If folks knew how easy it is to make cream puffs, they would eat them every day. Step one: Choux pastry. Step two: Vanilla pudding. Step three: Fill ’em up! I make the filling even easier by using instant pudding, but you can make your filling from scratch if you want to show off. Bonus: You can call these “Bouffée de Creme de Vanille” and people will think you’re very cosmopolitan!
Ingredients
- 5 oz. Package of Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix*
- 2 cups Whipping Cream
- 3/4 cup Whole Milk
- 1/2 cup Butter or Margarine
- 1 cup Water
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 4 Large Eggs
- 2 tbsp. Powdered Sugar
Directions
- Mix together vanilla pudding mix, whipping cream, and milk, and beat for two minutes.
- Refrigerate pudding for at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 420 degrees.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large pot, bring water and butter or margarine to a rolling boil over medium high heat.
- Add flour and salt and stir until well combined into a single lump.
- Transfer dough to a large bowl or stand mixer.
- Beat dough, and add eggs one at a time, blending well after each egg.
- Continue beating until smooth.
- Use a tablespoon to spoon lumps of batter onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in preheated oven for 22-24 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.
- When pastry is completely cool, fill a pastry bag with vanilla pudding.
- Pipe pudding inside of cream puffs until full.
- Dust with powdered sugar, and serve.
*Not every brand of instant pudding comes with exactly the same weight per box. Select one that calls for three cups of milk, and you’re good to go!