Both elegant and fun, these are great for kids' birthday parties as well as holidays and special dinners. Both the pate A choux and the pastry cream can be made up to two days in advance. (If you decided to do this, however, be sure to let your dough rest for at least 10 minutes at room temperature to soften before using.)For in-depth step-by-step instructions check out my How To Make Cream Puffs Tutorial.
Makes about 24 cream puffs
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- For the Vegan Pastry Cream:
- 2 cups unsweetened dairy-free soy yogurt, such as Wild Wood
- 1 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch dissolved in ¼ cup water
- For the Dough:
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup soy margarine
- 1 T. sugar
- 1/8 t. salt
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened plain soymilk, such as Silk
- 5 large eggs
Preparation:
1. Prepare the pastry cream. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the soy yogurt and confectioners sugar, whisking to dissolve. Add in the prepared cornstarch, mixing until incorporated. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixutre is thick. (The cream should resemble pudding at this point.)
2. Place in a dish and cover with plastic wrap, placing the wrap directly on the surface of the cream. (This will prevent a "skin" from forming.) Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before using.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
4. Make the pâte à choux. In a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the water, margarine, sugar and salt until well combined. Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil and immediately remove from heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour (the mixture will seem slightly "lumpy"). Return the pan to the heat. Stirring constantly, add the soymilk and cook until the dough just pulls away from the pan, about 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Transfer the dough to a medium-sized mixing bowl. With a hand-mixer on medium speed, mix the dough to allow it to cool slightly before adding the eggs. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. When the batter is shiny and forms soft peaks, it is ready to use.
6. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round tip with the batter. Pipe circles about 2" in diameter onto the prepared sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and let cool slightly on a wire rack. Using a sharp knife, poke a small hole in the bottom of each cream puff.
7. Fill a pastry bag fitter with a small round tip with the chilled pastry cream. Pipe a small amount into the bottom of each cream puff. Allow the cream puffs to cool completely.
8. When cooled, dust the cream puffs with confectioners sugar and serve.
