Irresistible Finger Cream Puffs
“ Choux puffs are a beloved Western dessert available in countless varieties: classic cream-filled puffs, flaky choux puffs, ring-shaped puffs, nun's puffs, éclairs, and more. One bite delivers a cool, soft filling that bursts in your mouth, paired with rich, buttery, flaky pastry that never feels overly sweet or greasy — this is the perfect, irresistible combination! This recipe uses an XCchef choux pastry mold to make éclairs for a completely stress-free process: just pipe the batter directly into the mold, no need to measure and cut individual strips to uniform lengths. The non-stick performance is excellent, and the puffs release automatically from the mold right after baking. (This recipe yields approximately 38 éclairs)”
Ingredients
cake flour
100g
water
160g
butter
80g
sugar
1 tsp
eggs
3
salt
1/2 tsp
heavy cream
100ml
sugar
7g
Instructions
1
Step 1
Prepare the required ingredients.
2
Step 2
Combine the water, salt, sugar, and butter in a pot. Heat over medium heat and stir slightly until the butter and sugar melt.
3
Step 3
When small bubbles appear around the edge of the pot, reduce to low heat. Pour in all the flour at once and stir quickly with a spoon.
4
Step 4
Keep stirring until a thin film forms on the bottom of the pot—this means the flour has been cooked through. Turn off the heat.
5
Step 5
Stir the dough to break it apart and let it cool down until it's no longer too hot to handle.
6
Step 6
Beat the eggs.
7
Step 7
Add the beaten egg to the dough in small batches, stirring well after each addition before adding more. (You may not need to use all the eggs listed in the recipe—judge based on the consistency of the batter.)
8
Step 8
As the egg is incorporated, the dough will turn into a smooth, silky batter. Lift the batter with chopsticks—it should form an inverted triangle roughly 4 cm long that holds its shape without sliding off. This indicates the batter is ready and no more eggs are needed.
9
Step 9
Next, preheat the oven to 210°C (410°F). Transfer the batter into a piping bag and pipe strips onto a choux pastry tray. You can also pipe other shapes to your liking.
10
Step 10
Place the baking tray in the middle of the oven. Bake at 210°C (410°F) for 10–15 minutes. Once the puffs have risen, reduce the temperature to 180°C (350°F) and continue baking for 20–30 minutes, until the surface turns golden brown.
11
Step 11
Transfer the baked puffs to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.
12
Step 12
Now prepare the cream filling. Add the sugar to the heavy cream and whip with an electric mixer until stiff, defined peaks form (see image). The cream filling is ready.
13
Step 13
Once the puffs are completely cool, cut a small hole at the bottom and insert a piping tip to squeeze in the cream filling.
