Easter Cream Puffs with Whipped Chocolate Cream

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SweeterEaster #CollectiveBias

These fun and elegant French cream puffs will add a little flare to any Easter table.

It’s no surprise that I love seasonally themed products. Seeing new products really get my creative juices going and I like to bring home a variety of goodies to see what I can come up with in the kitchen!

During my most recent trip to Walmart, while browsing the aisles for more time than I care to say (good thing I was alone!), I had the idea of somehow incorporating candy into a dessert for this year’s Easter table. I thought it would be fun, colorful, and lighthearted.  

I picked up quite the haul to give myself plenty of options for my dessert. 

I decided to make a dessert that never fails to impress guests and would be a beautiful and delicious addition to any Easter table – cream puffs! These French delights, made from pate a choux, are always elegant, easier than you’d think, and can be customized to suit your liking!

Because the dessert was meant to be for Easter, I felt it appropriate to use the M&M’s® Easter Sundae candies, available for a limited time and exclusively at Walmart. The delicate colors are just darling and they have just the right amount of sweetness to complement the rest of the puff. 

For additional variety, I also chose to use Starburst® Original Jellybeans to brighten up the cream puffs and add some extra flare!

Pate a choux begins by cooking the dough over the stove. Then, the dough gets transferred to the stand mixer and eggs are slowly added in.

Using a large round tip or star tip, pipe swirls of dough onto a prepared baking sheet, brush with an egg wash, and bake.

To make the cream puffs a little more extravagant and Easter-brunch-worthy, I made a whipped chocolate cream rather than traditional whipped cream to fill them with.

To fill the puffs, simply split the cooled puffs and spoon on the whipped chocolate cream.

For extra decadence, I topped the puffs with rich ganache. And finally, on go the M&M’s® Easter Sundae and Starburst® Original Jellybeans!  

You cannot go wrong with this dessert. The puffs are lightly crisped on the outside and soft on the inside. The whipped chocolate cream is light and full of chocolate-y goodness. And the thick ganache and candies are ultra-indulgent.  

For more inspiration, My Confection Corner is a great resource for Easter basket inspiration and creative recipes and also where you can find all products needed to make the perfect Easter basket.

Easter Cream Puffs with Whipped Chocolate Cream

Yields 10 cream puffs
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Pate a Choux
Ingredients
1 stick salted butter*
1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
1 cup water plus 2 teaspoons, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, plus 1 for egg wash

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.
2. In a small saucepan, add the butter, sugar, and water and heat to boiling. Remove from heat and immediately add the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Return to heat and continue stirring for 30 seconds.
3. Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time until combined, scraping down the sides as necessary.
4. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large round or star tip. Pipe rounds about 2 inches in diameter onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. If there are any thin spikes from the dough, use a fingertip dipped in water to gently flatten the spike. Whisk together the remaining egg and 2 teaspoons of water and brush over the dough rounds.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F, rotate the pan, and continue baking for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to completely cool.

Adapted from The PKP Way

Whipped Chocolate Cream
Ingredients
½ cup (4 ounces) dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. Place the chocolate in a small bowl. Set aside. Heat the heavy whipping cream in a saucepan over medium heat until steamy and right before boiling.
2. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for about 20 seconds. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
3. Chill covered for ½ hour in the refrigerator or until slightly thickened and firm**.
4. Pour into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
5. Whisk on 2nd to highest (I set my Kitchen Aid to 8) speed until soft peaks begin to form. Then, increase the speed to the highest setting (my Kitchen Aid was set to 10) until stiff peaks form.

Adapted from The PKP Way

Ganache
Ingredients
½ cup (4 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup heavy cream
M&M’s® Easter Sundae & Starburst® Original Jellybeans for decorating

Directions

1. Place the chocolate in a small bowl. Set aside. Heat the heavy whipping cream in a saucepan over medium heat until steamy and right before boiling.
2. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for about 20 seconds. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

Adapted from The PKP Way

Assembly
Using a serrated knife, split the cream puffs about ⅓ of the way down from the top. Spoon on the whipped chocolate cream and replace the top of the puff. Spoon on the ganache and sprinkle on the M&M’s® Easter Sundae or Starburst® Original Jellybeans.

Notes
* If you don’t have salted butter on hand, use the same amount in unsalted butter and add ½ teaspoon salt to the flour mixture
**If not thickened and firm, it will not whip up properly!

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