Cream Puffs with Vanilla Custard Filling

Name: Cream Puffs with Vanilla Custard Filling
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk; 5 yolks (95 g) large egg yolks, at room temperature; ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar; 3 tablespoons (24 g) cornstarch; ⅛ teaspoon (¾ g) fine salt; 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, cool but not hard; ½ cup (120 ml) water; ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk; 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes; 1 teaspoon (4 g) granulated sugar; ½ teaspoon (3 g) fine salt; 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, then sifted; 4 eggs (200 g) large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten (you may not need all of it); 2 tablespoons (15 g) powdered sugar, for dusting

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Crisp, hollow choux shells filled with a silky vanilla pastry cream and finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. A classic French pastry that is easier than it looks when you follow the timing and visual cues.

Prep: 45 min
Cook: 50 min
Wait: 3 hr
Total: 4 hr 35 min
Makes: 12 cream puffs

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Ingredients

12 servings

For the vanilla custard
2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
5 yolks (95 g) large egg yolks, at room temperature
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons (24 g) cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon (0.8 g) fine salt
2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, cool but not hard
For the choux puffs
½ cup (120 ml) water
½ cup (120 ml) whole milk
6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes
1 teaspoon (4 g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon (3 g) fine salt
1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, then sifted
4 eggs (200 g) large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten (you may not need all of it)
To finish
2 tablespoons (15 g) powdered sugar, for dusting

Equipment (10)

Medium heavy-bottomed saucepan (3-quart / 3 L) for the custard
Medium saucepan (2-quart / 2 L) for the dough
2 rimmed baking sheets (13×18-inch / 33×46 cm)
Parchment paper
Piping bag with a ½-inch (1.2 cm) round tip, plus a small round or star tip for filling
Wooden spoon or sturdy spatula
Hand mixer or stand mixer (optional, for beating in eggs)
Whisk
Fine-mesh sieve
Instant-read thermometer

Steps

Before you start

Make the custard first: it needs at least 3 hours to chill, so start the day before or early in the day.
Measure everything before you begin; choux moves quickly once the water boils.
Have the eggs at room temperature and lightly beaten in a measuring cup so you can add them gradually.
Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds and line two baking sheets with parchment.

1
Heat the custard milk
- In a 3-quart (3 L) heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the 2 cups (480 ml) milk over medium heat until steaming and small bubbles form at the edges, about 4 minutes.
- Do not let it boil.
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Ready when: Steaming with small bubbles around the edge, about 175°F (80°C)
2
Whisk yolk mixture
- While the milk heats, whisk the egg yolks, ½ cup (100 g) sugar, cornstarch and ⅛ teaspoon salt in a large bowl for about 1 minute until thick, pale and completely smooth with no cornstarch lumps.
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Ready when: Pale yellow, thick and lump-free
3
Cook the custard
- Slowly pour about half the hot milk into the yolks while whisking constantly, then scrape everything back into the saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly and reaching the corners, for 2 to 4 minutes.
- It will thicken suddenly; once it bubbles, keep whisking 1 minute more to cook out the starch.
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Ready when: Thick like pudding, with a few slow bubbles breaking the surface, and it holds a ribbon from the whisk
Tip: Pour the hot milk in slowly while whisking so the yolks don't scramble.
4
Finish and chill custard
- Off the heat, stir in the vanilla and the 2 tablespoons butter until melted and glossy.
- Press through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
- Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate at least 3 hours, until completely cold and firm.
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Ready when: Cold and firm enough to hold its shape on a spoon
Tip: Plastic wrap touching the surface prevents a skin from forming.
5
Preheat and boil baseOven 425°F / 220°C
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with racks in the upper and lower thirds, and line two baking sheets with parchment.
- In a 2-quart (2 L) saucepan combine the water, ½ cup (120 ml) milk, 6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, 1 teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Heat over medium-high, stirring until the butter melts, then bring to a full rolling boil.
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Ready when: Butter fully melted and mixture at a full, rolling boil
Tip: Boil right after the butter melts so little liquid evaporates; too little liquid gives dense puffs.
6
Cook the flour paste
- Remove from the heat and add all the flour at once.
- Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains.
- Return to medium heat and stir constantly for 2 minutes, pressing the dough against the pan, to dry it out.
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Ready when: Dough forms a smooth ball and a thin film coats the bottom of the pan
7
Cool and add eggs
- Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and stir for 1 minute to release steam; it should cool to about 140°F (60°C).
- With a mixer on medium-low (or by hand), beat in the eggs a little at a time, letting each addition absorb fully before adding more.
- Stop when the dough is glossy and falls from the spoon in a thick V-shape.
- You may not need all the egg.
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Ready when: Smooth, glossy, and a scoop lifted on the spoon slowly forms a V-shaped ribbon when it falls
Tip: Add the last egg bit by bit; too-wet dough spreads and won't puff.
8
Pipe the puffs
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a ½-inch (1.2 cm) round tip.
- Pipe 12 mounds, each about 2 inches (5 cm) wide and 1½ inches (4 cm) tall, spaced 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the lined sheets (6 per sheet).
- Dip a finger in water and gently press down any peaks.
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Ready when: Even, rounded mounds with smooth tops
Tip: Hold the bag vertical, tip just above the parchment, for evenly round mounds.
9
Bake the puffsOven 425°F / 220°C
- Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 15 minutes without opening the door, until puffed and starting to color.
- Lower the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake another 22 to 25 minutes, until deep golden brown and firm.
- Swap the sheets' positions at the lower-temperature stage only if browning is uneven, and do it quickly.
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Ready when: Deep golden brown, light for their size, and crisp when tapped
Tip: Opening the door early makes the puffs collapse.
10
Vent and cool shells
- Turn off the oven.
- Poke a small slit in the side of each puff with a paring knife and leave them in the oven with the door ajar for 10 minutes to dry.
- Then cool completely on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.
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Ready when: Shells feel dry and crisp, with no steam coming from the slits
Tip: Filling warm shells makes them soggy.
11
Fill and dust
- Whisk the cold custard until smooth and spoon it into a piping bag with a small tip.
- Slice each shell in half horizontally, or insert the tip into the slit and pipe in about 3 tablespoons (45 g) of custard until the puff feels heavy.
- Dust with powdered sugar and serve within 1 hour for the crispest shells.
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Ready when: Puffs feel full and heavy, with custard just visible at the opening
Tip: Fill just before serving to keep the shell crisp.

Good to know

Tips

Use a heavy saucepan and keep whisking into the corners so the custard does not scorch.
Dough consistency matters more than the exact egg count: add eggs gradually and stop at the V-shaped ribbon.
Don't open the oven during the first 25 minutes; the steam inside is what makes the puffs rise.
Vent the baked shells to let steam escape so they stay crisp instead of going soft.

Make ahead

"The custard keeps 2 days refrigerated with plastic pressed onto the surface. Unfilled shells can be baked a day ahead and stored airtight, or frozen for 1 month; re-crisp in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 minutes and cool before filling."

Storage & reheating

"Filled puffs are best eaten within 1 hour at room temperature, or within 24 hours refrigerated in an airtight container (the shells soften). Unfilled shells keep 1 day airtight at room temperature or 1 month frozen; re-crisp at 350°F (175°C) for 5 minutes. Custard keeps 2 days in the fridge; do not freeze it."

Substitutions

pure vanilla extract → 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped. Heat the pod and seeds with the milk, then remove the pod before mixing with the yolks.
all-purpose flour → bread flour. Gives slightly sturdier, crisper shells; use the same weight (125 g).
whole milk → half-and-half. Makes a richer, thicker custard; use the same volume.
cornstarch → all-purpose flour (¼ cup / 30 g). Cook 2 minutes after it bubbles to remove the raw flour taste.