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Windbeutel (German Cream Puffs)

Three Windbeutel with cherry sauce and whipped cream on a dessert plate.
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Windbeutel, or German cream puffs, are made with light choux pastry, split and filled with sweetened whipped cream and a quick cherry sauce. An easy, impressive German dessert.

Ingredients

Scale

For choux puffs:

  • 1/2 cup + 1/2 tablespoon (125 g) water
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 2 oz. (60 g) unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup (80 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (125 g) whole eggs, room temperature

For the egg wash:

  • 1/2 small egg

For the sweetened whipped cream:

  • 1 2/3 cups (400 g) heavy cream
  • 4 tablespoons icing sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean

For the cherry filling:

  • 16 oz. (460 g) cherries (fresh, frozen, or drained)
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (135 ml) water
  • 4 teaspoons (13 g) cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar

* If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.

Instructions

  1. To make the choux pastry dough, preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Place parchment paper on a work surface and, using a pencil, draw 2-inch (5 cm) circles with approximately 5-6 cm between them. Turn the paper over and put it on a baking sheet.  
  2. Pour cold water into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the salt and butter, cut into small cubes. Bring the saucepan over medium heat and wait until it boils. Remove the pot from the heat and immediately add sifted flour all at once. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture, flattening the lumps on the go.
  3.  Then bring the saucepan over low to medium heat and cook, stirring until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the pot. Once the dough is cooked, transfer it to a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and let it cool for 3-5 minutes. To help cool the dough, flatten it with a rubber spatula to increase the surface area. Or operate the stand mixer at low speed for 2-3 minutes. 
  4. Beat the eggs for an omelet in a small bowl with a mini whisk. Add the beaten eggs in a few additions, whisking the dough well after each addition with a hand whisk or a mixer. Stop mixing when the dough reaches the right consistency. To test, use a finger test or V-test (see the recipe post). 
  5. Place the dough in a pastry bag with large tips: a large round tip - Ateco plain pastry tip 809 or a large star tip - Ateco pastry tip 829. Pipe about 10-12 choux puffs of about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter (or larger, depending on the tip) on a baking tray lined with parchment. Make sure to space them out. Press down the tips of the choux mounds with a finger dipped in water, or apply the beaten egg with a pastry brush. 
  6. Bake choux puffs in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown. Don't open the oven door while baking! After 30-35 minutes, open the oven door and prick each shell with a wooden skewer, making 3-5 holes at the bottom. Bake for another 4 to 5 minutes longer. Then, remove the shells from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack. 
  7. To make the cherry filling, wash and pit fresh cherries. Measure 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (135 ml) of water. Mix 3 tablespoons of water with the cornstarch until the cornstarch dissolves. Alternatively, use frozen cherries or pitted sour cherries. Let the cherries thaw slightly, or drain the sour cherries, weigh them, and collect the juice. Measure the thawed or canned juice, and add some water to reach 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (135 ml) if necessary. 
  8. Mix the remaining water with the cinnamon, sugar, and pitted cherries in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes, or until the cherries release their juice and the sugar dissolves. Add the starch mixture, stirring constantly, and let the sauce thicken (simmer for 1-2 minutes). Remove from the stove, and allow the cherry sauce to cool completely.
  9. To make the sweetened whipped cream, chill the bowl of a stand mixer and the whisk attachment or a large mixing bowl in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
  10. Pour the cold heavy cream into the bowl and start whisking at low speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add icing sugar, increasing the speed to medium, then to high, until the cream reaches medium-stiff peaks.
  11. To fill choux puffs, use a serrated knife to cut the tops of each pastry. Transfer the cream to a pastry bag fitted with your favorite piping tip. Spread the cherry filling on the bottom of the cream puffs, pipe the cream, and put the lid on top. Serve dusted with powdered sugar.

Notes

  1. Consult the Choux a la Cream recipe for more tips and tricks, and read about what to do with failed choux pastry.
  2. Read on how to make the perfect sweetened whipped cream.
  3. Make sure to measure ingredients with a kitchen scale rather than measuring cups for accurate baking results.
  4. Add flour to the liquid off the heat. Also, don't let the water boil for too long before adding the flour. If the water evaporates, it will affect the rise of the pastry during baking.
  5. Optionally, stabilize the whipped cream with a whipped cream stabilizer (Dr. Oetker Whip It), or read about how to stabilize it.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.bakinglikeachef.com/windbeutel-german-cream-puffs/