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Photo Credit: Percival Singson

Estimated time:

  Cream puff shells: 1 hour

  Cooling: 15-20 minutes

  Cream: 5 minutes

  Assembly: 15 minutes

Total: 1 hour and 50 minutes

Makes about 30 filled cream puffs

Cream puffs, sometimes called choux pastry or pate à choux, is a French pastry that was created around the seventeenth century. Cream puffs feature a light outer baked shell and are often filled with a heavy sweet cream filling. This modern rendition uses honey as a sweetener in the shell and creates a dark caramel color on the outside. The filling, instead of a heavier traditional heavy cream based filling, is a lighter, vegan whipped cream made out of chilled coconut milk flavored with citrus zest. These make both a delicious dessert and a sophisticated pastry you can impress your friends with.

Equipment Needed:

• 2 Baking sheets
• 1 Saucepan
• A stand mixer with a whisk and paddle attachment (You can also use a separate bowl and hand mixer, but it is more difficult.)
• A wooden spoon or large mixing spoon
• 1 cup and 1/4 cup dry measuring cups
• 1 liquid measuring cup
• Measuring spoons
• A knife
• A zester or grater
• A working oven and stove top
• Parchment paper
• A piping bag (optional)

Ingredients:

Puff Shells:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2- 2 Tbsp honey
• 4 eggs

Vegan Whipped Cream:

• 1 13.5 oz can of Coconut Milk or Coconut Cream, chilled over night in the refrigerator
• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Assembly:

• Honey, for serving

Puff Insturctions:

1. Line baking sheets with parchment and preheat oven to 450℉.
2. Combine water, butter and salt. Bring to a roaring boil. Remove from heat.
3. Add in flour and honey and mix dough rigorously until it forms into a ball. Transfer into a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or separate bowl if using a hand mixer) and let sit for 7 minutes or until you can press your finger into the dough without being burned.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated after each one. After adding the last egg, beat until the dough is smooth. 
5. Using a tablespoon measure, scoop dough into 1” wide scoops and place 2” apart from each other on a baking sheet. The dough will rise quite high while baking so avoid making the puffs very tall. *If using a piping bag, cut the tip to ½ diameter and pipe 1” wide mounds 2” apart.*
6. Using a wet finger, lightly press down any peaks in the dough, as these will burn during baking if left up.
7. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350℉ and bake for 25 more minutes. Puffs should be risen and have a golden brown color to them.
8. Remove from the oven and cut a small slit in each puff and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack or separate plate.
9. When cool enough to touch, slice puffs open lengthwise.

Vegan Whipped Cream Instructions:

1. Chill the bowl you plan to use in the freezer for 10 minutes.
2. Separate the chilled solid part of cream at the top of the can from watery liquid below it. Place the solid part into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (or a separate bowl if using a handheld mixer).
3. Whip the cream on medium setting for thirty seconds then scrape the sides. 
4. Add in the zest, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Whip on high for 1-1 ½ minutes or until fully combined and creamy. 

Assembly Instructions:

1. Take each half of the puff and spread a spoonful of the whipped cream on the bottom half.
2. Drizzle honey on top of the cream
3. Place the top half back on and serve immediately.