Description
Light, golden cream puffs with a Southern flair—crisp pâte à choux shells filled with whipped vanilla cream or custom twists.
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. In a saucepan, combine butter, water, and salt. Heat over medium until butter melts and mixture just begins to boil.
3. Add flour all at once. Stir vigorously until it forms a dough ball and pulls from the sides.
4. Transfer dough to a bowl. Let cool 5–10 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly in between.
5. Spoon or pipe small mounds onto parchment.
6. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then reduce to 350°F and bake another 20–25 minutes until golden.
7. Let cool completely before filling.
8. Whip cream, sugar, and vanilla (or optional twist).
9. Slice puffs open or poke bottom hole. Fill generously. Dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
Try chocolate ganache, lemon curd, or spiced pumpkin mousse as creative fillings.
Recrisp stored shells in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes.
Freeze unfilled shells for up to 2 months.
Filled puffs are best enjoyed within 4 hours or chilled up to 24 hours.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Southern French Fusion
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cream puff
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 75mg
Keywords: cream puffs, choux pastry, whipped cream, Southern dessert, easy pastries