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Italian cream puffs made with flaky puff pastry, filled with rich vanilla custard cream, dusted with powdered sugar, and served as a classic homemade Italian dessert

Italian Cream Puffs with Vanilla Custard – The Sunday Morning Treat That Still Feels Like Home

Flaky golden puff pastry squares filled with thick, silky vanilla custard and finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. These Italian-style cream puffs come together with simple ingredients and taste like they came from a bakery.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
2 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • For the Puff Pastry:
  • 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
  • Powdered sugar for dusting
  • For the Custard Filling:
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • Pinch of salt
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Equipment

  • Baking sheet, parchment paper, medium saucepan, whisk, mixing bowls, plastic wrap, serrated knife

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut thawed puff pastry into 8 squares and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  2. Bake 15–18 minutes until deeply golden and fully puffed. Cool completely.
  3. In a saucepan, whisk milk, sugar, cornstarch, and salt over medium heat until hot.
  4. Whisk egg yolks in a bowl. Temper with a little hot milk mixture, then return everything to the pan.
  5. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 3–4 minutes. Stir in vanilla.
  6. Transfer to a bowl, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and chill until cold.
  7. Slice cooled pastry squares in half. Fill with chilled custard and replace tops.
  8. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Notes

Best eaten the same day. Custard can be made up to 2 days ahead. Assemble shortly before serving to keep pastry crisp.