Coconut Cream Puffs

These Coconut Cream Puffs do take a bit of time and effort to make, but they're well worth every single minute spent in the kitchen. They're completely delicious and are a tasty new take on coconut cream pie, only in puff form.

When you love spending time in the kitchen, it's only natural that cooking and baking for the people you love is the ultimate way to show how much you care.

It is with that in mind that a few weeks ago I made my dad his favorite dessert for his birthday, a coconut cream pie. I didn't get a chance to photograph or blog about it at that time, but it was one of the best pies I've ever made, and my dad loved it. To say I was thrilled with the expression on his face as he took his first bite, is an understatement.

Fast forward to a few weeks later and that coconut cream pie was still on my mind. Since another one of my dad's favorite desserts are cream puffs, I figured why not combine these two extremely delicious desserts into these coconut cream puffs? Why not indeed?

While these coconut cream puffs may take a bit of time and effort to make, I assure you that they're well worth every moment spent in the kitchen. The recipe I've used for the coconut cream filling (for the pie and these cream puffs) can be found over at Add A Pinch. It's Robyn's recipe, and it's simply superb!

A few notes on making these coconut cream puffs: A large zip lock bag can be used in place of a pastry bag for piping the choux pastry. No special equipment is needed. The coconut cream filling needs to chill before adding it into the puffs so plan your time accordingly. The puffs need plenty of time in the oven to puff and to cool before slicing and filling. Please don't rush the process or you'll end up with flattened puffs... and what's the point of that?

COCONUT CREAM PUFFS    {PRINT THIS RECIPE}
Makes: approximately 18 puffs     Prep and Bake Time:  approximately 1½ hours

To make the coconut custard pastry cream:
2 cups canned coconut milk
2 cups heavy cream
5 egg yolks
¾ cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon butter
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups flaked, sweetened coconut
1½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

-In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks into the coconut milk and heavy cream. Set aside.

-In a medium heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat, add the granulated sugar and cornstarch. Slowly pour in the coconut/cream mixture, whisking constantly. Bring the custard to a boil. Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and continue to boil for one minute. The mixture will thicken considerably.

-Remove the custard from the heat and stir in the butter, flaked coconut, vanilla, and salt. Cool completely and then refrigerate until the cream puffs are cooled and ready to be filled.

To make the cream puffs:
1 cup water
1 stick butter
¼ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

For the chocolate ganache:
½ cup heavy cream
1 package (12 ounces) semi-sweet morsels
Additional flaked coconut for garnish, optional

-Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

-Bring the water,butter and salt to a boil over medium/high heat. Add in all the flour at once and stir vigorously. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to stir and cook for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally in order for it to cool properly.

-Transfer the dough to a stand mixer and use the paddle attachment to beat in the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each egg addition. *Note - the dough will gradually become smooth and glossy after the addition of the 4th egg.

-Spoon the choux paste (cream puff dough) into a large zip lock bag and squeeze the dough into the bottom corner. Use a scissors to snip about ½" corner off the plastic bag. Pipe the pastry dough into approximately 3" sized dollops onto parchment lined baking sheets. *Note - Use a wet fingertip to pat down any points that happen in the dough after piping, to make the puffs as uniformly round as possible.

-Bake the puffs for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Turn off the oven, open the door a crack, and leave the pasty inside to cool for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool completely.

-Use a serrated knife to gently cut off the tops of each puff. Use a spoon or piping bag (same technique as used for the dough) to fill the bottom portion of the pastry shell with a generous amount of  coconut pastry cream. Place the tops back onto each filled puff.

-Add the heavy cream and semi-sweet morsels to a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium power in 1-minute increments, stirring occasionally until completely melted and smooth.
Use a spoon to generously top each coconut cream puff with a nice topping of the chocolate ganache.
Top with additional flaked coconut, if desired.

-Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To make the pastry cream: combine the coconut milk, heavy cream, and egg yolks. In a saucepan over medium/high heat stir the granulated sugar, and corn starch and slowly stir in the coconut/cream mixture. Cook over medium/high heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, vanilla, salt and flaked coconut. Cool completely and refrigerate until ready to fill the cream puffs.

To make the puff pastry: Bring the water and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the flour all at once and stir until the mixture comes together into a ball. Allow the dough to cool slightly and transfer to a stand mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the dough blending well after each addition. The dough will become smooth and glossy. Spoon the dough into a large zip lock bag and snip off one of the corners.

Pipe approximately 3" dollops of dough onto parchment lined baking sheets. Use wet fingers to tap down any points that form after piping the dough to form a uniformly round mound of dough. Bake in a 425 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes and then reduce the heat to 375 and continue baking for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, open the oven door slightly and allow the pasty to cool inside the oven for 30 minutes.

Remove the puffs from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Slice off the tops of each puff. Fill each with a generous amount of coconut pastry cream. Place the tops back onto each puff and spoon chocolate ganache over each puff. Top with additional flaked coconut if desired.

These are some of the best cream puffs I have ever tasted. They're incredibly rich so one goes a long way in satisfying a sweet tooth. Luckily for me I boxed up the majority of the puffs and brought them to my mom and dad's house for them to enjoy, and to take away my temptation.

As long as you freeze these individually, and then gently wrap them, these should last in the freezer for up to 1 month. Take them out one or two at a time and eat them at your leisure 🙂 YUMMY!

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