Mango Pastry Cream Puffs (Print version)

Airy choux puffs filled with luscious mango cream and dusted with powdered sugar for a tropical touch.

# What You Need:

→ Choux Pastry

01 - 1/2 cup water
02 - 1/2 cup whole milk
03 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
04 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
05 - 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
06 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
07 - 4 large eggs, room temperature

→ Mango Pastry Cream

08 - 2/3 cup mango puree
09 - 1 cup whole milk
10 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
11 - 3 large egg yolks
12 - 3 tablespoons cornstarch
13 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
14 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Assembly

15 - Powdered sugar for dusting

# How to Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt in saucepan over medium heat and bring to boil. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously with wooden spoon until mixture forms smooth ball and pulls away from sides for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool 3-4 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition until dough is glossy and smooth. Transfer to piping bag with large round tip and pipe 12 mounds about 1.5 inches wide onto prepared baking sheet, spacing them apart. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown and puffed without opening oven door.
02 - Reduce oven temperature to 325°F, prick each puff with skewer, and bake 5 more minutes to dry out centers. Cool completely on wire rack.
03 - Heat milk and mango puree in saucepan over medium heat until just simmering. In bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until pale and smooth. Slowly pour half the hot mango-milk mixture into egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly to temper. Pour mixture back into saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbling for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to bowl, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto surface, and chill until cold and set for at least 1 hour.
04 - Once puffs are cool and cream is set, cut each puff in half horizontally. Fill piping bag with mango pastry cream and pipe generous amount onto bottom half of each puff. Replace tops and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • They're surprisingly forgiving once you understand that choux pastry just needs confidence and a good whisk.
  • The mango cream tastes elegant and tropical without requiring any exotic equipment or hard-to-find ingredients.
  • You can fill them ahead and they actually taste better the next day when flavors settle together.
02 -
  • If your pastry cream breaks or looks grainy while cooking, you've overheated it—whisk faster or reduce heat slightly next time, because this cream goes from perfect to broken in seconds.
  • Opening the oven door during the initial bake actually matters here; the temperature drop can deflate your puffs just when they're setting.
  • Choux dough should be glossy and smooth, not stiff—if it's too thick, your puffs will be dense instead of airy and light.
03 -
  • Let your choux dough cool just the right amount—too hot and eggs scramble, too cool and it won't incorporate smoothly, so 3 to 4 minutes is the sweet spot.
  • Pricking the puffs after they're baked and drying them at lower heat is what separates these from soggy imposters; this single step changes everything.
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