By Mark Bittman
- Total Time
- About 1 hour
- Rating
- 5(165)
- Notes
- Read community notes
A piping bag (an inexpensive investment, and it lasts forever) is the easiest way to form the dough into whatever shape you choose, but you can always use a plastic freezer bag with one corner snipped off, or two spoons. The imperfections that occur with a plastic bag or spoons can be repaired by dipping your finger into water and smoothing out the rough spots.
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Ingredients
Yield:2 to 4 dozen pastries, dependingon size
- 8tablespoons unsalted butter, plus a little more for greasing the baking sheet
- Salt
- 1cup flour
- 4eggs
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (36 servings)
42 calories; 3 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 27 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 400 and grease a baking sheet with butter. Put the butter and a pinch of salt in a saucepan over high heat; add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and add all the flour at once; stir constantly until the mixture pulls away from the pan and forms a ball, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and beat in the eggs one at a time; use an electric mixer if you like, and beat until the mixture is smooth. (At this point, you can cover the dough and refrigerate it for up to two days.)
Step
2
If you’re planning on piping out the dough, scoop it into a pastry bag with a ½-inch tip, or a plastic freezer bag with a corner cut off. Pipe the pastry onto the baking sheet, or just use two spoons to form your desired shape. Cream puffs should be circles about 1 inch wide and a little over 1 inch tall; éclairs should be 3-to-4-inch fingers, about 1 inch wide.
Step
3
Bake until the pastries are golden brown, nicely puffed up and sound hollow when you tap on them, about 30 minutes for cream puffs and 40 minutes for éclairs. Use a skewer to prick one or two holes in each one to allow the steam to escape; transfer to a rack and let cool to room temperature.
Step
4
To fill the pastries using a pastry bag, poke a hole into the pastry and pipe the filling into it, or cut off the top caps of each pastry, spoon in the filling, and close it up like a sandwich. (Éclairs can be slit open and filled, too.) Serve as is, or drizzle with chocolate sauce.
Ratings
5
out of 5
165
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Cooking Notes
Fitz' Mom
Made this exactly as written. I used King Arthur all purpose flour and stirred the flour with a whisk before dipping into the measuring cup. I transferred the hot dough into my mixer and beat the eggs in one at a time. It worked perfectly. Small 1 to 1-1/2 inch puffs took 30 minutes to cook. I filled them with a finely chopped chicken and cranberry salad, and took them to a co*cktail party. A fabulous finger food appetizer.
E
Great basic choux recipe, worked like a charm and eclair shells kept in the fridge, un-filled, for about a week and stayed pretty tasty.
Mary
I made eclairs out of half. I added 2 slices finely diced Swiss cheese to the rest of the still warm batter, plus some herb salt, and made small gougeres. Both were delicious.
rbarakos
Turn off heat after the cooking, pierce puffs and return to cooling oven for 10 minutes before cooling outside.
Juliet Hope
All purpose works just fine. I wouldn't recommend bread flour.
Jay
When making shoe paste, maximum thickness is preferable, so I would go with the higher weight.
KR
These were so easy to make and were perfect inside, hollow and airy. I filled with diplomat creme and chocolate creme. We did eclairs and baked them 40 minutes.
Pam
It wold be helpful to note in this recipe that after the addition of each egg, to beat the paste until it goes from slippery to more sticky, and with the addition on the last egg being beaten in, that the cooled paste should stand up when a small amount is scooped up in a spoon. Slippery, limp paste will not rise.
Rose Ann
Made the recipe just as written. After being afraid of failure for more years than I want to admit, this was an absolute success! Filling them with olive tapenade mixed w cream cheese and chicken salad as a second choice. My contribution to our Easter meal. NYTs cooking is the best! Thank you..
Bougeotte
Thanks to Jay's spellcheck for this morning's belly laugh over "shoe paste"! I will invest in a pastry bag and attempt this recipe for my son's 17th birthday, since he was speechless when served profiteroles at La Rotonde with their own small pitcher of warm chocolate sauce... two years ago!
Rosie
I used gluten King Arthur measure for measure gluten free flour and with only a half tablespoon my dough spreads and comes out flat. Tastes fine but not liking the shape. Use different gf flour or give up?
my note
Maybe only 25 minutes?
craig
Should you put the custard in a cream puff in right before you serve or can they go in a day before and then in the fridge?Thanks!
Kristen
I substituted milk for the water for a richer flavor to make key lime creme filled puffs
Doug
I tried making Choux a couple of times, but this was the first acceptable results/recipe.
John Aldis
This recipe has one serious error (IMHO). At the "remove from heat" point, use an electric mixer to help cool off the batter. Perhaps it is best to first transfer the dough to a mixing bowl. This is ESSENTIAL before adding the eggs. Applying an egg wash before baking them is also a good idea.
Bon
Do not put dough in pastry bag immedietly after step 1, let it cool off first. I tried putting it in immediately and the pastry bag burst. I was able to save the dough by transfering it to another bowl and putting it in the refridgerator, and I had to buy another pastry bag to try again. But overall, this is a great, easy, recipe for first timers or people that want something simple and not very complicated.
rbarakos
Turn off heat after the cooking, pierce puffs and return to cooling oven for 10 minutes before cooling outside.
Rosebud
Made this exactly as written. I used King Arthur all purpose flour and stirred the flour with a whisk before dipping into the measuring cup. I transferred the hot dough into my mixer and beat the eggs in one at a time. It worked perfectly. Small 1 to 1-1/2 inch puffs took 30 minutes to cook. I filled them with a finely chopped chicken and cranberry salad, and took them to a co*cktail party. A fabulous finger food appetizer.
Diane
How many grams of eggs?I have backyard hens, and my eggs which are larger than store eggs, made the dough too wet. So the puffs did not expand properly when baking.
Fitz' Mom
Made this exactly as written. I used King Arthur all purpose flour and stirred the flour with a whisk before dipping into the measuring cup. I transferred the hot dough into my mixer and beat the eggs in one at a time. It worked perfectly. Small 1 to 1-1/2 inch puffs took 30 minutes to cook. I filled them with a finely chopped chicken and cranberry salad, and took them to a co*cktail party. A fabulous finger food appetizer.
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