Simple & Delightful Cream Puffs

by Amanda

I haven’t posted in awhile–oops! Been a bit off track and out of sorts with summer classes. I haven’t even had the willpower to bake all the time like I used to! This might have been a good thing, though… I think all those extra desserts were making me a bit chubby, heh.

plate of cream puffs

I decided to make cream puffs last week for no real reason… that’s what browsing Pinterest will do to ya. You’ll just feel like making everything. I used to love cream puffs when

I was younger because they were the one of the two things my mom would let me make at her bakery. Cream puffs and eclairs. I always loved how the filling she made was so light, creamy, and airy. The cake was just soft, but firm enough that the two went together perfectly. I’ve been craving her cream puffs since I moved away and I finally decided to do something about it.

freshly baked cream puffs

My mom only gave me recipes that made gigantic amounts… the same amounts she’d use for selling at the bakery. I definitely did not need that many. I’m not great at proportions either, so I went with someone else’s recipe. Luckily for me, this cream puff recipe from Project Wedding gave me the almost the exact same result as my mom’s! There were a few modifications on my part and some mistakes here and there. Apparently I have some problems following recipes, but at least I’m good at fixing them (or I’m just getting really lucky here).

Here’s what I’d do differently with this recipe:

  • Don’t use a food processor. Just don’t. It works great but it’s a gigantic pain to clean all the cream off. It will also leak into the center part of the processor and that’s going to take some effort to clean as well. You’ll get the same results using a mixer or a hand mixer. I’m going to stick with my trusty hand mixer. It’ll save me the grief.
  • If you don’t want your cream puffs crispy the way the recipe instructs, only leave them in for 6-8 minutes after reducing the temperature. I prefer light, golden, slightly crispy vs. golden brown and crispy.
  • For the cream, don’t leave it on the heat too long. It will come out more thick than creamy as you’d like.
  • If you intend to fill with a lot of cream, you’ll need to cut back a bit on the sugar. How much depends on you, but I have quite the sweet tooth and I did find it a little too sweet. I also fill my cream puffs up like crazy until they feel significantly heavy, though.

Now, the recipe will make 24 small cream puffs. I have not had much luck with that… seeing as how my sizing is all off. I ended up with 11 large(? medium? what size are these?) cream puffs and if you love cream puffs as much as I do, they’re the perfect size. For reference, I piped them roughly 2 inches wide.

cream puff

I’m sure I’ll run into more things each time I make cream puffs, but I am definitely sticking to this recipe! I’m quite happy I found the recipe that I’ve been looking for. They’re so addicting, too! I’ve already run out 🙁

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6 comments

Nancy August 25, 2014 - 7:33 PM

I hope your classes are going well~~~

Pinterest is awesome (but deadly) because of all the awesome ideas they have on there *o*.

Your cream puffs look yummy! I have problems following recipes too.. Especially for baking (which is really critical because 1 tablespoon of baking powder =/= 1 teaspoon of baking powder) D:. At least you’re able to fix them ^__^.

Enjoy your cream puffs~~~~ (and send some over too, yah?)

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Amanda August 25, 2014 - 8:09 PM

I made that whole tablespoon = teaspoon problem too! 🙁 Almost didn’t realize until too late. I would love to send you some, hehe, but I don’t think they’ll make it far before I eat them 😛

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Cat August 26, 2014 - 8:27 PM

Those cream puffs look really good! I love baking, but I haven’t tried cream puffs yet. I think I’m going to check out this recipe too 🙂

I agree with you on food processors. Though I have one, I much prefer my blender or hand mixer. They’re just easier to use and clean. Your tips are also good to know! I prefer my puffs only slightly crispy as well. I’ll have to refer back to your post if I give this a try!

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Jenny August 27, 2014 - 5:42 PM

Ooo those just like store-bought cream puffs, delicious!! I always thought the regular cream puffs were too small, so I actually kinda like that yours ended up being bigger 😛

Hope we get to see more of your baked goodies in the future!

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Alice B September 2, 2014 - 12:09 AM

I LOVE CREAM PUFFS! it’s one of my favorite pastries *o* it’s not super fancy and that’s why it’s one of my favs. when I was a kid my mom used to buy cream puffs a lot for me aaahhh now I miss eating some ;w;
unfortunately my mom never baked cream puffs. she used to bake a lot but mostly steamed bun and doughnuts and uh egg tarts but never cream puffs 🙁 you just made me wanna buy cream puffs ugh

my mom dreams of having a bakery but my dad never allowed her to. tsk, sucks. if only my mom has a bakery, i’d be willing to learn how to bake too. i have this secret dream of wanting to be a patisserie hehe and pastry chefs have the job harder than usual chef, so i was told (because if you mess up once you gotta re-do the whole thing again….yes?)

and sadly for me, i can’t cook lol i can’t bake either and i don’t own the kitchen in our house so yeap, i can only rely on purchases to fulfill my sugar craving.

Reply
Amanda September 2, 2014 - 2:01 AM

Aw, I’m sorry I made you miss cream puffs! A lot of Asian bakeries have cream puffs 🙂 I can’t speak for any American ones, though. Hopefully you can find some in your area selling some!

& Yep, I agree. With pastries, it’s a lot harder to fix when you make mistakes.

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