image of cream puffs with raspberries and Chantilly cream

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My Friend’s Best Ever Cream Puffs

I’ve had this cream puff recipe over a decade! My friend shared it with me years ago (when I first started blogging) and made the best cream puffs that I’ve ever tried, covered in chocolate!

light and airy cream puffs with a creamy, Chantilly cream, raspberries, and dulce de leche.

That same cream puff recipe is used here, only it’s filled with a Chantilly cream, caramel, and raspberries. Chantilly cream is lightly sweetened whipped cream, and the tart fresh raspberries make this dessert not too sweet and so light and airy!

This recipe was an inspiration to replicate something my friend suggested (yes, the same friend).

She was at a ladies gathering and one baker had brought a dessert that she was all over about. I took it to consideration and made what was a cream puff basket (made larger and served open-faced) in order to fill it with whipped cream, raspberries, and dulce de Leche.

The recreation happened to be the most airy, light and delicate dessert that resembles a Berry Chantilly cake only made with a cream puff base!

image of cream puffs filled with Chantilly cream, fresh raspberries, and dulce de leche (caramel)

Its closet cousin in taste would be Mini Pavlova’s with cream and berries, only these are less sweeter and more easier to eat.

I’ve had it on the blog ever since (2015) and I am now updating it so, more people can discover this wonderful dessert!

Make Your Own Dulce De Leche (Caramel)

For years I have been making homemade Dulce de leche (caramel) with cans of sweetened condensed milk.

It’s the best as far as flavor. I prefer it way over the store bought stuff! Yes, you can buy premade dulce de leche in the Mexican aisle but it’s not the same as homemade!

You’ll need an Instant Pot to cook it in less than 30 minutes or cook it on the stovetop for 3 hours if you don’t have an Instant Pot.

To make dulce de Leche, you’ll need to peel off the labels. Place the cans (closed, never open) into the instant pot (I don’t use the trivet). Cover them completely with water (for even cooking) and set it to high pressure for 28 minutes).

I’ve tried adding only 2 inches of water before and they do not caramelize in that time so, adding water over the cans is important.

Depressurize for 10 minutes. Then quick release. Cool completely before opening (they will burst if you open them hot).

Now you have homemade caramel that you can use for these cream puffs, as an ice cream topping, and Ukrainian cakes.

Mise en Place for Choux Pastry Everything You Need! :

Equipment

Ingredients I Used:

  • Choux pastry Ingredients- water, flour, butter, and eggs. It’s really that simple to make. Don’t let the fancy “pâte à choux” (pronounced “payt-uh-shoo”) fool you!
  • Chantilly Cream- is used instead of a traditional pastry cream. For that I whip heavy cream with a little powdered sugar, cream cheese, and Greek yogurt to stabilize the cream. Alternatively, you can use sour cream. This makes a super light and airy frosting that you can use in all your summer desserts!
  • Additional Toppings- are fresh raspberries and dulce de leche (caramel). You can leave out the caramel and fresh berries and use a fruity spread of choice, instead. Fruit goes really well in this dessert and caramel makes it a tad sweeter because it is very light.
image of cream puffs with raspberries ingredients. Chantilly cream: (heavy cream, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, powdered sugar). Choux Pastry: flour, eggs, water, butter, salt.

Note: Make sure the cream cheese is softened at room temperature before preparing the cream frosting.

How To Make Choux Pastry

Start by making my friend’s cream puff recipe. For the full recipe and exact measurements, scroll down to the recipe card below.

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare two large baking sheets and line them with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a medium saucepan melt the butter in water and salt over medium heat. You speed up the cooking process and try to boil the mixture.
image of Choux Pastry (pâte à choux) made in a saucepan in Chef Alyona's home kitchen
  • Whisk in the flour to make a thick and doughy paste. This comes together in seconds so, use a heavy duty whisk.
  • Transfer the warm dough immediately to a stand mixer (unless you have the arm power to continue whisking a thick dough). Using a paddle attachment beat the dough over medium speed. Meanwhile beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. I like to crack my eggs into a bowl first, to ensure I don’t get any egg shells in my dough.
image of eggs being added to Choux pastry (cream puff dough) in a stand mixer
  • After you add the last egg beat the dough for 2 minutes over medium speed, to make them super airy.
image of "ready to be piped out" Choux pastry beaten in a stand mixer.
  • Transfer the dough into large disposable piping bag with a star piping tip. Pipe out large swirls, overlapping each other. Usually, I make two wide tiers.
image of large Choux Pastry swirls piped out in a large baking sheet
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. DO NOT open the oven door, you do not want them to deflate! Choux Pastry is delicate but simple. The cream puffs should have expanded and look golden brown. The insides should be hollow and moist (not wet).
image of fully baked cream puffs
Screenshot of fully baked Cream Puffs. Watch how I make these Cream Puffs on Instagram.
  • Cool completely before filling.

Assembling the Cream Puffs

  • Cut each cream puff in half crosswise to make a cup or as I like to call it “basket”.
  • Arrange cream puffs evenly onto a serving platter or wire cooling rack (preferably the way you want to serve them). Meanwhile work on the cream frosting.
  • Make the Chantilly cream by beating the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. I like to beat the cream cheese and Greek yogurt separately to ensure there are no lumps in the frosting. Then combine the two mixtures (whipped cream and the cream cheese mixture) and beat over medium speed until fully combined and smooth.
image of whipped cream and powdered sugar to make Chantilly cream frosting for cream puffs
  • Transfer the cream frosting into a piping bag when you’re ready to pipe out, otherwise keep it in the fridge (no longer than 1 hour). Use a star piping tip to make soft swirls.

photo collage of the process of making cream puffs. Step one: boiling the water and butter. Step two: making the Choux pastry dough by adding flour. Step three: adding the eggs one at a time. Step four: Preparing the star tip for piping out the pastry dough to make swirls.

  • To assemble cream puffs, fill each half (open side up) with a tsp of dulce de leche, one fresh raspberry, and a swirl of the Chantilly cream. Serve right away or chill in the fridge until needed.

More Spring Desserts To Try:

FAQs about Cream Puffs

Can I Use Freshly Milled Flour?

Absolutely! For every 1 cup of all-purpose flour use 155 grams of freshly milled flour. Pastries are best made with soft white wheat berries. I find that most desserts can be made with 140 grams of freshly milled flour, too. See my conversion chart for more details.

Why Did My Cream Puffs Deflate?

There are a few main reasons for this:

  • Opening the door during the baking process. When you open the oven door the oven temperature drops. This brings in cold air and disturbs the hot air from circulating and properly allowing the cream puffs to spring up and bake.
  • They may have been Underbaked. It’s important to fully cook cream puffs so, they spring and rise to their fullest. When fully baked they will look golden brown and will be firm to the touch. Baking with a timer and having the oven light on will help indicate their doneness without opening the oven door. My baking time is designed for larger cream puffs and are pretty much done by 30 minutes.
  • Improper Oven Temperature. Make sure your oven is properly heated to a high temperature of 400°F (204°C) for proper baking and rising. You want a consistent oven temperature throughout the baking process to fully cook the cream puffs. Insufficient heat can make them flatter and undercooked.

Can They Be Made Ahead Of Time?

Cream puffs make a great make-ahead dessert. They store best when made 2 to 3 days before assembling. Store the puff shells in an airtight container or Gallon freezer bag for up to 3 days. You can also, freeze them unto 3 months (unfilled).

I recommend to make the Chantilly cream before serving.

Can These Cream Puffs be Frozen?

Because these are made with fresh fruit and a more delicate whipped cream frosting instead of a pastry cream, I do not recommend to freeze them filled. The cream puff shells can be frozen unfilled, but if you wish to freeze them filled, then I’d recommend making a Cool Whip base.

Cool whip is more stabilized for freezing. To substitute the fresh cream and powdered sugar, use one 8oz container of Cool whip.

image of a summertime dessert made with cream puffs and filled with a berry Chantilly filling

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Cream Puffs with Raspberries and Chantilly Cream

5 from 2 votes
By: Alyona Demyanchuk
These cream puff desserts are like mini Berry Chantilly cakes, only with choux pastry! Easy homemade cream puffs layered with dreamy, dulce de leche, raspberries, and a creamy, whipped frosting, makes it perfect for Spring and Summer! It's served open to show off all those delicate layers and is incredibly light, tangy, and not too sweet.
image of cream puffs with raspberries and Chantilly cream
Review Print Pin
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Assembling: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 16 cream puffs
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Equipment

Ingredients 

Choux Pastry:

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, (1 stick cut into 8 pieces)
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, (155 grams)
  • 4 eggs

Chantilly Cream:

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp cream cheese, (softened)
  • 2 tbsp Greek yogurt, (plain)

Toppings:

  • 1 pint Raspberries
  • 14 oz dulce de leche

Instructions

  • Choux Pastry: In a medium saucepan bring 1 cup water, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/2 cup butter to a boil over medium heat until the butter melts. Add 1 cup of flour and whisk until a stiff dough forms. Transfer the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer.
    image of Choux pastry after the addition of flour in a saucepan over the stove.
  • Using the paddle attachment to your mixer, mix the dough on medium speed adding 4 eggs one at a time and mixing well after each addition. After you add the last egg, beat the dough for 2 minutes on medium speed and transfer the dough into a piping bag with a star nozzle.
    image of the Choux pastry beaten in a stand mixer with the addition of eggs
  • Preheat oven to 400°F and line a 20×14 pan with parchment paper. Pipe out batter over the lined pan, making swirls that start from the inside moving your way upwards overlapping the bottoms.
    image of Choux pastry piped out into large swirls using a star tip over a parchment paper lined pan
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Insides should be hollow and moist, not wet. Don't open the oven door when they bake. Cool cream puffs completely before filling.
    image of baked cream puffs held by Alyona
  • Chantilly Cream: Beat heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. In a separate bowl mix the softened cream cheese and Greek yogurt. Beat into the whipped cream until smooth and creamy.
    image of Chantilly cream whipped with a hand mixer for cream puffs
  • Assembly: slice each cream puff in half crosswise. Fill each half in the following order; 1 tsp of dulce de leche, 1 fresh raspberry, and a swirl of the Chantilly cream frosting. Top with another fresh raspberry. Refrigerate before serving.
    image of filled cream puffs with Chantilly cream, caramel, and raspberries

Notes

  • This recipe makes about 16 large cream puffs. I slice each cream puff in half and fill each half with the Chantilly cream, raspberry, and dulce de leche, to make a total of 33 open-faced cream puffs. 
  • This dessert is very light, airy, and not too sweet. Perfect for a Spring or Summertime dessert. 
  • The cream puffs can be made ahead of time and stored until you’re ready to fill them. 
  • They are best served fresh or refrigerated for at least a couple hours before serving. 

Nutrition (per serving)

1cream puff halved and topped Serving110kcal Calories6g Carbs2g Protein9g Fat5g Saturated Fat1g Polyunsaturated Fat2g Monounsaturated Fat0.1g Trans Fat44mg Cholesterol24mg Sodium50mg Potassium1g Fiber2g Sugar343IU Vitamin A4mg Vitamin C20mg Calcium0.4mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Cream Puffs with Raspberries and Chantilly Cream
Serving Size
 
1 cream puff halved and topped
Amount per Serving
Calories
110
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
9
g
14
%
Saturated Fat
 
5
g
31
%
Trans Fat
 
0.1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
2
g
Cholesterol
 
44
mg
15
%
Sodium
 
24
mg
1
%
Potassium
 
50
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
 
6
g
2
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
2
g
2
%
Protein
 
2
g
4
%
Vitamin A
 
343
IU
7
%
Vitamin C
 
4
mg
5
%
Calcium
 
20
mg
2
%
Iron
 
0.4
mg
2
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Tried this recipe?

Mention @alyonascooking or hashtag #alyonascooking.

image of the original cream puff baskets that I renamed cream puffs with raspberry and Chantilly cream
Image of the Original Cream Puffs Recipe with raspberries and whipped cream frosting that was published in September 2015. Photos have been updated April 2026.
image of cream puff baskets filled with dulce de leche, whipped cream, and fresh raspberries.
Original Cream Puff Baskets with dulce de leche, whipped cream, and raspberries published back in 2015. Photos have been updated.

Authors Original Notes about This Recipe:

“I was inspired to recreate these after my friend had brought a plate of leftover desserts from an occasion. One of the desserts she had brought looked very similar to this and to recreate them, I decided to use my friends’ easy cream puff recipe and whipped up a delicate cream frosting using some greek yogurt. The results blew me away!

I then brought some of these to my mother-in-law’s house and after trying them she asked for the recipe (if mother asked for the recipe, I think it’s a keeper:)). Not only did my mother seem to like these treats but my husband and children love these little desserts as well”!