Churro Cream Puffs are coated in cinnamon sugar and filled with a sweet cinnamon whipped cream. They’re simple to make and taste amazing.
I’ve been baking for many years and blogging for over seven years. In that time I’ve shared hundreds of recipes, from rich chocolate cakes to chewy oatmeal cream pies and inventive cheesecakes. But oddly, my site had very few cream puff recipes—until now.
If the French name Pâte à Choux has ever put you off, don’t worry. It sounds fancy, but the dough is straightforward and more forgiving than many baked goods. Once you get the basic technique down it becomes a reliable go-to for elegant desserts. A great resource that walks through the process with helpful tips is the cookbook Simply Sweet Dream Puffs, which focuses on cream puffs, éclairs, and profiteroles with creative flavor combinations.
These Churro Cream Puffs were easy to make and the kids loved helping with the finishing touches. I warmed honey and used a small brush to glaze the tops before sprinkling them with cinnamon sugar. The filling is a simple cinnamon-scented whipped cream — just heavy cream whipped with powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, and ground cinnamon. That whipped cream would also be lovely on pancakes or waffles.
I served these as dessert one evening and they disappeared quickly. I shared most with my mom, but I admit I kept one unfilled shell for breakfast the next day and topped it with leftover whipped cream—totally worth the stealth. If you want crisp shells, add the cinnamon-sugar coating shortly before serving so they stay crunchy. I sometimes slice the puffs and fill them like petits choux when I prefer a classic presentation.
Below is the full recipe, organized into the choux pastry and the churro finishing. The method is straightforward and the result is a crowd-pleasing pastry with a cinnamon-sugar crunch and a light, fluffy filling.
Churro Cream Puffs
Ingredients
For the Pâte à Choux:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- Egg wash (optional): 1 egg + 1 teaspoon water
For the Churro Cream Puffs:
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- Pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 16 cream puff shells (makes about 16 small puffs)
Instructions
For the Pâte à Choux:
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Lightly grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper. Measure the flour and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the butter, sugar, salt, and ¾ cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the flour all at once. Return to the heat and stir for 1–2 minutes until the dough is smooth and forms a ball.
- Transfer the dough to a mixer bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth and glossy each time. Spoon the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe 1½-inch rounds about 1½ inches high. Smooth any peaks with a moistened finger.
- Whisk the remaining egg with 1 teaspoon water and brush the tops of the rounds if desired. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake for 30 minutes or until puffy and golden. Turn the oven off and let shells sit in the closed oven for 10 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool completely.
For the Churro Finish and Filling:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Combine the granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
- Warm the honey briefly until it runs easily, then brush the tops of the cooled cream puffs with honey and sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes to set the coating.
- In a chilled mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream with the pinch of salt on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and the remaining cinnamon, then beat until stiff peaks form.
- Transfer the whipped cream to a pastry bag with a small round tip. Make a small hole in the side of each puff and pipe in the cinnamon whipped cream. Alternatively, slice the top off each puff and spoon in the filling, then replace the top.
Notes
- For extra-crisp shells, coat with cinnamon sugar about 30 minutes before serving, let cool 20 minutes, then fill just before serving.
- Slicing the cream puffs and filling them like petits choux gives a classic presentation and makes them easier to fill evenly.