Homemade Cream Puffs - They're Really Not that Difficult!

Some people think Homemade cream puffs or choux pastry is one of those complicated desserts and pastries to make at home.

But in reality, all you need are four ingredients that come together quickly to create one of my family's favorite homemade dessert that is a part of our Christmas celebration every year.

These cream puffs are light, airy, and full of vanilla custard. They're easy to make, too! Just follow the recipe below.

Check out my other holiday easy desserts that are perfect to serve all year round.

Homemade Cream Puffs

Besides cheesecake, one of the popular homemade desserts featured on my site is for Cream Puffs. But for some reason, people think it's one of those hard things to bake.

I always thought cream puffs were one of those difficult and challenging desserts to make until my mother showed me her easy recipe a few years ago. And today I am going to show YOU how to make the most delicious dessert ever that will impress your family and friends.

Here's a photo from "just a few years ago" of my mom and I baking cream puffs and German Stollen Bread. Another family tradition we bake is our Italian Easter Bread recipe.

Table of Contents

• Homemade Cream Puffs
• What is Choux Pastry?
• Helpful Kitchen Tools
• 📋Main Ingredients Needed
• Step-by-Step Directions
• Prepare the Dough
• Add the Eggs
• How to Form the Cream Puffs
• Baking Directions
• How Many Cream Puffs Does this Recipe Make? 
• What Filling is Best for the Cream Puffs
• How to Fill the Cream Puffs
• Before You Begin!
• Recipe Tips
• How do you keep cream puffs from getting soggy?
• Storage Tips
• Recipe Card
• 📖 Recipe Card
• 💬 Comments

Like this recipe? Try these other Easy Dessert Recipes: Chocolate Brownie Cake with Homemade Chocolate Ganache, Cheesecake Cupcakes, Strawberries Stuffed with Cheesecake Filling - another great dessert to serve for holiday celebrations. These look great on a buffet table. 

What is Choux Pastry?

So what is this mysterious dough that we love to enjoy filled with Chocolate whipped mousse cream, pudding, whipped cream and even savory treats?  It's real French name is choux pastry and it's the perfect blend of butter, water, flour and eggs combined together and then baked.

The dough for the cream puffs is a classic pate a choux pastry dough, which is made by boiling water, butter, and flour together. This creates a sticky dough that is then cooked again with eggs to create a light and airy pastry.

Once the dough has cooled, it's time to pipe it into small balls on a baking sheet. Make sure to leave enough space in between each ball so that they have room to grow.

Then, bake the cream puffs in a hot oven until they're golden brown and puffed up. Finally, let them cool before filling them with vanilla custard cream. Serve them with a dusting of powdered sugar for a special holiday dessert.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

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Cookie ScoopStainless Steel, Soft GripMore InformationSilicone Baking Mats - easy uniform sizes!More Information2-Pack Cooling Racks for BakingMore InformationThe Pampered Chef Chocolate DrizzlerMore Information6 Easy Squeeze Applicator BottlesMore Information

 

📋Main Ingredients Needed

Here's a quick overview of the ingredients for this recipe. Find the exact amounts and click the Instacart button to easily add them to your cart – all in the printable recipe card below!

• Butter
• Water
• Flour
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt - optional. I don't add the salt because I use salted butter. 

Step-by-Step Directions

Prepare the Dough

• Step 1: In a saucepan, heat the butter, water and salt over high heat and bring to a rolling boil.
• Step 2: Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once stirring quickly until the dough comes together and forms a ball.
• Step 3: Let the dough cool for 5 minutes before adding it to the bowl of a KitchenAid Stand Mixer .

Add the Eggs

• Step 4: Add the dough to the bowl of an electric mixer. You can just use a hand mixer with the dough still in the original saucepan. Add the eggs one at a time mixing in between each addition until the dough is smooth and silky. Be careful not to over mix the dough.

How to Form the Cream Puffs

• Step 5: Scoop or spoon the dough onto cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment paper leaving enough room in between each since they will puff up.
• Step 6: Dampen your finger slightly with water and smooth out the tops of the cream puffs.  See how smooth they look in the photos below? 

Baking Directions

Here's where I've really updated the recipe. This is how I now bake the pastry. They come out perfect every time: 

• Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven. Set your timer! 
• Then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until they are golden brown. Again, set your timer! 
• Pull the trays out of the oven and using a wooden skewer poke a couple of holes into the sides of each puff. This will allow the steam inside the puffs to escape so they can dry out and bake on the inside.
• Return the trays back to the oven, only turn the oven off, and keep the door slightly ajar for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until they sound hollow when you tap on them. I use my metal kitchen tongs to keep the door ajar. 
• Remove them from the baking tray to a cooling rack to cool completely before stuffing.

How Many Cream Puffs Does this Recipe Make? 

• Depending on the size cookie scoop you use, you'll get anywhere from 12 to 14 cream puffs.
• Do NOT double the recipe. If you need more than the 12 to 14 cream puffs the recipe makes, make the recipe twice...which is exactly what I do every year. 

What Filling is Best for the Cream Puffs

We love to fill the baked pastry with vanilla or chocolate pudding.  But here are a few other choices:   

• Whipped Cream - try my easy Homemade Whipped Cream Recipe.
• Chocolate whipped mousse cream is a favorite.
• Homemade lemon curd.
• Favorite flavor of pudding - we always use vanilla and chocolate pudding. If you are going to use pudding, make sure you only use 1 ¾ cups of milk not the full 2 cups of milk that the package calls for.  You want to follow the pudding pie directions on the back of the packages. 
• Cannoli cream is another favorite. 
• Dust the finished puffs with powdered sugar, and serve them with a dollop of fresh berries. Your guests will be impressed!

How to Fill the Cream Puffs

• Slice the baked pastry in half using a serrated knife and then fill them with your favorite filling.
• You can add sliced strawberries too to the filling.
• I always sprinkle them with powdered sugar right before serving.
• If you want, you can drizzle with melted chocolate for a really festive look.

Recipe Tips

• Make sure you add the eggs one at at time.  This will give you a beautiful silky batter that's ready to be either piped or scooped onto a baking sheet.
• After you have formed the pastry dough into balls, dampen your finger into a bowl of water and smooth out the tops of each mound of dough.
• Do not skip using a wooden skewer to poke a couple of holes into the sides of each puff. This will allow the steam inside the puffs to escape so they can dry out and bake on the inside.
• Return the trays back to the oven, only turn the oven off, and keep the door ajar for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. I use my metal kitchen tongs to keep the door ajar. 
• You can prepare the cream puffs the day before you plan on serving them. But please do NOT cover them or store them in the refrigerator.  They will turn soggy.  I like to bake them the day before and then leave them on a baking tray with a piece of parchment paper or even a paper towel loosely covering them.

How do you keep cream puffs from getting soggy?

• Cream puffs need to be filled at least 30 minutes before you plan on serving them. You can prepare the pastry ahead of time, a day even, but do not fill them until you are ready to serve dessert.
• Once the cream puffs have been made, you can store them on a baking tray with a piece of parchment paper or a paper towel loosely covering them.
• Do not store baked cream puffs in an airtight container. The moisture from a sealed container will make the pastry soggy.
• They shouldn't be store in the refrigerator either, unless they've been filled, but again, I would not fill them until I am ready to serve dessert.

Storage Tips

• When I bake and serve cream puffs, I prep them ahead by preparing the chox pastry the day before.
• I have a very large gift box that I only use for my cream puffs. (My husband knows not to throw it out.) I store it in my storage room covered so it stays clean.
• I line the bottom of the box with waxed paper or parchment paper.
• Then I place the baked puffs inside the box.
• Loosely cover the box with parchment paper and place the box in our laundry room...out of the way until 30 minutes or so before I need to serve dessert.
• THEN I fill them with the pudding, and serve.

Recipe Card

📖 Recipe Card

This recipe has been updated since it first appeared in 2016 with new photos and a new printable recipe card that includes nutritional information. I hope you enjoy the updates as much as I enjoyed working on them!