Strawberry Cream Puffs

These Strawberry Cream Puffs feature a light, flaky pastry filled with strawberry whipped cream, topped with a chocolate ganache drizzle.

If you’re looking for a fun dessert recipe to whip up and impress your friends with this summer, look no further!

These strawberry cream puffs are a delightful treat that will make you feel like you’re eating dessert at your favourite French bakery. They are surprisingly simple and really easy to make, and the recipe is made even easier with my step-by-step photos. I can’t wait for you to try these!

I mean really, what’s better than strawberries and cream? The answer is nothing. These strawberry cream puffs are the perfect summer dessert!

They’re a light, flaky pastry filled with a strawberry whipped cream filling made with fresh strawberries then topped with an optional chocolate ganache for extra decadence.

How to Store Strawberry Cream Puffs

You can make the cream puff shells a day or two ahead of time and keep the stored in an airtight container until ready to fill and serve.

You can also keep them stored in an airtight container in the freezer for several months and defrost on the counter as needed.

Once assembled, they should do OK stored in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 2 days.

Tips for Making the BEST Pate a Choux

• When baking the Pate a Choux (Cream Puff Shells), do not open your oven door! Choux pastry is very temperature sensitive and can collapse easily with a sudden change of temperature.
• Bake the shells until they are a deep golden colour, taking them out too early can also cause them to collapse.
• Fill the pastries the same day, as soon as possible after they cool as Choux pastry tends to go stale quickly if left out uncovered.
• Make sure all the ingredients for the choux pastry are at room temperature before starting aside from the butter.
• The flour should be sifted. This is so important for a light and fluffy choux pastry.

About the Ingredients for Strawberry Cream Puffs

Butter – It is best to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted on hand, simply omit the additional salt.

Sugar – Just use plain old granulated sugar.

Salt – Helps to balance all the flavours and make em shine.

Flour – Spoon and level the flour when measuring it, otherwise you’ll wind up with dense bread. Be sure to take the extra step of sifting your flour.

Eggs – Make sure your eggs are at room temperature before starting.

Water – Use lukewarm water.

Cream Cheese – Use full fat, brick cream cheese softened to room temperature.

Powdered Sugar – Also known as icing sugar or confectioners sugar.

Vanilla Extract – Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavour, but artificial is just fine too.

Strawberries – Fresh strawberries are best here but you could use unthawed frozen strawberries. I would not use strawberry jam as it is already so sweet.

Whipping Cream – Cream for whipping, it needs to be nice and cold.

Looking for More Tasty Strawberry Desserts?

Check out some of my favourite, delicious, craveable strawberry desserts:

Dairy-Free Strawberry Banana Ice Cream is a fun summer dessert for the whole family made with nothing but fresh fruit and no churning!

This Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle is an easy, no fuss, summer dessert perfect for serving at summer parties!

Smooth, custardy, tangy and sweet, this Strawberry Lemon Chess Pie is made with the classic recipe then topped with strawberry pie filling!

These Mini No Bake Strawberry Cheesecakes are beyond easy to make and are a great dessert year round. They features a buttery cookie crust topped off with a strawberry cheesecake filling – delicious frozen or at room temperature.

This Strawberry Shortcake Cake Pops Recipe results in the most amazing summery cake pops you have ever eaten.  Perfect for a summer dessert!

These luscious strawberry crunch bars are the perfect summer dessert made with real cream and fresh strawberries.

How to Make Strawberry Cream Puffs

Yields: 12 Cream Puffs | Prep Time: 30 Mins | Cook Time: 25 Mins

Ingredients:

For the Cream Puff Shells

• 4 oz cold butter (cut into pieces)
• 1½ tsp granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 c. water
• 1 c all-purpose flour
• 4 lg eggs
• 1 lg egg (for wash)
• 1 tsp water

For the Strawberry Whipped Cream Filling and Chocolate Drizzle

• 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
• 1 c powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 c fresh strawberries (diced fine to fit through icing tip)
• 2 c heavy whipping cream (cold)
• 1 c chocolate chips (dark or milk)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425° Cover baking sheets with parchment paper.

Add butter, salt, sugar and 1 cup of water to a medium saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high.

Let come to a boil and quickly add in the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Stir continuously until a film appears on the bottom of the pan.

Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Allow to cool for approx. 4 min. After cooled, stir in 3 eggs, one at a time, incorporating each completely.

Add the fourth egg a bit at a time. You might not need the whole egg. Your finished dough should be glossy and pipe-able.

Fill a pastry bag with the dough, attaching a 5/8- inch plain icing tip.

Pipe 2-inch rounds onto the baking sheet. If there are peaks on the tops of the rounds, gently smooth them down with a moistened finger.

Whisk the remaining egg together with the teaspoon of water to make the wash. Brush gently over the tops of the pastry rounds.

Bake for 15 min. on the center rack of the oven then reduce oven to 375° and continue baking for approx. 20 min. or until golden brown. Turn oven off and place the handle of a wooden spoon between the oven and the door to prop open. Keep the cream puff shells in the oven until the oven has cooled to just warm.

Remove puffs to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Strawberry Whipped Cream Filling

Beat cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth.

Slowly add in cream with the mixer on medium-high using the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.,

Gently fold in the diced strawberries.

For the Chocolate Drizzle

Melt chocolate chips in microwave in short increments (15 seconds) until melted. Allow to cool a bit if too hot and thin.

Assembly

Using a bread knife, cut off tops of each cream puff shell.

Pipe each shell very full of cream, using a 4-B open star tip. taking it out to the edges.

Place tops back on and dust with powdered sugar.

Drizzle melted chocolate over the tops.

Allow chocolate to set up a bit before serving. Can place in the refrigerator to hurry up this process.

Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator.