Honey Mascarpone Filling for Cream Puffs

There is something about bite-sized treats that just works for me, you know? And these cream puffs are exactly the right size to grab one in each hand to enjoy. The shells themselves are a basic choux dough, but stuffed with the smoothest, richest mascarpone cream filling and dusted with a hint of espresso sugar.

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I have been known to joke about my baked goods being healthy. In most cases, I know that desserts and sweets should probably be enjoyed in moderation. But describing these cream puffs as “essentially a sweet omelet” because of the amount of eggs and mascarpone cheese in them makes for a fun little joke.

In reality, while these are not actually any sort of omelet, they are a perfectly bite-sized treat that is a total crowd pleaser. Here’s a secret though: cream puffs look super impressive when you serve them, but they really aren’t difficult at all.

What You Need to Get Started

You can easily find all of the ingredients for these honey mascarpone cream puffs at your grocery store:

• Pantry: Flour, Honey, Confectioners sugar
• Spice Rack: Salt, Espresso powder
• Fridge: Butter, Eggs, Mascarpone cheese
• Equipment: Sheet pan, Parchment paper, Whisk, Saucepan, Wooden spoon, Piping bag and tip, Cooling rack, Stand mixer, Serrated knife, Mesh strainer

Let’s Make Cream Puff Shells

Cream puffs are a two-part process: the shells and the filling. You can’t fill them until they have completely cooled, so I definitely suggest starting with the profiteroles themselves before moving on to the filling.

The batter comes together quickly, so begin by preheating your oven and preparing a sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper or lightly greasing it. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt until combined.

You’ll want to add these together all at once later, so it’s easier to have it ready and set off to the side, rather than rushing to get things together.

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil, and then add in butter. Your goal here is to melt the butter into the water, but not to let it boil off. Water is an important ingredient in cream puffs. In the oven, it turns into steam and expands, which is what makes these puffy.

Stir gently just until the butter melts, and then immediately reduce the heat. Add the flour mixture all at once into the pot, and stir it vigorously. Use a wooden or sturdy silicone spoon, since the dough can get pretty stiff. The dough will begin to form into a ball and pull away from the edges of the pot.

At this point, remove it from the heat and set the pot aside to cool for about 10 minutes on a trivet or cooling rack. Once it has cooled down, add the eggs one at a time, stirring each one in completely until the mixture is smooth before adding the next.

Transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a closed-star tip, if you desire. Using the piping bag will give you better control over the size and shape of your cream puffs. Plus, they look like little seashells.

Pipe a small spiral, starting in the middle, and going out to create a one-and-a-half inch circle, then coming back toward the center to add height. Make sure they have plenty of space to puff up and spread out by leaving about two inches between puffs.

If you don’t want to pipe them, you can use a cookie scoop or spoon to add the dough to the baking sheet instead. They may not look as fancy, but they will still be completely delicious.

Bake the cream puffs for between twenty and twenty-five minutes. Cream puffs can be deceiving, but they aren’t done unless they are fluffy and dark golden brown. Undercooked puffs will deflate, so if that happens with your first tray, bake the next for a little bit longer.

When they are done baking, immediately move the browned puffs to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely to room temperature before filling them. When it comes to fillings, cream puffs are so versatile. You can pretty much use anything from pudding, to pastry cream, to frosting. But my favorite filling for cream puffs has to be this mascarpone cream.

If you are making these in advance, you will need to eat or freeze the shells within one day of baking. To freeze the uncut and empty shells, place them on a baking sheet, and freeze overnight. Then transfer the frozen puffs to a zip-top bag to store for up to three months.

How to Make the Filling for Cream Puffs

If you’ve ever made tiramisu, this cream involves a similar process. If not, then you’ll be prepared if you ever do need to make it. Start by combining honey and water in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Stir to dissolve the honey, and then bring the mixture just up to a boil. Keep an eye on this, as honey syrup can boil over.

Meanwhile, add egg yolks only to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. I suggest a metal bowl for this. Turn the mixer up to high speed, and while it’s running, slowly pour in the honey syrup. Be careful as this may splatter slightly, but try to get it between the whisk and the edge of the bowl.

The hot honey syrup will both sweeten the cream, and also help to pasteurize the egg yolks. Continue mixing on high for about ten more minutes. It will fluff up into a lovely foamy cream, and when it’s ready, the bottom of the bowl will feel room temperature. Try a little taste of this cream before adding the cheese. It’s super yummy.

Once the cream is cool, it’s time to add in the mascarpone. Turn off the mixer to add it in, and then turn it back on medium to incorporate. This should take just a few minutes to begin forming peaks. When it’s done, the filling will have a texture similar to a heavy whipped cream.

If you are working ahead, you can store the mascarpone cream in a sealed container in the fridge for a few days. When you’re ready to use it, transfer the filling to a clean piping bag fitted with a star tip, or any you choose.

There are a couple different ways to fill cream puffs. I prefer the “sandwich” method, in which you use a serrated knife to cut each cream puff in half like a hamburger bun.  If you prefer, you can also use a paring knife to cut a small x-shape in the bottom or side of the puff.

Pipe the filling onto the bottom half of each cream puff (or inside the x-shaped hole you made), and gently place the other half on top. Continue cutting and filling until you have a big pile of cream puffs.

Now all that’s left is to finish them off. I made this step optional, but the dusting of sugar does add a fun flair. However, without it, these cream puffs are totally refined-sugar free, since they are only sweetened with honey!

If you are dusting yours, combine confectioners sugar and espresso powder in a small bowl. Toss these together with a fork until you have a nice uniform mixture. Add the powdered sugar mixture to a small mesh strainer and dust the tops of the cream puffs.

The easiest way to do this is to hold the strainer over the puffs, and then gently tap the side. This will allow just a little snowstorm of sugar to fall onto your cream puffs, creating a lovely dessert.

How to Serve Cream Puffs

If you’re like me, you’ll probably just sit in front of a stack of these babies and keep grabbing “just one more.” But, they really are so good for sharing as well! I love the idea of bringing these to a potluck or picnic, especially as part of a dessert spread. Serve them alongside blueberry lemon bars and miso peanut butter cup cookies.

Cream puffs are also a fun addition to afternoon tea. You can definitely pair these with mango peach iced tea spritzers in warmer weather, or go for the cozier chai white hot chocolate in the winter. More of a coffee person? Pair these with a honey chestnut cafe au lait.

Use Up Leftover Ingredients

• Extra mascarpone adds structure to whipped cream, such as on top of this strawberry rhubarb crumble.
• If you have leftover eggs, let them star in an avocado and tomato omelet.
• But if you’re just looking to use the egg whites, pair them with honey in a pavlova with chai-poached plums.
• Espresso powder can bulk up chocolate, or lend its own flavor, like in espresso chocolate chip muffins.

Special Equipment

• Sheet pan
• Parchment paper
• Whisk
• Saucepan
• Wooden spoon
• Piping bag and tip
• Cooling rack
• Stand mixer
• Serrated knife
• Mesh strainer

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• Blue striped towel
• Small square plate
• Large teal plate
• Pyrex mixing bowl