Cream Filled Choux Pastry

Crispy Pastry Top

1. Prepare the crisp pastry top by adding softened butter and powdered sugar to a bowl. Whisk until smooth, then sift the all-purpose flour into the bowl. Fold the ingredients together until well combined and a dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic film and chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Choux Pastry Dough

1. Meanwhile, add milk, caster sugar, and butter to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter has melted. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and add the flour all at once. Continue stirring until the flour is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth.
2. Turn off the heat and transfer the mixture to a clean mixing bowl. Let it cool for 3 to 5 minutes, then slowly whisk in the beaten egg, a little at a time. Once the mixture becomes thick, shiny, and smooth, stop whisking and transfer it to a piping bag using a spatula.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C (410°F). While the oven is preheating, remove the pastry dough from the refrigerator and roll it out to about 2 mm (1/16 inch) thick. Use a 2-inch (5 cm) round cookie cutter to cut out circles from the dough.
4. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Pipe 2-inch (5 cm) mounds onto the paper, spacing them about 3 inches (7 cm) apart. Top each mound with a piece of the cookie-like pastry dough.
5. Bake the pastries at 200°C (410°F) for 10 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 160°C (320°F) and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Once baked, remove the pastries from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack.

Whipped Cream Filling

1. Prepare the cream filling by beating the whipping cream and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy and creamy, using either a whisk or a stand mixer with a wire whip attachment. Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag. Once the pastries are cooled, poke a small hole in the bottom of each one and pipe the cream into the pastries. Serve immediately, dusted with powdered sugar.