For me, the mark of a good patisserie is the quality of their cream puffs and eclairs. Oh, the joy of eating a fresh Classic Cream Puff, filled with beautifully whipped cream, topped with a shiny chocolate glaze is unparalleled! And that’s what I have on the menu here today, ‘coz well, you never know when the craving will hit!
This Classic Cream Puffs recipe is choux pastry filled with whipped cream. There are myriad of filling options though. Pastry creams in any flavour you like, cream cheese, chocolate/coffee/caramel/ matcha flavoured cream, ice creams..the options are plenty. A savoury choux pastry is a wonderful impressive appetizer. It deserves a separate blog post too!
Cream puffs are simple yet elegant desserts to make. These little bite-sized treats are perfect for entertaining. All the ooh aahs from your guests will make the effort worth its while. Trust me. The good part is that you can make these ahead of time, store in an airtight box and fill them up right before the party. I have been making these classic cream puffs for years for my children’s birthdays. They are a mega hit. Every. Single. Time.
The homemade cream puffs are the freshest you’ll get. They are airy little pockets of puffed up dough, crammed with fresh whipped cream. My trusted cream of choice here is MOTHERDAIRY low-fat cream. I love their nifty little tetra packs, so easy to work with. And the taste is unbeatable… For this recipe, I folded in the zest of an orange. The sprightly fragrant citrusy hit took the dessert up another notch. You can see the tips for an impeccably whipped cream on my STRAWBERRY & CREAM SWISS ROLL blog.
I’m so stoked to have collaborated with MOTHERDAIRY again. This Classic Cream Puff recipe is the second one in the series of the #CreamOfAllFood campaign. Do tune in for my #InstaCookingClass with Mother Dairy on Instagram and on the MOTHER DAIRY FRESH DELIGHTS FACEBOOK page later this week. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! A big thank you to the absolutely gracious and wonderful team at MOTHERDAIRY for this tremendous opportunity.
I’d love to hear from you! Please tag me on Instagram @tashasartisanfoods, using the hashtag #tashasartisanfoods. You can also FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST for more fabulous recipes!
Classic Cream Puffs
Ingredients
Choux Pastry
- 1/2 cup MOTHERDAIRY Milk
- 1/2 cup Water
- 90 gms Butter, cut into small cubes I used salted butter
- 1/4 tsp salt If using UNSALTED butter
- 1 cup All purpose flour
- 4 eggs
Cream Filling
- 250 gms MOTHERDAIRY cream Thoroughly chilled
- 1/3 cup icing sugar
- Zest of 1 orange
Chocolate Glaze
- 1/2 cup Dark chocolate (70%)
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- 4 Tbsp Motherdairy Cream
Instructions
Choux Pastry
- Preheat the oven to 220 C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or baking paper.
- In a medium sized sauepan, combine water, milk abd butter. Add salt if using UNSALTED Butter. Bring to a full boil. Take it off the heat and add all the flour at once.
- Stir vigourously with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together in a ball, away from the sides of the pan. Cool the dough for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add eggs, one a time, till the batter is thick, shiny and smooth.
- Keep a piping bag ready, fitted with a 5mm piping tip. Spoon the batter into the piping bag. Pipe small balls of dough onto the prepared baking tray. You may need 2 trays for this amount of batter.
- Bake at 220 C for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 190 C and bake for another 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
- Take the tray out of the oven, prick the sides of the puffs with a sharp knife. Put the tray back in the oven with the oven door open till the pastries cool down completely.
Filling
- Pour the chilled cream into the chilled bowl. Mix in the icing sugar and beat the mixture for 8-10 minutes with your electric beater until soft peaks form.
- Fold in the zest of an orange. Chill the cream till the puffs are ready and cooled.
Chocolate Glaze
- Combine the chocolate, MotherDairy cream and butter in a small saucepan over low heat till the mixture is all melted, smooth and shiny. Let it cool for 5-6 minutes.
Assembly
- Once the puffs are cooled, cut them horizontally 3/4 quarters of the way and fill them with the cream. Spoon over the chocolate glaze over each one. Top with some more orange zest. Refrigerate till the chocolate sets. Serve cold. Enjoy!
