Does your family have any great holiday recipes? The kind that are passed down from generation to generation, and written down in grandma’s handwriting on faded, stained recipe cards? I’ve always been a little sad that my family doesn’t have any of those. My maternal grandmother, with whom I’ve always been close, is a fantastic and adventurous woman, but she has never been much of a cook. My mom is a great cook, but she pretty much never uses a recipe, and I can almost never replicate what she makes. It has occurred to me lately that if I want my kids to have traditional family holiday recipes to share with their families in the future, it’s up to me to start the tradition! I started making these classic cream puffs for holidays a few years ago, and they are always a favorite with everyone in my family. As my kids have gotten older, I’ve let them get more and more involved in the process of making the cream puffs, and now it’s a fun activity that we look forward to every holiday. They’re still working on their piping skills, but they’re great at taste-testing the whipped cream and chocolate for me. 🙂 I love seeing their little faces beam when we get to show off the treats we made, and I hope it’s a tradition that will continue long into the future!
Classic Cream Puffs
The full recipe is at the bottom of the post, but here’s what you’ll need:
water butter flour eggs heavy whipping cream powdered sugar chocolate chips
The batter for the cream puffs has only four ingredients, and cooks in just a few minutes in a saucepan. It’s important to add the eggs one at a time, and mix well after each addition. The batter should be smooth and glossy when it’s all mixed together.
I usually use a piping bag for my cream puffs, but you can easily scoop them with a spoon instead, or even just cut the corner off of a ziplock bag. If you do use a piping bag, press down lightly on the top of each cream puff to smooth out the peak on top, to prevent it from browning too quickly. I usually pipe mine to be about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, but you can make them bigger or smaller according to your preferences.
As the cream puffs bake, they will puff up and turn golden brown. Don’t they look fantastic?
Once they’ve cooled, it’s time to fill them with freshly whipped cream and top them with melted chocolate. I love using fresh whipped cream, but you could also use canned whipped cream (or even ice cream) to fill them if you want to save a little time.
The end result is a delicious and elegant pastry that’s sure to impress your guests! You don’t even have to tell them how easy they were to make. 🙂 Feel free to take all the credit for being a culinary genius!
The cream puff pastry is very versatile, so feel free to play around with different fillings and toppings. You can fill them with ice cream or any flavor of whipped cream, or even experiment with savory fillings like chicken salad. For another fun and delicious variation, be sure to check out my nutella cream puffs on my blog too. These cream puffs are delicious however you serve them!
These classic cream puffs are beautiful, delicious, and impressive – and so easy to make! They’re perfect for holiday parties and entertaining!
