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Lemon Cream Puffs Recipe

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3.9 from 48 reviews

Delight in these light and airy Lemon Cream Puffs, featuring a crisp pâte à choux shell filled with a luscious lemon-infused whipped cream. Perfect as a refreshing dessert or a special treat, these cream puffs combine a flaky texture with tangy, creamy filling and a subtle hint of vanilla and lemon zest.

Ingredients

Pâte à Choux

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 4 whole eggs (room temperature)
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • pinch of salt

Lemon Cream Filling

  • 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup lemon curd
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • zest of 1 lemon

Optional

  • powdered sugar for dusting over the tops

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven and Prepare Dough: Preheat your oven to 400°F. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, water, sugar, salt, and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil.
  2. Make Pâte à Choux Dough: Remove the saucepan from heat, add the flour all at once, and stir vigorously until flour is fully absorbed. Return to heat and stir continuously for 2 minutes to cook off raw flour taste.
  3. Cool and Mix Dough: Transfer dough to a mixing bowl and let cool for 2 minutes. Using a hand mixer, beat the dough for 1-2 minutes to cool it further.
  4. Add Eggs: Add eggs one at a time into the dough, mixing thoroughly after each addition until the dough is smooth, thick, and elastic.
  5. Pipe Dough: Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe small mounds spaced 2 inches apart. Wet your finger and gently flatten the tips to prevent burning.
  6. Bake Cream Puffs: Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and puffed. Avoid opening the oven before 20 minutes; use the oven light to monitor.
  7. Cool and Vent: Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Make a small slit about 1/3 down the side of each puff to release steam for faster cooling and drying.
  8. Chill Mixing Bowl: Place your mixing bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill before whipping the cream.
  9. Whip Cream and Prepare Filling: Whip the cold heavy cream to soft peaks. Gradually add powdered sugar while mixing, then whip to stiff peaks. Blend in vanilla extract gently, followed by folding in lemon curd in three additions to maintain airiness. Add lemon zest in the last fold.
  10. Fill Cream Puffs: Transfer lemon cream to a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Slice off the tops of cooled cream puffs and fill the hollow bases with cream. Replace the tops.
  11. Alternative Filling Method: Instead of removing tops, fill the cream puffs by inserting the piping tip into the slit on each puff.
  12. Final Touch: Just before serving, dust the tops with powdered sugar if desired.

Notes

  • For best results, use room temperature eggs to help achieve a smooth pâte à choux dough.
  • Do not open the oven during the first 20 minutes of baking to prevent the cream puffs from collapsing.
  • Chilling the mixing bowl before whipping cream helps achieve better volume and texture.
  • To keep the filling light and airy, gently fold in lemon curd without deflating the whipped cream.
  • The small slit cut in the cream puffs aids in releasing steam, ensuring they stay crisp when cooling.

Find it online: https://recipethrive.com/lemon-cream-puffs-recipe/