Best Petits Choux Tiny Cream Puffs Recipes

HOW TO MAKE CHOUX PASTRY (PâTE à CHOUX)

Steps:

• Watch the video in the blog post above; it will help guide you through the next few steps.
• Combine the butter, water, milk, salt, and granulated sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted. Bring mixture to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and add the flour all at once. Stir until the flour is completely incorporated and a thick dough clumps into a ball. Mash the dough ball against the bottom and sides of the pan for 1 minute, which gently cooks the flour. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or, if using a handheld mixer, a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool down for a few minutes before adding the eggs in the next step.
• With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the eggs in 3-4 separate additions mixing for 30 seconds between each. The mixture will look curdled at first, but will begin to come together as the mixer runs. Pour in the final addition of beaten eggs very slowly. Stop adding when the choux pastry has reached the desired texture: shiny, thick, and smooth with a pipeable consistency. I usually leave a few teaspoons of beaten egg behind, which can be used with the egg wash.
• Your choux pastry dough is complete! You can use it immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly brush the parchment with water, which creates a humid environment for the pastry shells allowing them to puff up without drying out or burning.
• Transfer choux pastry dough to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1A piping tip. Pipe 2-inch mounds about 3 inches apart. Watch the video in the blog post above for a visual. You can also use a zipped-top bag and cut off the corner for easy piping. Using a water moistened finger, smooth down the peaks and lightly brush each with egg wash.
• Bake for 20 minutes then, keeping the pastries in the oven, reduce oven to 350°F (177°C) and continue to bake for 10-15 more minutes until golden brown. Do not open the oven as the pastries cook, as cool air will prevent them from properly puffing up. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before filling.
• Split open pastries and fill with homemade whipped cream, lemon curd, pastry cream, jam, a combination of these, or your favorite filling. You can also poke a hole in the pastries and pipe the filling inside. For my pictured cream puffs and profiteroles, see recipe notes.
• Cover and store leftover filled pastries in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Cover and store unfilled pastries at room temperature for 1 day, in the refrigerator for 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before filling and serving.

PATE A CHOUX PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and butter, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the salt, sugar and flour, and stir vigorously with a heatproof spatula. Cook, stirring constantly, until a dense dough forms that pulls away from the side of the pan, about 3 minutes.
• Add the dough to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. On low speed, beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions to make sure everything is evenly mixed.
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a 1-ounce scoop, drop the dough, 1 inch apart, onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake until puffed and golden, 35 to 40 minutes. (The puffs should feel light when you pick them up.) Make sure to keep the oven shut until at least the halfway point -- if you open the oven before 20 minutes have elapsed, the puffs will deflate and you won't be able to get the texture back. Remove the puffs from the oven and prick each one on the side to allow the steam to escape. Let cool completely.
• To dip in chocolate: If desired, dip the tops of the puffs in Warm Chocolate Ganache, shaking off the excess. Place on a platter and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Let stand for about 30 minutes, to set the glaze, before eating.
• Heat 1 inch or so of water in a medium saucepan over low heat. Put the chocolate chips and cream in a heatproof bowl that fits snugly into the saucepan without touching the water. Heat, stirring, until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes.

CLASSIC CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine butter, sugar, salt and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and quickly stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir until a film forms on the bottom of the pan.
• Remove from heat and transfer contents to a bowl to cool slightly, about 3 minutes. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously to entirely incorporate egg after each addition.
• For the egg wash, whisk together the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water. Set aside.
• Transfer the pate a choux to a large pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip. Pipe 1-1/2-inch rounds onto each prepared pan. Gently smooth the pointed peaks with a moistened finger, rounding tops to ensure even rising. Brush tops with reserved egg wash. Bake until puffs rise and are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Puffs can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.
• Transfer pastry cream to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/8-inch plain round tip. Insert the tip into the opening of each pastry, and pipe to fill with pastry cream. Serve immediately.

TINY CHOUX PUFFS

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil with butter and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over high heat, then reduce heat to moderate. Add flour all at once and cook, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from side of pan, about 2 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and add eggs 1 at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition until mixture is smooth.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Transfer dough to pastry bag and pipe mounds, 1/3 inch in diameter, about 1/2 inch apart on 2 greased large baking sheets. Gently flatten tips of mounds with a fingertip dipped in water. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in middle of oven until golden brown and cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

PETITS CHOUX WITH ROSE CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring butter, sugar, salt, and 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in flour. Return to medium-high heat; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from sides, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on low speed until slightly cooled, about 1 minute. Raise speed to medium. Add whole eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Test batter by touching it with your finger and lifting to form a soft peak. If a soft peak does not form, mix in egg white a little at a time until it does.
• Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 9/16-inch plain round tip (such as Ateco No. 807); set aside. Dip a 1-inch round cookie cutter in flour; mark circles 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper. Pipe batter into circles to fill. Gently smooth and round tops with a moistened fingertip.
• Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool.
• Poke a small hole in bottom of each choux with a 5/16-inch French tip (such as Ateco No. 863). Transfer 1 cup pastry cream to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain round tip (such as Ateco No. 802). Fill each choux with pastry cream.
• Fold remaining 3/4 cup pastry cream into whipped cream until nearly incorporated but streaks are still visible. Put 6 filled choux into each serving dish; top with whipped cream, dividing evenly. Garnish with rose petals if desired.

PETITS CHOUX AU FROMAGE OU GOUGERES (CHEESE PUFFS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line 2 aluminum baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine the water, olive oil and salt in a saucepan over high heat and bring to boil. Add the sifted flour all at once and stir well.
• Cook the mixture, stirring constantly to break up any lumps, and until the dough begins to come away from the sides of the pan, approximately 5 minutes.
• Immediately transfer the dough to a *mixing bowl of a stand up mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat the dough on medium speed to cool to room temperature.
• *(I used standard mixing bowl and electric beaters.).
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg is added. You want a stiff but pliable texture to the dough.
• Finally, add the gruyere cheese and black pepper. Continue mixing for 1 minute.
• Using a greased teaspoon, drop the dough 2" apart onto the baking sheet. (You can alternatively use a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip and pipe the dough into 1" diameter balls 2" apart onto the baking sheet.).
• Bake until golden brown and puffed, about 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and continue baking the puffs until cooked through, about another 20-25 minutes.

PETITS CHOUX (TINY CREAM PUFFS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400° F. Break eggs into a small bowl set aside.In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring water and butter or margarine to a rolling boil reduce heat to low. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wire whisk or wooden spoon for 1 minute or until the mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Add eggs all at once and continue beating until mixture is smooth. Drop dough, 1 teaspoonful at a time, about 1 1/2 inches apart, onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheets cool on wire racks away from drafts.*To serve, cut tops from Petits Choux fill with desired filling.* Petits Choux can be frozen. To re-crisp, place in preheated 350° F. oven for 5 to 10 minutes cool.