The first time I tried choux pastry was when I was living in Japan. Since then it has been one of my favorite sweets right next to Strawberry Cake. The Japanese style cream puffs are quite similar to the classic French pastry, with slightly fluffier pate a choux, and a huge cream filling that’s less sweet. They are best enjoyed fresh. That’s why I always prefer to order them from shops such as Beard Papa, where they fill the puffs after you place the order.
Why cook choux pastry at home
- Choux pastry is quite easy to make. It might look like a fancy dessert that’s intimidating to make, but once you try it at home, you’ll find it quite easy to make.
- Perfect for cooking ahead and serving later. You can either freeze the pate a choux dough and bake it when you’re ready to serve it, or save the baked choux pastry and fill it later. This makes them great for parties.
- You can fill it with various types of filling. This recipe includes a super fun milk tea cream, which gives the classic pastry an exciting twist.
- They look impressive and taste so good. No matter whether you’re making them for a party or simply treating yourself, these puffs are a great option.
Milk tea whipped cream
The milk tea whipped cream is what makes this recipe special. By infusing black tea into the cream, you will have a rich milk tea flavored filling that is very unique and delicious.
To make it:
- Heat up heavy cream just below a simmer, then steep black tea in it to infuse the tea flavor.
- Then strain and remove the tea leaves.
- Once the tea cream has cooled, whip it with powdered sugar, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. You want the cream to have structure so it holds well after it’s been piped into the pate a choux.
How much tea to use?
The amount of tea to use depends on your personal preference. When I made this recipe, I used 3 tablespoons (24 grams) of Formosa Assam black tea from Té Company. The tea flavor came through and it tasted quite strong, which I loved. But when I shared the dessert with friends, some of them told me the filling was not sweet enough and the tea flavor was too strong.
If you enjoy tea and love strongly brewed tea, I highly recommend using 3 tablespoons of tea. Otherwise, start with 2 tablespoons of tea for a slightly milder cream.
Pate a choux ingredients
Pate a choux includes just seven pantry ingredients, which you probably already have.
- Butter
- Water
- Milk
- Salt
- Sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Eggs
How to make choux pastry
To make pate a choux:
- Bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to a simmer, until everything fully integrates.
- Add all the flour all at once. Mix very thoroughly until a thin film forms on the bottom of the pan.
- Once the mixture has cooled off, add one egg at a time and mix until the egg is fully incorporated before adding the next egg. When the spatula is lifted, the dough should fall in a “v” shape.
- Add the dough into a piping bag with a 14mm round pastry tip attached.
- Pipe the dough into 1” (2.5 cm) circles.
- Dip your finger in water and gently flatten any peaks left from piping to smooth tops.
- Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 10 minutes. Then at 350°F (176°C) for 10 to 12 more minutes, until light golden brown all over. Let sit in the oven with the door closed for 10 more minutes.
- Once they have cooled completely, slice the puffs along the natural seam into halves, pipe in the whipped cream into it, and place the other half on top.
Now you can dust some powdered sugar over them to make a great presentation. These cream puffs are light and flaky on the outside, filled with a rich tea flavored cream. They go perfectly with a cup of tea or coffee.
How to store and reheat choux pastry
To store pate a choux, you can freeze the dough after piping it. Freeze the dough on the baking sheet directly. Once frozen, you can wrap up the dough with plastic wrap and store it in a ziplock bag. This prevents the dough from drying out.
To bake, the method stays the same and you should bake the puffs without thawing. This way, you can bake the quantity you prefer and save the rest for later.
You can also store the baked choux pastries before filling them, either in the fridge for a couple of days, or in the freezer for up to two months. Before serving, you should bake them or air fry them until they crisp up again, then let them cool off a bit, fill them with the cream, and serve.
Other dessert recipes
- Lemon Creme Crepe Cake
- Japanese Cheesecake (Jiggly and Extra Cheesy)
- Matcha Cake
- Black Sesame Ice Cream (No-Churn)
- Mango Sticky Rice
Chinese Cooking Made Easy
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Choux Pastry with Milk Tea Cream
Ingredients
Milk tea whipped cream
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 to 3 tablespoons loose black tea leaves (depending on preference) (*Footnote 1)
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup powdered sugar (depending on preference for sweetness) (*Footnote 2)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoons salt
Pate a Choux
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 stick butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
Instructions
Prepare the cream filling
- Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat to just below a simmer. Add black tea leaves and mix until all tea is saturated. Let steep, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cream takes on a light tan hue and is fragrant. Transfer to a covered bowl and let cool in the fridge.
- When cream is completely cool, transfer to your stand mixer bowl. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Whip on medium speed (4-6) for 5-8 minutes until stiff peaks form. Keep cold until ready to use.
Prepare the Pate a Choux
- In a medium saucepan, combine milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir until butter is completely melted.
- Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously until no lumps remain. Over medium-low heat, mix dough with rubber spatula, scraping bottom constantly, until a thin film forms on the bottom of the pan, about 1 minute.
- Transfer the mixture to a KitchenAid bowl fitted with paddle attachment (can also be done by hand) and let dough cool for 5 minutes. Mix the dough a few times to help it cool off.
- Once dough is no longer hot, add eggs, one at a time, while mixing, waiting for the last egg to be incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down sides after each addition and mix until all eggs have been incorporated and dough is smooth. When the spatula is lifted, the dough should fall in a “v” shape.
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2” (13 mm) round pastry tip (*Footnote 3). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Pipe the dough into 2” (5 cm) circles, about 2” (5 cm) apart (*Footnote 4), yielding about 12 cream puffs. At this point, you can freeze the dough and bake later. The baking method stays the same and you don’t need to thaw the dough before baking.
- Dip your finger in water and gently flatten any peaks left from piping to smooth tops.
- Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 10 minutes. Then turn down to 350°F (176°C) and bake for 10 to 12 more minutes, until light golden brown all over (*Footnote 5). Turn off the oven and leave the door closed for another 10 minutes before removing the tray to cool.
- Once the puffs cool completely, slice them in half by finding the natural seams that formed during baking. Fill with cream either using a pastry bag with an open star pastry tip or a spoon.
Notes
- I used 3 tablespoons of black tea (Formosa Assam from Té Company), which makes a whipped cream that has a very strong tea flavor. I’ve asked quite a few friends to try out these creme puffs, and had mixed feedback on the flavor. All the tea lovers like the flavor and think it tastes just right, and others think the tea is a little too strong and the cream a little bitter. If you’re not sure, use 2 tablespoons of tea instead of 3.
- Depending on the strength of the tea you brewed, you might need to adjust the powdered sugar. Taste the whipped cream before it reaches stiff peaks and add more sugar if needed.
- To easily transfer the dough, line the piping bag inside of a tall glass, fold the top part of the piping bag over to cover the outside of the glass.
- The puffs I made are a great serving size for one person. You can make smaller ones for mini puffs, or bigger ones like the ones sold at pastry shops.
- Don’t undercook the pastry cream—it should be thick enough to hold its shape.
Nutrition
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