Nun’s Puffs

Bake up a batch of these light and airy Nun’s Puffs, a delightful choux pastry dessert baked in a muffin pan and drizzled with sweet honey. A fun and easy treat the whole family will love!

Nun's Puffs, a dessert made with pate choux pastry

Nun’s Puffs are a delightful and fun-to-make recipe that I’ve been enjoying for years. I discovered this tasty treat in a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook back when I was engaged, and it’s been a staple in my kitchen ever since.

The recipe calls for a classic pâte à choux dough, the same as used to make cream puffs, éclairs and beignets. Simply spoon the dough into a muffin pan and bake – the result is a light, airy pastry that’s crisp on the outside and soft and crepe-like on the inside, like a cross between a popover and a Dutch baby. They definitely have a distinct eggy flavor, so if you’re not a fan, this may not be for you.

I love how puffed-up and golden-brown these Nun’s Puffs get in the oven. If you’re a fan of cream puffs and beignets, you’re sure to love these Nun’s Puffs. They are traditionally served drizzled with honey, but you could also try them with whipped cream and fresh fruit and berries.

Ingredients

(Scroll to the bottom of the page for the printable recipe card with all the measurements.)

  • butter
    • Either unsalted or salted butter will work for this recipe.
  • milk
    • Most of the time, pâte à choux dough is made with water, but for Nun’s Puffs, you need milk.
    • I use whole milk, but you could probably use other types of milk, such a reduced fat milk or other alternative milk products, or just use water.
  • all purpose flour
  • eggs (large eggs)
  • sugar
  • honey
Ingredients for Nun's Puffs

How To Make Nun’s Puffs

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a regular size muffin pan with melted butter or oil, making sure to get it on all sides and even the rim.
  2. Prepare the pâte à choux dough.
    • In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.
    • Add the milk and bring to a low boil.
    • Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon, keeping the saucepan on low heat, until the dough comes together in a ball that stays together. Cool for 5 minutes.
    • Add the eggs, one at a time, using a wooden spoon, until each egg is evenly mixed in. At first, the dough will separate into chunks, but then will become smooth.
  3. Divide the dough evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle each puff with sugar.
  4. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, until puffy and golden brown.
How to make Nun's Puffs tutorial

How To Serve Nun’s Puffs

The original recipe suggests serving these with a drizzle of honey.

They are also delicious with some whipped cream and fresh fruit and/or berries. I have also had readers who shared that they served Nun’s Puffs with sweetened condensed milk or dulce de leche.

Nun's Puffs, pate choux pastry baked in a muffin pan, served with honey

Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Nun’s Puff?

I don’t know where this funny name came from, but from doing some research online, I found that Nun’s Puffs are a type of dessert pastry that originated in France, where they were referred to as “pets de nonne.” This delectable treat is now also produced in various regions, including French Canada, the United States, England, and Spain.

You can mix the dough using a mixer or by hand with a wooden spoon.

The mixer is faster and easier, but you can simply cool the dough in the pot, then add the eggs, one at a time, right into the dough. You’ll have less dishes to wash:).

There aren’t any leavening agents in the recipe?

Choux pastry, also known as pâte à choux, does not contain any leavening agents such as baking powder or baking soda. Instead, the pastry relies on the steam generated by the evaporation of water in the dough during the baking process to puff up and rise. Additionally, the high moisture content and the presence of eggs in the dough also contribute to the pastry’s ability to rise.

Why isn’t there any sugar in the pastry dough?

The original recipe doesn’t contain any sugar in the dough. Sprinkling sugar on top of the pastry adds plenty of sweetness. If you serve the Nun’s Puffs with honey, sweetened condensed milk, dulce de leche, caramel or whipped cream, all of those things will add a lot of sweetness.
You can also add a bit of sugar to the dough itself, about 1/2-1 Tablespoon.

Nun's Puffs, a dessert made with pate choux pastry, baked in a muffin pan

More Simple & Delicious Desserts

Nun's Puffs, so airy and light
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Nun’s Puffs

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Bake up a batch of these light and airy Nun’s Puffs, a delightful choux pastry dessert baked in a muffin pan and drizzled with sweet honey. A fun and easy treat the whole family will love!

  • Author: Olga’s Flavor Factory
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: 12 puffs 1x
  • Category: Sweets

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2–1 Tablespoon sugar, optional for the dough (not in the original recipe, but can be added for extra sweetness)
  • sugar, for sprinkling on top 
  • honey, optional, for serving
  • other options to serve – whipped cream, fresh fruit and/or berries

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a regular size muffin pan with oil, on the inside and on the rim.
  2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the milk and bring to a low boil.
  3. Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon, keeping the saucepan on low heat, until the dough comes together in a ball that stays together.
  4. Cool for 5 minutes.
  5. Add the eggs, one at a time, using a wooden spoon, until each egg is evenly mixed in. At first, the dough will separate into chunks, but then will become smooth.
  6. Divide the dough evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle each puff with sugar.
  7. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, until puffy and golden brown.
  8. Serve with a drizzle of honey.

Notes

The original recipe doesn’t contain any sugar in the dough. Sprinkling sugar on top of the pastry adds plenty of sweetness. If you serve the Nun’s Puffs with honey, sweetened condensed milk, dulce de leche, caramel or whipped cream, all of those things will add a lot of sweetness.
You can also add a bit of sugar to the dough itself, about 1/2-1 Tablespoon. 

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71 Comments

  • Julia

    Wow.. these look so light and airy! Looks like a muffin, tastes like a puff? I’m in 🙂 Never heard of these before!! But definitely will be trying; especially love that the ingredients are stuff I always have, anyway. Thanks Olga!

    • olgak7

      I love that about them too, Julia. It’s always a good option when you want to make something sweet that really easy and I usually have all the ingredients on hand too.

      • Julia

        I ended up making them last night & they turned out delicious 😀 1 only left today. My kids had them with jam and Nutella, my hubby with just butter. Thank you!

  • Alina's

    Could you please let me know in gr as how much is a stick of butter as here in the UK we have butter packed in 250 gr package.

    Many thanks and looking forward to cooking them.

    • olgak7

      Hi Alina!
      Each stick of butter is approximately 100 grams, or 1/2 a cup, as I wrote in the ingredient list. I hope you will enjoy them:).

  • Oksana

    You’ve been doing them a long time and only chose now to share with us? I’m sure I’ll be making them tonight, and sprinkle them with sugar and cinnamon, I can’t wait to bite into those.

  • Nata

    Wow Olga! This recipe sounds/looking amazing. Love it & a lot of your other recipes:) May God continue to Bless you & help you with all that you are doing! You are an inspiration to many ppl:)

  • Yana

    Just made these today and as usual, your recipes do not disappoint. I halved the recipe and had to add a little more flour for the dough to form a ball. As they were baking, the outside was already cooking too fast while the inside was raw. I would just lower the heat for the remainder 10 minutes next time. Otherwise, it was so good and not too sweet. I topped it with jam and Nutella. Delicious! 🙂

  • Tekla

    They look like a dessert my mother made long ago that were filled with sweetened whipped cream AI am also wondering like Aline previously asked, how much is in a stick of butter? I’m from Canada and our butter is sold in one pound (454 gram) bricks.

  • Shura

    Dear Olga. Made these yesterday and they turned out delicious. I love love love your blog. You make cooking so much more approachable for someone like me who is not a confident cook (and all this cooking makes my husband shoot which is always a plus 🙂
    In one of the comments you mentioned cream puffs. Do you have a cream puff recipe on the blog? I couldn’t find it,
    Thank you, Shura

    • olgak7

      Hi Shura!
      Thank you so much for taking the time to write. You have no idea how much it means to me to hear such awesome feedback. I’m so happy that my blog is helpful.
      I don’t have a recipe for cream puffs posted here, but I definitely should. We love them in our family. It’s on my to-do list:).

  • alice

    I made these puffs this morning!! Sooo good. My girls loved them. I will be making these AGAIN AND AGAIN. Thank you Olga!!!

  • Yelena

    I made these puffs last Saturday. Just WOW. 🙂 and so easy to make. Everyone one in my family loved them.
    Thank you Olga for this great recipe and all other recipes too.

  • Yelena

    I made these puffs last Saturday. Just WOW. 🙂 and so easy to make. Everyone in my family loved them.
    Thank you Olga for this great recipe and all other recipes too.

  • annika

    I am not much of a baker usually, but these puffs grabbed my attention and I had to try making them. I did struggle a bit trying to convert the ingredient amounts into something comprehensible for myself, but I think the trouble was worth it- the puffs turned out really good 😀 Thank you for sharing this idea and recipe! I will definetly make them again 🙂

  • Danielle

    these were great and my kids loved them with a side of raspberry jam…. Have you tried freezing them or preparing day ahead and refrigerating? Wondering how they will hold up? Thanks!

  • Charissa

    Olga, wondering if you have any suggestions for this… Mine turned out fabulous, but deflated the minute I pulled them out of the oven…

    • olgak7

      It’s normal for them to deflate a bit as soon as they hit the cooler air, Charissa. They should still have lots of lift, but deflate a little. Since there isn’t any leavening agent in the dough (yeast, baking powder or baking soda), the only things helping the puffs rise are the eggs and air. That’s why they deflate when out of the oven and away from the hot air that puffs them up.

  • Diane

    These came out fantastic!! Going into my notebook of recipes! My picky eater ate two! I topped them with forest fruit jam!!

    Thank you for a delicious recipe that my family will enjoy for years to come!!

  • Estera

    Hi Olga, I was so excited to try these today so I made these earlier today, but they turned out not as airy as I was expecting (a little raw on the inside). Does the flour you use matter?

    • olgak7

      Hi Estera,
      They are not meant to be airy like cream puffs, it’s a different consistency. If they were raw, then you just need to cook them a little bit longer.

  • Laurel (Chef Potpie)

    It never occurred to me to use choux pastry this way! I use it for Danish-style desserts and things like that, but trust me, leave off the sugar and it makes a lovely little dinner roll! Tender, flaky and buttery. We had them with a very flavorful stew. I admit we were also compelled (even after we were full), to smear some homemade strawberry jam on them and have them as an after-dinner sweet!
    This is one of the first things I ever pinned on Pinterest a long time ago. I don’t know why I took so long to try them, they are wonderful! Thank you for a keeper recipe, Olga!

  • JostLori

    I agree with Laurel – these are really good! I did add the sugar on top (mixed with a bit of cinnamon). These were light and airy, as they should be. Then drizzed with a bit of Lavender Honey – wow! It was easy to halve the recipe, and I’m ashamed to say that I ate three of them almost right away. Thanks for sharing this keeper!

    • olgak7

      If you use the button that says PRINT RECIPE in the recipe card, there will be no ads at all. If you use your own Print screen option, etc, then the ads will be there. The Print Recipe button makes it really easy and removes all ads.

  • Judy Pohlers

    Dying to make these! You could cut off the tops and fill with some chicken salad for a luncheon dish, replacing the tops, of course. Maybe skip the sugar.

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