If you are fan of cream puffs you are going to LOVE this Easy Cream Puff Dessert. It’s a seriously impressive but incredibly easy make-ahead dessert that is a great choice for any gathering.
Ahhh, cream puffs. They are hands down my favorite dessert.
My mom was a master at creating the most delectable cream puffs I’ve ever had in my life. I used to request them each year on my birthday and she always obliged. Such wonderful memories.
If, like me, you’re a cream puff nut, you’ve just got to try this recipe!
It really hits the nail on the head in the flavor department. But it’s also completely fuss-free to create and makes enough to serve a crowd.
If you’re looking for something simple but delicious to add to a party dessert menu, this is it, friends! I love 13- x 9-inch desserts for entertaining. They are easy to transport and you can slice and serve pieces of varying sizes depending on who, and how many, you are serving.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Cream puff pastry – The easy pastry recipe includes water, butter, all-purpose flour, and eggs.
- Custard filling – A rich but super easy custard made with instant boxed pudding mix, softened cream cheese, and a little milk.
- Topping – The whole delicious thing is topped of with whipped topping (I use Cool Whip) and a drizzle of store-bought chocolate syrup.
How to Make Cream Puff Pastry
Creating the cream puff pastry crust for this dessert is magical! The ingredients and method are the same you would use to create individual cream puffs but instead of dropping the pastry dough in small dollops on a baking sheet, it is pressed into the bottom a 13- x 9-inch pan.
As the crust bakes, it rises up the sides of the pan to create the perfect shell-like crust for the filling. This would be a very fun recipe to make with little ones. Watching the crust rise up the sides of the pan is almost like a science experiment.
Do not fear cream puff pastry! It is surprisingly easy to make. In fact, if you can boil water, you can make cream puff pastry. Seriously. Take a look at the recipe card at the end of this post for the details.
How to Make Easy Cream Puff Dessert
- Once the crust is completely cool you’ll fill it with a creamy, custard-y filling that is whipped up in nothing flat. Layer whipped topping over the custard filling and pop it in the refrigerator to chill for a couple of hours.
- Just before serving, drizzle it with a little chocolate syrup.
Valerie’s Tips and Variations
- Spray the backside of an offset spatula with nonstick cooking spray and use it to spread the sticky cream puff pastry dough into the pan.
- Be sure your cream cheese is softened before beginning so it will blend easily. It should sit out on your kitchen counter for 45 to 60 minutes.
- Make sure you pick up instant pudding and not the regular pudding mix that requires cooking on the stove. Instant pudding is clearly labeled as such.
- I love using Jell-O French Vanilla Instant Pudding for this recipe. It really nails that familiar cream puff custard flavor. If your store doesn’t carry the French Vanilla – just go with plain vanilla and add about ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract for a similar effect.
- Not feeling vanilla? Get creative! Browse the instant pudding selection at your store and choose something that calls to you. Cheesecake, White Chocolate, and Coconut Cream would ALL be amazing in this.
- Look for the chocolate syrup in a plastic squeeze bottle to make it super easy to drizzle over the Cream Puff Dessert.
- I like this dessert best after it has chilled for 2 to 4 hours.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
- Easy Blueberry Cheesecake Dessert
- Fast and Easy Cherry Crisp
- One Bowl Chocolate Cake
- Next Best Thing to Robert Redford Dessert
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Easy Cream Puff Dessert
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 cups milk, divided
- 3 (3.4 ounce) packages Instant French Vanilla Pudding, (see recipe note below)
- 8 ounces whipped topping, defrosted (like Cool Whip)
- chocolate syrup, as needed (like Hershey's)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat a 13- x 9-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
For the Cream Puff Pastry Crust
- Add the butter and water to a heavy saucepan and place over MEDIUM heat. Cook until the butter has melted and then bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a soft ball.
- Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl and let it rest for about 5 minutes to cool slightly.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly with an electric mixer in between additions. Once all eggs have been added, continue to mix for a minute or two or until the mixture is smooth.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared baking dish. Spread the sticky dough out evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. To make it easier, spray the backside of an offset spatula with non-stick cooking spray and use it to spread the dough.
- Bake for 20 to 23 minutes or until puffed up the sides of the pan and golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
For the Cream Puff Filling
- Place softened cream cheese and 1 cup milk in a large mixing bowl and beat thoroughly with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth. If there are small bits of cream cheese that don’t completely incorporate, it’s fine. Just beat the mixture so that it is as smooth as possible (starting with room temperature cream cheese will make this step easier). Add remaining milk and the pudding mix and beat again for several minutes on high speed until thickened.
- Spread the pudding mixture over the completely cooled crust. Spread the whipped topping over the pudding mixture and use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to smooth it out. Chill for at least an hour or overnight.
- Drizzle with chocolate syrup before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
I made this today for dessert following BLTs and macaroni salad and it was, as promised, fabulous. If you hadn’t explained that it’s easy to make, I never would have attempted it; it seems like a dish from a master baker!
Made this yesterday. Really good and easy to make
Why did my crust expand so much? There are mounds in bottom and the sides are up beyond the pan. What did I do wrong?
It does expand quite a bit but will likely shrink down a bit as it cools. You do want the sides to come up to at least the edge of the pan. Hope it worked out for you!
Definitely a great dessert. Tried it second time and layer between pudding and cream puff layer, I added a layer of peanut butter mixed with confectioner sugar. Also so sprinkled the peanut butter mixture on top of whip cream before adding the drizzled chocolate layer. Can’t wait to dive in.
Do you think I could make real whipped cream and use that in place of cool whip?
Sure!
I am thinking of making this for a sporting event supper….does it need to stay chilled or would it be okay to sit out for a couple of hours as it’s a come and go type event? Thanks!!
It would definitely fare better if chilled when served. It won’t hurt it to sit out for awhile but I probably wouldn’t go more than an hour.
can i use store bought puff pastry instead?
Hi Heather. The cream puff pastry in this recipe is very unique. Puff pastry would not be a good substitution.
My family likes homemade vanilla pudding. Can you use this instead of instant?
Have you tried it using sugar free pudding? I would love to make this for a family gathering. Many family members are diabetic, so I want to make substitutions.
Hi Cynthia. I haven’t tried it with sugar free but think it would work out just fine.
What would you use if you do not have a mixer for dough. How would you prepare?
I apologize for the slow response, JoAnne. I think you’d be just fine using a wooden spoon to mix in the eggs. It will require a bit more muscle but I think the result will be the same.
I sure would love a video of making this. Especially the cream puff part which I’ve never done before.
We’re going to do our darndest to get one up before Easter!
Video is up!
I love cream puffs!! Whoever thought of putting the dough in a 9×13 pan?!?! This would make cream puffs super easy and everyone could choose the size serving they want. I cannot wait to try this!!
I hope you try it and love it as much as we do!
This looks very good…I’m reallly going to make this, but I don’t have cream cheese….and I can’t go to the store and get some…so I will have to copy down the recipe
Thank you so much…great recipe..
Linda Szablewski..