Easy 20 Minute Cream Puff Recipe - Sizzling Eats (2024)

Shared by Amy Desrosiers | 73 Comments
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This is one of our most popular dessert recipes and for good reason! This easy cream puff uses simple ingredients and only takes 20 minutes to make! The flaky puff pastry crust and real whipped cream filling make this cream puff a perfect party dessert!

I’ll show you how quick and easy they are to make.

Ingredients

Before starting this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

1boxof Puff Pastry Sheets. I like to use the Pepperidge Farms brand. One box comes with 2 ready-to-bake sheets.

Real Whipped Cream Filling Ingredients:

To make the whipped cream filling, you’ll need:

1-pintof heavy whipping cream, 1teaspoonof vanilla extract, and 1/4cup ofconfectioners’ (powdered) sugar.

Equipment and Supplies Needed

We used the following equipment and supplies to make this recipe.

  • Cookie Cutter (I used snowflake shapes, but you can use whatever shape you want.)
  • Baking Sheet
  • Conventional Oven
  • Electric hand or stand mixer

Recipe Tips

This recipe is easy to make if you know the right tips and tricks! Here are my tips for ensuring your cream puffs come out perfectly.

Puff Pastry Tips

Make sure the puff pastry dough is chilled before working with it. Working with warm dough is sticky and messy. Plus, your shapes won’t cut out neatly.

When cutting out the puff pastry dough, be sure to place the sheet of dough on a floured surface. The flour will prevent the dough from sticking to the surface.

Whipped Cream Tips

Use a cold bowl to make the whipped cream.

Whenever you’re working with whipped cream, it should be kept cold. Therefore, when you’re not eating it or working with it, keep it refrigerated or chilled. If you let it get warm, it will start to melt.

Basic whipped cream is made using confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and one pint of heavy whipping cream.

Mix all ingredients 2-3 minutes on high speed until soft, pillowy peaks form and hold their shape.

This cream puff recipe takes just 20 minutes to make and is ideal for wowing your guests with bakery-fresh bites.

Baking the Puff Pastry

The puff pastry shells are baked in the oven at 350°F.

Carefully cut out snowflakes and place them on a large baking sheet that’s lined with parchment paper. You don’t need to worry about spacing them apart too much, because they rise up, rather than sideways.

Once all snowflakes are cut out, re-roll the dough out and cut out more if needed.

Bake 10-12 minutes. Keep a close eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.

Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes, then carefully slice them in half with a bread knife.

If you want them to look fancy, use a piping bag to fill them with whipped cream. Otherwise, you can use a spoon to fill them.

Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar for a final touch!

Storage

If you want to store your cream puffs for later just follow these easy steps:

  • Place them in a storage tray with an airtight lid. If you don’t have one, use a baking sheet.
  • Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Other Puff Pastry Recipes You Might Like

  • Pumpkin Puff Pastry Turnovers
  • Peaches and Cream Puff Pastry Dessert
  • Raspberry Chocolate Cream Puffs
  • Pistachio Cream Puffs
  • Homemade Cream Puffs with Vanilla Cream Filling

Easy 20 Minute Cream Puff Recipe - Sizzling Eats (7)

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4.19 from 108 votes

Easy 20 Minute Cream Puff Recipe

A very quick and easy mini cream puff with real whipped cream you can make with little baking skills in just 20 minutes.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes minutes

Total Time 19 minutes minutes

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 20 cream puffs

Calories 223cal

Author Amy Desrosiers

Equipment

  • 1 Cookie Cutter I used snowflake shapes, but you can use whatever shape you want.

  • 1 baking sheet

  • 1 conventional oven

  • 1 Electric Hand or Stand Mixer

Ingredients

Puff Pastry

  • 17.3 oz Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets 1 box

Real Whipped Cream Filling

  • 1 pint heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup confectionery sugar

Instructions

Puff Pastry Shell

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

  • Roll out slightly thawed and pliable puff pastry dough.

    17.3 oz Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets

  • Carefully cut out the puff pastry shapes and place them on a large baking sheet that's lined with parchment paper.

  • Once all puff pastry shapes are cut out, re-roll the dough and cut out more if needed.

  • Place in oven on center rack. Bake 10-12 mins

  • Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes.

  • Using a bread knife, carefully slice the puff pastry in half.

Real Whipped Cream Pastry Filling

  • Combine the heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and confectioners sugar into a large bowl.

    1 pint heavy whipping cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 cup confectionery sugar

  • Using a mixer, beat on high until peaks form and remain steady.

  • Add the filling to a pastry bag and pipe into each snowflake. You can also use a spoon if you don't have a pastry bag.

Notes

Use chilled puff pastry dough and cut it on a floured surface.

When mixing the whipped cream filling, use a chilled bowl and cold cream.

Keep the whipped cream filling chilled when it’s not in use.

Nutritional facts are for informational purposes only and may vary.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cream puff | Calories: 223cal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 348IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

Easy 20 Minute Cream Puff Recipe - Sizzling Eats (2024)

FAQs

Why is my cream puff not crispy? ›

The puffs can be soft for the same reasons they can collapse, i.e. too much humidity. To make sure this does not happen to you be sure to dry the dough enough until it detaches from the pan after you added the flour, and bake them until golden brown.

Will cream puffs get soggy overnight? ›

How long will the cream puffs be good for? We usually recommend consuming the cream puffs the same or next day, after 2 days they will start to become soggy, especially if your refrigerator has a lot of humidity in it. Can I freeze the cream puffs? Can you customize the cream puffs?

What makes cream puffs go flat? ›

There are multiple reasons why cream puffs may deflate. The first cause is undercooking. When preparing dough on the stovetop, be sure to keep cooking and stirring until a film forms on the bottom of the saucepan. Another cause of flat cream puffs is lowering the temperature during baking.

Why won t my cream puffs puff up? ›

Troubleshooting Cream Puffs and other Pastries

Boiled the water, butter, and sugar for too long. If there is too little water in your choux, there won't be enough steam to help the puffs inflate. Opened the oven during the baking process, or set the temperature too low.

Why are my cream puffs doughy inside? ›

If too much egg is added or if it is added too quickly, the Choux's ability to rise when baked will be affected. Similarly, if not enough egg is incorporated, it won't puff, causing it to be dense inside.

How do you keep cream puffs crisp? ›

Poking holes in the baked puffs allows steam to escape and creates an opening for easy filling. Returning puffs to a turned-off oven after they've baked helps keep them crisp.

Should I refrigerate unfilled cream puffs? ›

Do unfilled cream puffs need to be refrigerated? No - they should be kept in an airtight container. Once filled, (with cream) they need to be kept in the the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them. If kept, filled, in the fridge, they will go soft.

Are you supposed to refrigerate cream puffs? ›

Airtight container in the fridge

The Food Channel shares that cream puffs can be stored in the refrigerator for two to three days in an airtight container. Simply place the cream puffs into the storage container and put them in the fridge.

Why are cream puffs so hard to make? ›

Without the right consistency, they either won't rise or they won't set. Dough that's too dry won't have the steam power to lift the cream puffs, and they won't form a hollow center. Dough that's too wet won't be able to harden in time to hold that puffed shape.

Why must water come to a boil when making cream puffs? ›

It is important to bring the water and butter mixture to a full boil before adding the flour as heat is necessary to swell the starch granules in the flour. A full boil is reached when stirring does not reduce the strength of the boil.

How do you keep cream puffs puffy? ›

Remove and oven and let puffs cool completely on the baking sheet on a wire rack before filling. For best results, use puffs with 24 hours, or wrap airtight and freeze. Unfilled puffs may be stored in an airtight container for several days, but first cut them open and remove the strands of dough to prevent sogginess.

Can you freeze unfilled cream puffs? ›

Storage and Do ahead: You can store the unfilled cream puff shells (at the end of Step 9) at room temperature for up to 24 hours or freeze them for up to 1 month.

How do you know when cream puffs are done? ›

Dip your fingers into a cup of water and flatten the tops of the dough if you piped it. Brush the dough with egg wash, top with a sprinkling of large-grain sugar, and put in the oven. 5. Bake the choux for about 10 minutes, or until they have puffed up and expanded slightly.

Do you need to pipe cream puffs? ›

Piping the choux pastry dough

To make this cream puff recipe you'll need to pipe the dough to form round pastry puffs. Here are a few tips you can follow to get properly baked round puffs. Place the dough in a pastry bag, with a pastry tip that's about 1/2 inch in width. The tip can be a round tip or a French star tip.

What is the difference between a profiterole and a cream puff? ›

Cream puffs bigger than one's palm are not unusual these days. Profiteroles, though also round, tend to be slightly smaller (and daintier) as well as more uniform in size. They're designed to hold just the right amount of ice cream or other filling without becoming unwieldy.

How to make puff pastry more crispy? ›

If you want a flaky thin and crispy pastry that's not very puffy, prick the unbaked Puff Pastry all over with a fork, which lets steam escape while baking.

Why is my puff pastry always soggy? ›

Pastry being soggy in the middle is a result of the pastry being undercooked. Don't place the pastry on too high a shelf in the oven. One way to prevent soggy bottom pastry is to blind bake the pastry – This means partially or completely bake the pastry before adding the filling. Also, avoid over-filling your pastry.

How do you make puff pastry crispy again? ›

oven at 160°C for 10mins or simply toss it in airfryer.

How do you keep choux pastry crispy? ›

Shelf-life & Refeshing your Choux

You can keep the Choux in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They will feel soggy when you take them out so it's important to put them in a 175°C oven for about 5 minutes. That will dry and crisp them back up. ..But I suggest to use,the same day you make them, so much better.

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