In the diverse world of baked goods, cream puffs are precarious little characters. You wouldn’t know it by looking at them. From all outward appearances, they’re beautifully simplistic and deliciously pure: delicate balls of fluffy pastry, filled with sweet and simple cream and topped with a classic chocolate or sprinkling of powdered sugar. With their airy exterior and diminutive nature, there’s a certain visual innocence to them. But don’t be fooled; cream puffs don’t play by the rules.
I was 11 years old when I first attempted cream puffs with my Grandma Smith, whom I’ve always considered a semi-pro when it comes to cooking and baking. She and my grandpa were visiting for a few weeks, and she had agreed to help me bake one of the recipes from a kids’ cookbook I’d been dabbling with (I wish I knew where that cookbook ran off to; there was a braided cinnamon bread recipe that I remember being pretty delish — complete with bunny ears and face made of raisins, if I’m remembering correctly). I chose the cream puffs because they looked adorable. That, and I’d heard many tales of my grandma’s cream puff excellence. It seemed like a good choice.
The whole process went incredibly smoothly. We followed the recipe to a tee, Grandma bestowed her expert words of wisdom, and our pastry puffs looked just like the photos in my cookbook when we stuck them in the oven to bake. But when we pulled them out about 20 minutes later, our cream puffs were anything but picturesque. What had once been beautiful balls of creamy dough were now flat and soggy blobs. “I thought that might happen,” Grandma said. “It’s this humidity. Cream puffs just don’t do well with humidity.”
I learned a good life lesson that day: You can’t control everything. Sure we followed the recipe exactly, used all the right ingredients in all the right amounts, baked at just the right temperature and for just the right amount of time. And still, our cream puffs went flat. You win some, you lose some. Score one for Florida’s crazy humidity. Humph.
Just yesterday, Jared and I were talking about buying a humidifier to combat the intense dryness in the air this winter, and I started thinking about those soggy little cream puffs from years ago (I know, my food thoughts are strange that way). If humidity is the enemy, then perhaps I can use this dry winter air for good. I should note that I haven’t been missing out on cream puffs for the past 13 years; I just haven’t been baking them from scratch. In fact, the pretty little pastry in the above photo is actually straight from the frozen aisle of the grocery store. Can you believe it? They taste pretty great, too.
But I can’t keep avoiding my baking flops forever. Yes, I’m going to give cream puffs another try. And I’m going to do it this winter, while the humidity-factor is still on my side. Here’s hoping I end up with more fluff than flop, more sweet than soggy. I’ll keep you posted.
Are there any baking ghosts in your past that you’re planning to remedy this year? Any favorite desserts that you just can’t seem to master? Or any tips for battling the elusive weather issues?
XO,
Katrina