brown sugar peaches and cream puffs
The whole time I photographed these guys I was singing (internally and externally) “ITTY BITTY CREAM PUFF” because they’re just so damn cute.
Sometimes I get so giddy over a recipe I start fawning over it like a normal person and, say, a puppy. These Brown Sugar Peaches and Cream Puffs caught my heart and squeezed it. Perhaps it’s weird to be enamored by a food item and find it as close to precious as a stuffed animal, but looking at these tiny stacks makes my heart warm.
I got the image for these while thinking about my Bourbon Strawberry Shortcakes. I wanted to make a peachy version because I am going to turn into a peach soon with how much I work with them, but also didn’t want to bake more biscuits because we still have a batch in the freezer. Someone on Instagram posted a photo of their pistachio cream puffs, and the idea slapped me across the cheek. Peach cream puffs! Perfecto!
I discussed a lot with my mom about the technique of the puff, and while intimidated (as I am with anything new I attempt), I found it quite easy to master. Couple the flaky pastry with bourbon brown sugar peaches and sweet whipped cream, and you’ve got a beautiful yet uncomplicated treat to serve to whomever might wander through your door.
Puff Daddy
What is a cream puff, you ask?
Known in France as a chou à la crème, the dough of a cream puff consists of a simple mix of water or water/milk (like I use here), butter, flour, and eggs. The pastry ball is formed while all of the ingredients are hot and are baked undisturbed for a fairly long period.
The method of the cream puff is pretty unvaried, and I didn’t intend to go all fancy pants and try to change the dough immensely. The real difference comes in what you opt to fill it with. Some do pastry cream (like an eclair), whipped cream, or even ice cream. All up to you.
First, boil the milk, water, and butter together until nice and rapid. Use a wooden spoon to briskly stir in the flour. I would not use a whisk since it’ll become gunky and capture much of the batter, which isn’t preferable. The resulting texture resembles a roux, like you use in most white sauces, but much more floury.
Slide the pan off the heat and beat in the eggs. You can move the dough to a stand mixer for this, or use a hand mixer like I did. The key is to whip in the eggs real fast so they don’t become lumpy. After a minute or so, I switched to a wooden spoon to form a shiny ball of puff dough. You’ll know it’s ready when it stretches and adheres to itself.
Now, for the pastries themselves, you can make big ones like I did and use an ice cream scoop to measure, or downsize with a 1/4 cup measure. It’s up to you. The larger size reminded me of Swedish semlor, which I ate like no one’s business when I lived in Uppsala.
Arrange the puffs on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees. Do not open the oven door during this time. Any cold air draft will deflate the puffs. If you need to look, switch on your oven light and peer through the window to spy like a little kid watching cookies. When they’re golden, shut off the oven and crack the door for 10 minutes. After that, move the tray to a draft-free area to cool.
Peaches and Cream, Peaches and Cream
I do hope the diddy I intended to creep into your brain did so when you read that header.
When the puffs are cooled, prepare the peaches and the whipped cream. You can use storebought whip if you want, but a bourbon whip is the shit with the boozy peaches.
For the peaches, toss the slices gently with a mix of brown sugar, bourbon, cinnamon, and lemon juice. These are addicting. Alcoholic candy. Divine. Fucking Godly.
If you choose to make the bourbon whip, you chose wisely. Beat heavy cream, powdered sugar, bourbon, and vanilla until fluffy. I use only 3 tablespoons of sugar since I don’t need an overly sweet whip, but you can add more if you wish.
Layer Up
Assembling the puffs is a simple but really fun process.
Cut off about 1/2 inch from the top – I like to find a divot in the pastry and gently slice through that to create the little hat.
Stack a few peach slices on the bottom, then pipe or dab whipped cream on top. Replace the hat and apply sunscreen…er, dust powdered sugar. You can do some cinnamon, too, if you’d like. Yum.
Storing the cream puffs can be done if they’re unassembled, otherwise they’ll get soggy. I recommend letting anyone who’s joining you assemble their own individual puff, so leftovers can be tucked away separately.
I just love these. One of my favorite summer desserts so far. Hope you enjoy them, start to finish, like I did.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Craving more summery desserts?
Peach Melba Ice Cream Loaf Cake
brown sugar peaches and cream puffs
Ingredients
cream puffs
- 1 stick salted butter
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 2 large peaches, sliced
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp bourbon
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- powdered sugar, for topping
bourbon whipped cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3-4 tbsp powdered sugar, or to taste
- 2 tbsp bourbon
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the butter, milk, and water to a large saucepot. Bring to a rolling boil. Add the flour and stir rapidly until no streaks of flour remain.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Beat in the eggs all at once on high speed until the dough forms a smooth ball, about 2-3 minutes.
- For larger cream puffs, use an ice cream scoop to measure out balls of dough. Place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. For smaller puffs, use a 1/4 cup measure.
- Bake the cream puffs for 35-40 minutes until puffed and golden. DO NOT open the oven door during this period. When the pastries are done, turn off the oven and crack open the door for 10 minutes. After, move the tray to a draft-free area to cool completely.
- In a bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, bourbon, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Add the peaches and toss gently to combine.
- To make the whip, beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, bourbon, and vanilla on high speed until soft and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Cut about 1/2 inch from the top of the cream puff. Layer 3-4 peaches on top, then a dollop of whipped cream. Replace the little hat and sprinkle with powdered sugar, as desired.
