Growing up, I was very fortunate to come from a food-loving Italian-American family. With homemade meals and desserts set on our table day in and day out, I grew up learning to appreciate food and the culture and traditions that come with it.

While my grandmother is adept at making absolutely every kind of dessert imaginable, one of my favorite treats was always cream puffs. (I think most children could empathize with this).

Below you will find her recipe for pat a choux, a light pastry dough used for making cream puffs and eclairs, among other French-inspired treats.

While the end result of a homemade cream puff is quite impressive, I think you’ll find that the process to making them is actually quite approachable.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup flour
• 4 eggs
• powdered sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Bring 1 cup water and ½ cup butter to a boil in a sauce pan on high heat
2. Once boiling, shut the stove off
3. Add 1 cup of flour and stir until the dough forms a ball
4. Take the dough off of the stove and beat in four eggs, one at a time
5. Use a spoon to drop the dough onto an un-greased baking sheet, spacing them apart. There should be enough dough to make 12 cream puffs.
6. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown
7. Allow the pastries to cool, away from drafts
8. Once cooled, cut off the tops of the pastries
9. Pull out the soft dough in the middle of the pastry
10. Fill the pastries with filling (whipped cream for cream puffs– homemade or, if you’re in a rush, store bought)
11. Top with powdered sugar
12. ENJOY!