Here’s a classic Chou à la Crème (French cream puffs) recipe—light, crisp shells with silky pastry cream 🇫🇷✨
Chou à la Crème (Cream Puffs)
Ingredients
Choux Pastry (Pâte à Choux)
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs (room temperature)
Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
1️⃣ Make the Pastry Cream
- Heat milk until steaming (not boiling).
- Whisk sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch until pale.
- Slowly whisk hot milk into yolks.
- Return to saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, until thick.
- Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla.
- Cover with plastic wrap directly on surface; chill.
2️⃣ Make the Choux Pastry
- Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Line baking sheet with parchment.
- In a saucepan, bring water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil.
- Add flour all at once; stir until dough forms and pulls away from pan.
- Cook 1–2 minutes to dry dough slightly.
- Transfer to bowl; cool 5 minutes.
- Beat in eggs one at a time until smooth and glossy.
- Pipe or spoon mounds onto baking sheet.
3️⃣ Bake
- Bake 25–30 minutes, until puffed and golden.
- Do not open oven during baking.
- Turn off oven, crack door, and let dry 10 minutes.
4️⃣ Fill & Finish
- Poke hole in bottom or slice in half.
- Pipe chilled pastry cream inside.
- Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle chocolate.
Pro Tips
- Dough should form a V-shape when lifted
- Fully baked shells sound hollow when tapped
- Fill just before serving for crisp shells
Variations
- Chantilly cream instead of pastry cream
- Chocolate crème (add melted chocolate)
- Craquelin topping for bakery-style crunch
- Éclairs – same dough, different shape
If you’d like, I can give you a craquelin version, piping guide, or troubleshooting tips for perfect puffs every time 🥐
