These individual Cream Puff Wreaths are an ideal dessert for your holiday table. The festive dessert consists of a delicate cream puff filled with a sweetened whipped cream.
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What is a cream puff?
A cream puff is a popular pastry that originated in France. The pastry is made from choux dough, which is a light and airy dough created by combining water, butter, flour, salt and eggs. The dough has a high moisture content, which creates steam during baking, resulting in a airy and tender interior.
Cream puffs are baked until they are golden brown and have a crisp outer shell and an airy interior. Once cooled, they are often filled with various creamy fillings, most commonly pastry cream or sweetened whipped cream.
Ingredients
You need the following ingredients to create your Christmas cream puff wreaths:
- Water
- All-purpose flour
- Eggs
- Unsalted butter: cut into ½" cubes
- Salt
- Almonds: optional for sprinkling over the wreath before baking
- Pastry cream or sweetened whipped cream: for filling wreaths
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
The choux dough can be intimidating to make - but follow the guidelines below and you'll have great results.
In summary, the cream puff wreaths are created in three steps:
- Create the choux dough
- Bake the cream puffs
- Fill and decorate the wreaths.
Place the butter, water and salt in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the mixture begins to boil.
Remove saucepan from the heat and add the flour. Stir until all the flour is absorbed.
Return the saucepan to medium heat and stir vigorously. Continue to stir until the paste dries slightly and pulls away from the side of the pan.
Place the paste in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium-low speed for 30 seconds to cool the paste slightly.
Slowly begin adding the eggs one at a time while the mixer is running on low speed. Continue mixing until all the eggs are added.
Increase the mixer speed to medium and mix until eggs are fully absorbed and paste is fully cooled (approximately 3 minutes)
Transfer the choux dough to a piping bag fitted with a ¼" wide tip. Pipe 3" circles on a piece of parchment paper. Next, pipe another line around the outside of the first line. Finally, pipe a third line in between the two lines.
Bake at 425° F for 10 minutes then lower the temperature to 350° and bake an additional 8 - 10 minutes. Cool and slice the tops off the pastries. Add filling of choice (e.g. pastry cream, sweetened whipped cream, buttercream, etc...).
Decorate as desired. Consider fondant bows, holiday sprinkles, drizzle with chocolate, sprinkle with powdered sugar, etc...
Storage
These holiday cream puff wreaths are best served the day they are made. If not serving within an hour of making, place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
You may make the cream puffs in advance and freeze the unfilled pastry for up to one month.
FAQ
Yes. Draw a 9" circle on a piece of parchment paper. Fit a piping bag with a ½" round tip. Fill the bag with the choux dough and pipe a 9" circle in the same fashion as the smaller circles. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.
There are many good videos on YouTube with instructions on how to make a fondant bow. I highly recommend this step-by-step video.
Christmas dessert ideas
Looking for more recipes to sweeten up your Christmas dessert table? Check out the following:
📋 Recipe
Christmas Cream Puff Wreaths
Equipment
- 2 Pastry bags
- 1 3-Quart Saucepan
- 1 Heat-Resistant Spatula
Ingredients
Pate a Choux
- 1 Cup water
- 6 Tablespoons butter, unsalted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ⅛ Cups all-purpose flour
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten for brushing on top of dough prior to baking optional if adding almonds
- 2 Tablespoons Almonds, chopped finely optional
Cream Filling (optionally use a pastry cream filling)
- 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Confectioners Sugar (add more sugar for a sweeter whipped cream)
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Prepare Pans
- Prepare two sheets of parchment paper to fit on a sheet pan.
- Draw four 3" circles on each piece of parchment paper (leave at least 2 inches of space between each circle). Turn paper over and place on sheet pans.
Pate a Choux
- Preheat oven to 425° F
- Combine water, butter and salt in a large saucepan. Place over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- Remove pan from the heat once it begins boiling. Add flour and stir until smooth.
- Return pan to the heat. Stir constantly until the paste dries slightly (it will begin pulling away from the sides of the pan).
- Transfer the paste to the bowl of a stand-mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on the lowest speed to cool the paste slightly (about 30 seconds).
- Add the eggs one at a time while the mixer is still running. Increase the speed to medium. Continue mixing until the eggs are absorbed and mixture is cooled (3- 4 minutes).
Pipe Circles
- Fit a pastry bag with a ¼" wide piping tip. Fill pastry bag with choux dough.
- Hold the pastry bag perpendicular and 1" above the drawn circles on the paper. Pipe the choux dough onto the parchment paper following the lines. Pipe another line around the outside of the first line. Pipe a third line in-between the two lines.
- Optional: Brush pastry with a lightly whipped egg and sprinkle with chopped almonds.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350℉ and bake an additional 8 - 10 minutes.
- Cool completely.
Assemble Cream Puffs
- Slice off the top third of each circle and set the top aside.
- Combine confectioners' sugar, vanilla and heavy cream in a bowl. Whip until cream reaches stiff peaks (peaks will hold their shape when and not droop to the side). Transfer cream to a pastry bag. Alternatively, use a flavored pastry cream or buttercream filling.
- Pipe whipped cream rosettes around the bottom of each pastry.
- Place top of the circle over the filling to create a sandwich. Press very lightly to secure.
- Finish as desired (e.g. add fondant bows, sprinkle with powdered sugar, drizzle with melted chocolate, etc...)
Video
Nutrition
Food safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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