I’m trying extremely hard to get into Pinterest, but it seems like no matter how hard I try…I just end up forgetting that It’s there! I really want to “pin” things and do whatever else Pinterest allows…but I think I’ve hit my online limit. Has there been research done on how many social networks a single person can handle in their life? My guess is 3.

The good thing about Pinterest though is that for the 5 minutes I’m logged in it gives me some awesome recipe inspiration. After I saw a picture of some cream puffs…I was seriously not going to rest until I had eaten my fair share. has there been research done on how many cream puffs a single person can handle in their life? My guess is at least 10.

As many of you that follow my blog know…I’m Gluten Free by choice…so I set out to create a gluten-free pate a choux recipe to make these cream puffs. I have made a traditional pate a choux ever since I first stepped food in the kitchen! I actually won one of my first culinary competitions by making fried doughnuts out of a pate a choux dough. Making it gluten-free though…seemed just a little too easy. Weird…I know…but if you just substitute a gluten-free A.P. flour for the regular flour, you pretty much have a gluten-free cream puff! So I set out to really challenge myself. How do I make these Dairy Free too?

While I was testing this recipe…it scared me a couple of times. The best part about not being sure about a recipe turning out…is when the recipe turns out perfect. I was so excited when the Pate a Choux came out of the oven looking…freaking gorgeous…and both of my pastry creams turned out AMAZING. You have no choice…you have to try this recipe. You’ll never even miss the gluten or the dairy! (Okay you do have a choice…but I know you’ll be sucked into the cream puffs magical trance just like I was)

Below is the recipe for the Gluten Free and Dairy free Pate a Choux…as well as two flavors of Dairy Free Pastry Cream! Enjoy!

Gluten Free and Dairy Free Pate a Choux

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup grape seed oil
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp. agave nectar
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 4 large eggs

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine the oil, almond milk, agave, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan. Using an immersion blender, electric mixer, or a whisk…try to mix the oil into the almond milk. It won’t ever completely come together..but don’t worry! It will still turn out just fine!
3. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium and dump all of the gluten-free flour in at one time. Using a spoon, just stir it until the dough comes together. Then let it cook for another two minutes, stirring it to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or to a work bowl with an electric mixer standing by. Mix the dough for a minute or two and let it slightly cool off. Then start adding your eggs…one at a time. You can add the next egg once the other is completely mixed into the dough.
5. After adding the eggs the dough will be nice and ribbony…which means it’s ready to bake! Using a 2 tbsp. ice cream/cookie scoop…dish out the dough onto a greased cookie sheet. This recipe makes about 16. You can also pipe out you cream puff dough into different shapes if you’d like!
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes without peaking in the oven…then open the oven door about 5 inches, and leave it open with the pate a choux still in the oven for another 5 minutes.
7. Once they come out of the oven…use a knife to slice a small hole in each puff to allow the steam inside to escape. (make the slice on the side of the cream puff) then allow them to cool for about 20 minutes before filling with pastry cream!

Dairy Free Pastry Cream

Ingredients

• 5 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 5 tbsp. corn starch
• 2 cups almond milk
• Option #1: 1/4 tsp. whole vanilla bean paste.
• Option #2: 2 tbsp. Nutella

Let me know what you think in the comments.