It’s hard to beat a good cream puff. The combination of the light, airy choux pastry and the decadent creamy filling is a killer combination. The pastry originated in France in the 1540’s. The creation for them is accredited to the pastry chef of Catherine de Medici, who first baked choux for Catherine’s husband Henry II of France. While cream puffs might seem like a rather intimidating dessert to try to make at home, they’re actually surprisingly easy to make. It might just be time to master the classic French dessert as a New Year’s resolution to be more adventurous in the kitchen. Here’s some recipes to get you started.

Classic French Cream Puff

It’s never a bad idea to start with the basics. This recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen is a great one from beginners. She’s got a lot of good tips here and explains how to avoid some of the common mistakes that bakers might encounter when attempting cream puffs for the first time. There’s also a handy video so you can see how things are supposed to look every step of the way.

Coffee and Caramel Cream Puffs

Are you salivating yet? Caramel and coffee go together so well, both offering rich and nutty flavor profiles that compliment one another marvelously. Food Channel L has a great video on how to make these, with all the ingredients and amounts needed in the description under the video. These would make an amazing breakfast treat, because who wants to have to wait for dessert?

Boston Cream Puff

This type of cream puff is actually a nod to Boston Cream Pie (which if you’ve never had, you need to make one). The filling here is much more like a custard or a pudding. Plus, there’s the added bonus of the chocolate dipped top. Baker By Nature has a fantastic recipe for these, with plenty of helpful tips in there.

Photo Credit: Instagram

Strawberry Cream Puffs

You set a plate of these bad boys down in front of anyone, and that person is just bound to have a better day. Tastemade has the recipe and a handy dandy video for them. The bright sweetness of the strawberries just works so incredibly well with the rich decadence of the cream. Plus, the fruit adds another nice texture in there to give these cream puffs a bit of bite.

Cannoli Cream Puffs

Italy and France do a lovely dessert tango here with this recipe from Will Cook For Smiles. These are seriously yummy, and they’re just different enough from the more traditional takes on choux. Plus, the mini chocolate chips somehow just make these even more fun to eat.

Photo Credit: Lyuba@WillCookForSmiles Instagram