Okay, so yesterday I decided to make some chantilly cream puffs. I’ve made regular cream puffs before, but I wanted that extra bit of fancy, you know?
First, I gathered all my ingredients. For the puffs, it was the usual suspects: water, butter, salt, flour, and eggs. Super simple. The chantilly cream is where it gets a little more interesting – heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. I also grabbed some fresh berries because, why not?
Making the Puffs
I started by boiling the water, butter, and salt in a saucepan. Once it was bubbling like crazy, I dumped in all the flour at once and stirred like mad with a wooden spoon. It gets thick and forms a ball, pulling away from the sides of the pan. That’s when you know it’s ready.
Next, I transferred the dough to a bowl and let it cool for a few minutes. You don’t want to scramble the eggs! Then, I beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure each one was fully mixed in before adding the next. The dough gets all smooth and glossy.
I spooned the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You can use a piping bag if you’re feeling extra, but I just went for rustic blobs. Into the oven they went, at 400°F (200°C) for about 25-30 minutes. The key is to not open the oven door while they’re baking, or they might deflate! They came out all golden brown and puffed up.
Making the Chantilly Cream
While the puffs were cooling, I whipped up the chantilly cream. This is the easiest part. I poured the heavy cream into a chilled bowl (pro tip: chill the beaters too!), added the powdered sugar and vanilla, and whipped it with my hand mixer until it formed stiff peaks. You want it to hold its shape, but don’t overwhip it, or it’ll turn into butter!
Putting It All Together
Once the puffs were completely cool, I sliced them in half. Then I spooned a generous amount of chantilly cream into each puff, added some fresh berries, and put the top back on. A little dusting of powdered sugar on top for that final touch.
And that’s it! My chantilly cream puffs were ready to be devoured. They were light, airy, and that chantilly cream was just the perfect touch of sweetness and elegance. Definitely a step up from my usual cream puffs!
