Il Cucinologo
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Cream Puffs

17/11/2023

Cream puffs are a classic pastry delight. Here’s how to prepare them:

Ingredients

  • 125 ml of water
  • 125 ml of milk
  • 100 g of butter
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • 150 g of flour
  • 4 medium eggs

For the pastry cream:

  • 500 ml of whole milk
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 120 g of sugar
  • 40 g of cornstarch (maizena)
  • 1 vanilla pod or a pinch of vanillin

Preparation

  1. Start with the choux pastry for the cream puffs: in a saucepan, bring the water to a boil with the milk, butter, sugar and salt.
  2. Remove from the heat and add all the flour at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until you obtain a smooth ball that pulls away from the sides of the pan.
  3. Heat it again for a couple of minutes to dehydrate the dough.
  4. Transfer the dough to a bowl and let it cool for a few minutes.
  5. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each one completely before adding the next. The final dough should be glossy and fairly soft.
  6. Transfer the dough to a piping bag and pipe small mounds onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Space them well apart as they will expand during baking.
  7. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C for about 20-25 minutes, until golden and puffed. Do not open the oven during the first 10 minutes of baking.
  8. While the cream puffs are baking, prepare the pastry cream: heat the milk with the vanilla pod split lengthwise or the vanillin in a saucepan.
  9. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until you obtain a frothy mixture. Add the cornstarch and mix well.
  10. Remove the vanilla pod from the milk (if used) and pour the hot milk over the egg yolk mixture, stirring continuously.
  11. Return everything to the heat and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the cream thickens.
  12. Remove from the heat, transfer the cream to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface. Let it cool.
  13. When the cream puffs and cream are cool, fill the cream puffs with the pastry cream using a piping bag with a fine nozzle.
  14. If desired, dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Fun Fact

The name “bignè” derives from the Latin “buccella”, meaning “mouthful”, and refers to small choux pastry preparations that, thanks to their lightness and versatility, can be enjoyed in both sweet and savory versions.

Enjoy preparing and bon appétit!

Cream Puffs