Bring a taste of France to your home with these airy, creamy, and decadent Elegant Raspberry Cream Puffs filled with rich vanilla cream. Combining a rich pastry cream with the bright burst of raspberry preserves and sweet drizzle of chocolate, these are a luxurious take on the classic French pastry.

Sometimes we just need to treat ourselves and those we love. There is nothing like a bakery worthy dessert to say I love you and wow friends and family. Whether it’s Eclairs with Pastry Cream or these sweet choux pastry with raspberry jam, they’re a sweet treat that turn a moment into a lasting memory.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Make Ahead – All components of these cream puffs can be made in advance. Feel you can store the puff pastry and the pastry cream separately and then assemble when you’re ready.
Texture – The choux pastry puff is light, airy, and perfectly crisp on the outside while the pastry cream is thick, creamy, and Lucious. These are as much about the texture as they are the flavor.
Flavors – The pastry itself is light and savory while the pastry cream is sweet, rich, and indulgent. The tart sweetness of the raspberry jam adds the perfect accent while the slightly butter note of dark chocolate ties it all together.

Ingredients

Elegant Raspberry Cream Puffs combine baking staples like butter, flour, and milk into a sweet confection that will wow your friends and family. Skip the trip to the bakery and instead turn to your pantry.

Water
Butter – Give the choux pastry its richness and flavor.
Flour – No need for anything fancy. All purpose flour or gluten free 1 to 1 flour such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour work just fine.
Baking Powder
Eggs – Gives richness to both the pastry shells and also the vanilla pastry cream. Egg yolks bring that silky, decadent flavor and texture to the pastry cream as well.
Kosher Salt – Enhances all of the flavors of the ingredients and adds a slightly savory element.
Oat Milk – Makes the pastry cream decadent. You can also substitute with regular dairy milk.
Sugar – Adds sweetness to the pastry cream.
Vanilla Bean Paste – You can also use a whole vanilla bean, scraping out the seeds. This adds intense vanilla flavor to the pastry cream.
Cornstarch – Helps thicken and stabilize the pastry cream and gives it a luscious texture.
Raspberry Jam – This is adds a surprise pop of sweet and tartness to each cream puff.
Freeze Dried Raspberries – Echoes the flavor of the raspberry jam while adding a pop of color.
Dark Chocolate – What goes better with raspberries than chocolate? Makes these extra decadent.

How to Make Elegant Raspberry Cream Puffs

Is there anything better than biting into the flaky shell of a cream puff and getting that first taste of the thick, silky, and sumptuous pastry cream? This elegant and impressive dessert might look like it came straight from a French bakery, but with a few simple steps you can create these again and again. Let’s walk through the process.

How to Make Choux Pastry

The first part of making these cream puffs is making the pastry dough, called choux pastry. the dough is partially cooked on the stove, slightly drying it out before it is baked.

Pregame – Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Boil – Add the butter and water to a pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add the flour, salt, and baking soda and stir to combine. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon until the flour completely absorbs the liquid and forms a dough ball.
Mix – Add the dough ball to a mixer with the mixer running. Add one egg at a time mixing on high to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Lett the dough completely absorb the eggs.
Pipe – Transfer the dough to a piping bag fit with a large round opening. Pipe 2″ diameter cream puffs.
Bake –Allow the pastry shells to bake for 30-35 minutes or until they’re a dark golden brown.

Cool – Transfer the pastry shells to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
Slice – Once your pastry shells have cooled cut off the tops of the pastry shells and remove the inner filling, creating a pocket where you can pipe in the pastry cream and raspberry jam.

How to Make Pastry Cream

The next step in making these Elegant Raspberry Cream Puffs is making the rich and luscious vanilla bean pastry cream. This is so good you won’t be able to help but lick the spoon. No judgement!

Boil – Add the milk and vanilla to a pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil lower the heat.
Whisk – Add the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, salt, and cornstarch to a bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine.
Temper – While continually whisking add a ladleful of the milk mixture into the eggs. Continue to mix and add another ladleful.
Thicken – Pour the egg mixture back into the pot with the milk. Stir continuously until the mixture thickens. It will coat the back of a spoon.
Cool – Pour the pastry cream into a bowl. Allow it to cool and then cover with plastic wrap. Let it cool and chill in the refrigerator.

How to Assemble Elegant Raspberry Cream Puffs

All that is left now is to assemble your masterpiece confections! This only takes a couple simple steps.

Raspberry Jam – Add a couple teaspoons of raspberry jam into the bottom of each pastry shell.
Pipe – Transfer the cooled pastry cream into a piping bag and fill each pastry shell with cream.
Top – Place the tops on each cream puff.
Finishing Touch – Drizzle melted chocolate over the top of each cream puff and then sprinkle the crushed freeze dried raspberries over the top. Enjoy!

How to Make This Recipe Gluten Free and Dairy Free

This recipe can easily be made completely gluten free. Use a 1 to 1 baking flour when making the pastry dough. The measurements and process will be the same. This recipe can also be made completely dairy free. Use your favorite plant based butter and oat milk. Just like the flour, the measurements will be the same.

How to Store Elegant Raspberry Cream Puffs

You can make both the pastry shell and pastry cream ahead of time and then assemble them when you’re ready. Keep the pastry shells stored in an airtight container at room temperature and they will last for up to a week. The pastry cream will also last for a week stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Once the cream puffs have been assembled the pastry cream will begin to soften the cream puffs. Keep them stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and they will last for 3-4 days.

Top Tip

Make sure that all of your ingredients for the pastry cream are at room temperature, including the eggs. This will make it easier to temper the egg mixture and not scramble the eggs as they’re already warmer and at room temperature.