In the year and a half I’ve been blogging, I’ve discovered what a supportive and generous community food bloggers are. We understand one another, lend a hand, and cheer each other on.
We’ve been busy with life and projects—about 60% finished unpacking after a move—so a dear friend, Vanessa, stepped in with something wonderful and delicious.
Cream puffs: cream puffs with caramelized apples.
I’m convinced guest-posting friends should mail a sample when they help out! Vanessa and I recently met at the International Food Bloggers Conference (IFBC) through our mutual friend Nancy. Vanessa’s blog, sweet-lab, reflects her sweet, precise, creative style.
Some favorites from her blog include Pine Nut Shortbread Cookies with Figs, Goat Cheese Spread, and Balsamic Glaze; Vanilla Cake with Black Tea Caramel; Crunchy Nutty Choco Toffee; and an Apricot, Almond, and Pastry Cream Tart. Beautiful work.
Read on for Vanessa’s Cream Puffs with Caramelized Apples recipe. Vanessa, I’ll take four, please. Thank you for this lovely recipe!
Hello Hip Foodie Mom readers! I’m Vanessa—friends and family call me Vane—and I’m delighted to be guest posting on Alice’s blog. I met Alice at the IFBC and was impressed by her warmth, humility, and generosity. I’m honored to be here—thank you, Alice.
I run a dessert blog called sweet-lab. Alice is a remarkable mom and blogger—managing two adorable daughters, keeping up with recipes and photography, and even handling a recent move from Seattle to Wisconsin. Her ability to balance family, creativity, and life’s challenges is inspiring.
I often see Alice sharing family moments—like making egg rolls with her girls—and delicious recipes like Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies. Now she’s unpacking and settling into her new home, and I wanted to send a little treat her way.
Alice, I admire your drive to enjoy life’s good things and your resilience when life gets difficult. You’re a wonderful role model, a loving mother, and impressively organized. I hope these cream puffs brighten your unpacking days.
Today I made Cream Puffs with Caramelized Apples—airy, creamy, and full of apple and caramel flavor. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
Thank you again for inviting me; I look forward to keeping this food-blogger friendship strong for years to come.
Cream Puffs with Caramelized Apples
Ingredients
For the Pâte à Choux (Cream Puffs):
- 8 oz (1 cup) milk
- 4 oz (1/2 cup or 1 stick) butter
- 6 oz (1 1/3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 large eggs
- Water to adjust, if needed
- 1 egg, lightly beaten for egg wash
For the Caramelized Apples:
- 12 oz (3 cups) apples, peeled and finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
- 8 oz (1 cup) sugar
- 1 oz (2 tablespoons) water
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 4 oz (1/2 cup) heavy cream
- 1/2 oz (1 tablespoon) butter
For the Crème Chantilly:
- 16 oz (2 cups) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To assemble:
- Prepared cream puffs
- Crème Chantilly
- Caramelized apples
- About 1/4 cup powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
For the Pâte à Choux:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two sheet trays with parchment paper.
- Combine milk, butter, salt, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to low and add flour, stirring to form a panade. Remove from heat.
- Transfer panade to a mixer with a paddle attachment and allow it to cool slightly while mixing.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition until the dough is smooth and shiny.
- Check consistency: dough should form a slight hook on your finger and not be stiff. If too dry, add water a teaspoon at a time.
- Pipe rounds (1 1/2″–2″ diameter) onto prepared trays using a pastry bag with a #3 tip, spacing a couple inches apart. Twist to finish each mound.
- Brush with double egg wash and bake at 375°F for about 15 minutes. Rotate trays and bake 5–6 more minutes until golden. Reduce oven to 250–300°F and bake 8–12 minutes more until interiors are dry. Cool on a wire rack.
For the Caramelized Apples:
- Toss diced apples with cinnamon and flour. Add vanilla bean and seeds.
- Combine water, sugar, and honey in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar turns light amber.
- Add the apples to the caramel and cook, stirring, until the apples soften and the caramel deepens in color, about 6–10 minutes.
- Slowly whisk in the heavy cream until smooth, then remove from heat.
- Stir in butter until melted and combined. Let the caramelized apples cool before serving.
For the Crème Chantilly:
- Whip heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract at medium speed until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To assemble:
- Split each cream puff in half with a small serrated knife.
- Pipe or spoon Crème Chantilly into the bottom halves.
- Top the cream with 1–2 tablespoons of caramelized apples, then replace the tops.
- Sift powdered sugar over the finished cream puffs and serve immediately.
Notes:
- Piped, unbaked choux can be frozen. Defrost and bake at 350°F until crisp, about 5–10 minutes; cool before filling.
- Filled cream puffs should be consumed the same day. Unfilled baked pastries can be frozen for 4–6 weeks.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can add the eggs to the panade by hand, stirring rapidly with a wooden spoon until each egg is incorporated. The dough will transform from shiny to more cohesive as you work.
