Name: Cream Puffs
Ingredients: three-quarters cupful of butter; three-quarters cupfuls of flour; one-half teaspoonful of soda; one quart of milk; one-half cupfuls of sugar; two tablespoonfuls of corn starch; four tablespoonfuls of milk; four tablespoonfuls of melted butter; five tablespoonfuls of sugar; five tablespoonfuls of sweet cream; three teaspoon fuls of alcohol; one cupful of sugar; one-half cupful of butter; one-half cupful of sweet milk; half cupfuls of flour; one-half cupfuls of milk; one tablespoonful of corn starch; one-half cupful of sugar; one-third cupfuls of flour; one tablespoonful of water; one pint of sweet milk; one cupful of white sugar; three teaspoonfuls of vanilla; three tablespoonfuls of boiling water; one-half cupful of milk; one teaspoonful of cream of tartar; one tablespoonful of butter; one cupful of milk; two cupfuls of flour; half cupful of milk

Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,187 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,516 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Corn + vanillatop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,943 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Flour: Forms the starch and protein structure that holds the puffs' walls.
Butter: Adds fat that softens the dough and keeps the puffs tender.
Eggs: Set the structure and, as steam forms, help the puffs rise hollow.

The step that matters

Stir in the eggs one at a time without beating. The dough must be hot but not too hot, and the eggs must be added gradually so each one is absorbed into the starch paste. This produces a smooth, glossy dough that holds its shape and puffs. Beating or adding eggs all at once can leave it loose or lumpy, so the puffs may collapse.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Chocolate	1 oz (28g) semisweet	155
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Sour Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Lard	1 tbsp (12.8g)	115
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Nutmeg	1 tsp ground (2.2g)	12
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0
Cake	not in our table	0

Cream Puffs

Cream Puffs

Ingredients

Directions

Make the dough

Bake

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

Explore the science

The flavor team

What each ingredient does

The step that matters

More cream puffs recipes

You might also like