Easy Homemade Cream Puffs
My family's most famous recipe, these Cream Puffs are quick compared to other recipes, but are sure to be a hit!
Ingredients
For the puffs:
- 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup flour all-purpose or gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour
- 4 eggs
For the pudding cream:
- 1 3- oz box of vanilla instant pudding
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream (chilled)
For the frosting:
- 1 ounce bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons hot water
Instructions
Make the puffs:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the butter and water in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir to melt butter, and bring mixture to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to low. Dump in flour and stir with a wooden spoon or a silicone spatula, pushing the dough into the sides of the pan to continue to cook the flour for about 1 minute.
- Remove the saucepan from the stove and transfer the dough into a heatproof bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer. If using an electric mixer, mix the dough on low for a couple minutes to cool. If mixing by hand, stir dough around for a couple minutes to cool. Dump in the eggs all at once and mix until the dough is shiny and the eggs are incorporated. Note: if you are using gluten free flour, this will take longer to incorporate the eggs. Be patient, it will happen. Just keep mixing until a sticky dough forms.
- Once the dough has formed, drop dough by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet to form 12 mounds of dough. Alternatively, use a disposable pastry bag or a resealable gallon sized bag with a corner cut off to pipe the dough into the mounds. If making gluten free puffs, the dough is stickier and works better if you pipe it.
- Bake the puffs for 35 - 40 minutes. This is an important step - you want the puffs to be tan, not yellow. You may need to bake longer than you think. You are drying out the dough and if you don't bake long enough the inside will be gooey.
- Cool away from draft. When cool, cut off the tops and pull out the soft filaments of dough from the base and top. Fill puffs with vanilla cream filling and replace top.
Make the pudding cream filling:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the pudding mix and 1 cup of milk. Mix for a minute on low, scrape down the bowl, then mix for another minute, then add the 2 cups of chilled whipping cream and beat on medium until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.
- Refrigerate until ready to fill puffs.
Make the frosting:
- On the top of a double boiler or in the microwave, melt the chocolate and butter. If using the microwave only heat in 20 to 30 second intervals at 50% power to avoid overheating chocolate.
- Once chocolate is melted, stir in the powdered sugar and hot water. Whisk until smooth. Use immediately.
Finish the puffs:
- Either dust cream puffs with powdered sugar or top with chocolate frosting. We usually do some of each.
- Refrigerate puffs until ready to serve. IMPORTANT: do not cover puffs or they will get soggy. If you must cover, lightly cover with foil. These are good for at least 2-3 days when refrigerated.
Notes
Source: Adapted from the 1979 Betty Crocker Cookbook
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