Cream Puffs

Recipe Ingredients

Below are the ingredients that come together to make these delightful cream puffs.

Gold Medal™ All Purpose Flour: The cornerstone of our light, airy choux pastry, providing the ideal structure and delicate crispness for truly exceptional cream puffs.

Butter: Essential for creating the steam that makes these puffs wonderfully hollow and for adding a rich, tender quality to the pastry.

Eggs: These provide crucial structure and help the pastry puff up beautifully, giving it that classic airy interior.

Whipping Cream: The versatile base for both our optional fillings, whipped to perfection to create a light, airy, and luxurious texture.

Vanilla Instant Pudding and Pie Filling Mix: For the Eggnog Fluff, this convenient mix forms a creamy, stable foundation.

Other Ingredients You’ll Need: Water, milk, powdered sugar, granulated or powdered sugar, rum extract, ground nutmeg, ground ginger. 

Optional Peppermint Filling Ingredients: Peppermint extract, red or green food color.

How to Make Cream Puffs

Here are some recipe tips for making the best Cream Puffs. Follow the recipe below for all the specifics. 

1. Heat the Oven   

A hot oven is crucial for the initial burst of steam that helps your cream puffs rise and become wonderfully hollow.  

2. Make the Pastry Base 

Bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour all at once, then vigorously stir over low heat for about 1 minute until a smooth ball forms (key for light, airy pastry). Remove from heat and beat in eggs, all at once, until smooth and glossy

3. Bake

Drop the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until they are puffed and golden brown. Avoid opening the oven door during baking, especially in the first 20-25 minutes, as this can cause your delicate puffs to deflate. Cool them completely in a draft-free area for about 30 minutes.

4. Prepare for Filling 

Once cooled, carefully cut off the top third of each cream puff and set aside. Gently pull out any soft strands of dough from the inside. This creates the perfect cavity for your delicious filling and helps prevent the pastry from becoming soggy.

5. Fill

Mix your chosen filling ingredients (Eggnog or Peppermint) until well blended. Add the whipping cream last and beat on high speed until soft peaks form. Fill your cream puffs generously with your chosen filling and replace tops.  

How to Store (and Reheat) Cream Puffs

For the ultimate flavor and delicate texture, we highly recommend serving these Cream Puffs fresh. If absolutely necessary, filled puffs can be refrigerated for up to 3 hours, but beyond that, the pastry may begin to lose its crispness and become soggy. Remember to cover them loosely before refrigerating.

Freezing: Unfilled Puffs

Unfilled cream puff shells can be frozen for longer storage. Once completely cooled, place them in a freezer-safe airtight container or bag for up to 1 month. 

Reheating: Unfilled Puffs

To reheat frozen, unfilled cream puff shells, place them directly on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for about 5-10 minutes, or until they are crisp again.