount of filling. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
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