Easy Cream Puff Recipe with Custard Filling

Pâte À Choux with custard filling, cream puffs with custard filling, custard cream puffs.

4.10 from 10 votes

Easy Cream Puff Recipe with Custard Filling

These homemade Cream Puffs are made with a light and fluffy pastry shell and a creamy custard filling. They’re a classic French dessert that’s easier than you might think to make at home.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Servings: people

Calories: 538kcal

Author: The Carefree Kitchen

Ingredients

Choux Pastry

1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs (room temperature)

Custard Filling

2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Assembling

1 cup heavy whipping cream (whipped)
1/2 cup powdered sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pâte à Choux Pastry

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium high heat, add the butter, water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and add the flour. Stir constantly and vigorously using a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan. Continue to cook for an additional 1 minute in order to remove a little more moisture and cook the flour.
Immediately transfer the cooked pastry dough to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium speed using the paddle attachment to release some of the steam. Slowly add the eggs one at a time, letting each egg incorporate into the dough before adding the next. Continue to mix until the dough is smooth and forms a thick ribbon texture when stirred with the paddle.
Remove from heat, then transfer the pâte à choux dough to a piping bag with a large round (or star) ½" piping tip. Pipe 1½"-2" rounds onto your prepared baking sheet, keeping them about 2" apart. Wet your finger and smooth out the tip on each round to ensure even baking and color.
Bake in your preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 without opening the oven door and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the cream puffs are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Cream Puff Filling

In a saucepan over medium heat, add the milk, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking frequently. Once it reaches a boil, whisk and cook for 1 minute, or until the mixture thickens.
In a separate large mixing bowl, add the egg yolks and whisk. With one hand, stream about 1/3 of the hot milk mixture into the bowl while whisking constantly with the other hand. Slowly add the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan while whisking. Whisk the entire custard over medium heat until it comes to a boil.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla, stirring until the butter is melted. Transfer the hot custard to a large bowl or baking dish and cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the top of the plastic to allow steam to escape, then place in the fridge until completely cooled.

Assembling Cream Puffs

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the heavy cream and whip until soft peaks form. Remove the cooled custard from the fridge, giving it a couple stirs, then carefully fold in the whipped cream using a rubber spatula.
Transfer the cream puff filling to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Poke a small hole on the bottom of each baked choux pastry using the end of a thermometer, a large skewer or a small paring knife. Fill each cream puff, then dust the filled cream puffs with powdered sugar before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

To save time, you can skip the homemade cream puff filling and use Instant Cheesecake or Vanilla Jello Pudding. Just mix up the pudding according to package instructions but reduce the milk by half. Cool completely, then fold it into 1 cup of heavy whipping cream. Voila!
Another way to assemble is to slice each baked cream puff in half and pipe the cream puff filling onto the bottom half, placing the top half back on. Finished with a dusting of powdered sugar and enjoy!

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