Perfect Cream Puffs

Have you ever met someone who doesn't like cream puffs?  Me neither. With that light and airy shell, the smooth and creamy vanilla filling, and the pretty sprinkling of powdered sugar, this simple French pastry is one of the best. treats. ever.

Feeling ambitious last weekend, I decided to try and make my own version of cream puffs. Admittedly, I was a bit nervous as I had never made my own pastry dough before, but after doing lots of research on the classic recipe, I found one with which I was particularly pleased. 

Now what surprised me the most about the process of making these cream puffs is how incredible EASY it is... really! Follow the recipe step by step and in no time you will have bakery quality cream puffs at home. Enjoy!

Paula's Notes:

• When you pull your puffs out of the oven, use a toothpick to poke a hole in the side of the puff. This is VERY important, as it allows any excess steam to escape, and prevents the inside from getting soggy.
• I pipe my puffs onto a baking sheet with a large Wilton 2M piping tip. If you don't have a tip, you can simply transfer the filling to a freezer bag and snip off a small corner, easy! Similarly, I pipe my creamy filling into the puffs with a small piping tip, but you can also cut the puffs in half, and simply fill with a spoon. 
• You can make these puffs extra indulgent by dipping the tops in a delicious ganache. 

Perfect Cream Puffs

Yields: 30-40 cream puffs, depending on how large you make them

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk

Cream Puffs:

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbls. butter
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs

• Powdered sugar - for dusting

Directions:

1. Mix together vanilla pudding mix, cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3. In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. 
4. Stir in vanilla, flour, and salt until the mixture forms a ball. 
5. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. You want the dough to have a smooth, sticky, "elasticky" consistency. 
• You may also transfer the dough to a stand mixer at this moment and beat in the eggs for about 2-3 minutes. 
6. Transfer pastry dough to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (see notes above).
7. Squeeze by tablespoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Centers should be dry.
9. Using a toothpick, poke a small hole in the side of each puff to release all steam. Allow to cool fully.
10. When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pudding mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells.
11. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes