Choux à la Crème – Cream Puffs

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Choux Pastry

1. 1
   In a pot, bring the water to a boil with the butter and salt.

   StovePot
2. 2
   Add the flour all at once and stir over the heat for 1–2 minutes, until the dough comes together into a ball and pulls away from the sides.

   Stove

   💡Cooking on the stove dries the dough: that way it absorbs more eggs, and their steam puffs it up in the oven.
3. 3
   Let cool 5 minutes and add the eggs one at a time, beating hard after each, until the dough is smooth and glossy.

   💡Add the next egg only after the previous one is fully absorbed: dough that gets eggs too fast turns runny and won't hold its shape.
4. 4
   Pipe balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

   Piping bagBaking panParchment paper
5. 5
   Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C (390°F) 25–30 minutes, until the pastries are puffed and golden. Don't open the oven partway through.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡Opening the oven partway through lets the steam out and the pastries collapse. Open it only when they are golden and firm.

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.

For the Cream Filling

1. 6
   Whip the cold cream on medium speed, until it starts to thicken.

   ⚙ WhippingBowlHand mixerorStand mixer

   💡Cold cream whips quickly and holds firm: warm cream won't hold air. Stop when the peaks are firm, before it turns grainy.

   💡Whip cream very cold, in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, and stop when it holds firm: overwhipping turns it grainy and buttery.
2. 7
   Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and keep whipping on high speed to firm peaks.

   Hand mixerorStand mixer

To assemble

1. 8
   Cool the pastries completely and halve each one.

   Knife
2. 9
   Fill each one with the filling.

   💡Fill only completely cooled pastries, and close to serving: filling in a warm pastry melts, and a pastry left standing filled turns soggy.
3. 10
   Melt the chocolate together and coat the pastries.