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Special Italian Cream Puffs with Custard Filling

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These Special Italian Cream Puffs with Custard Filling feature crisp, golden puff pastry shells filled with a silky, homemade vanilla custard. Easier than traditional choux puffs, they deliver bakery-style charm with minimal effort—perfect for celebrations, brunches, or elegant desserts.

  • Author: Julia
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 18 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 6–8 cream puffs
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

For the Pastry:

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

Powdered sugar, for dusting

For the Custard Filling:

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

Pinch of salt

4 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Prepare Puff Pastry: Cut pastry into rounds with a cutter. Prick each piece with a fork to prevent over-puffing. Bake 15–18 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely.

Make Custard Filling: In a saucepan, whisk milk, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring until slightly thickened. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks. Slowly whisk in some of the hot mixture to temper. Return yolks to saucepan. Cook on low, stirring until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and butter. Chill with plastic wrap pressed directly on surface, at least 30 minutes.

Assemble Cream Puffs: Slice each cooled pastry round in half. Spoon or pipe custard onto bottoms, cover with tops.

Serve: Dust tops with powdered sugar. Serve immediately or chill for a cool treat.

Notes

Add lemon zest for a citrusy version.

Stir in melted dark chocolate for a chocolate custard variation.

For extra decadence, drizzle with ganache before serving.

Prick dough generously to control puff height.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://juliameals.com/special-italian-cream-puffs-with-custard-filling/