Vanilla Cream Puffs Recipe – Gourmet French Pastry

Prepare the choux pastry: In a saucepan, bring water, butter, and salt to a boil. Off the heat, add all the flour at once and mix vigorously until a ball forms.

Return to low heat for 1-2 minutes to dry the dough. Let cool slightly, then incorporate the eggs one by one until smooth and shiny.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. On a baking sheet with parchment paper, form small mounds of dough. Bake for 25-30 minutes without opening the door. Let cool.

Prepare the custard: Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds. Bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla.

In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale. Add the cornstarch. Pour the filtered hot milk over it while whisking.

Return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring until thickened. Off the heat, stir in the butter.

Cover the custard with plastic wrap directly on the surface and let it cool completely.

Fill the puffs: Poke a hole in the bottom of each puff. Fill a piping bag with cold custard and pipe it into each puff. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.