These Rose Raspberry Fool Cream Puffs elevate a quick and easy summer favorite—raspberry fool—to special occasions status.

This post contains affiliate links. Full disclosure is at the bottom of the article.

Classic summer desserts include an array of easy, refreshing, no-oven-required treats: from ice cream and popsicles, no-bake cakes and ice-box pies, to iconic s’mores. But even in the heart of summer, sometimes a bit of heat is worth it—just think of pies made with the freshest summer fruits, or light-as-air angel food cake enjoyed with the juiciest berries.

Today, I’m sharing a recipe that elevates a quick and easy summer favorite—raspberry fool—to special occasions status. Raspberry fool is an English dessert that dates back to the 17^th century. Traditionally, fools combine custard with pureed fruits, but nowadays, most recipes favor using whipped cream over custard. This produces a super light texture and rich taste and makes the dessert much quicker and easier to achieve.

While researching ideas for summer-ready fool recipes recently, it occurred to me the simple fruit and whipped cream combination would make the perfect cream puff filling. Why eat your fool with a spoon when you can serve it in the cutest, fluffiest container?

In the cream puff filling, I combined fresh raspberries with rose water because raspberries and rose are just delightful together. The delicate, flowery flavor of rose water softens the slightly tart flavor of raspberries and complexifies it. This flavor combination is often used in French pastries such as macarons and cakes. Rose water is readily available in most grocery stores now—it is usually located in the cake ingredients aisle.

If you can find them, decorate the assembled rose raspberry fool cream puffs with dried rose petals for an elegant look, or even with fresh, untreated rose petals for a special occasion such as a wedding or a baby shower. Add edible gold flakes for a truly luxurious touch.

Helpful Tips for Making Rose Raspberry Fool Cream Puffs

• Practice your pâte à choux skills: Making pâte à choux is a classic French technique that seems more difficult to master than it really is. After making it a couple of times, you’ll realize it’s not scary at all—and you’ll likely look for excuses to make it more often. If this is your first time making pâte à choux, I encourage you to look at my pâte à choux step-by-step post to visualize the process, buy a copy of my 20-page eBook on the topic (it only costs $5!), or to watch my thorough video class: All About Choux: Sweet and Savory Puffed Treats from Éclairs to Gougères.

• Find the right consistency: Raspberry fool is a creamy, fairly loose concoction you serve in a bowl or eat with a spoon. The trick with using fool as a cream puff filling is to use just enough pureed fruit to carry through the flavor, yet keep a just-firm-enough texture that won’t burst out of the puff and all over your summer dress as you take your first bite.

• Vary the berries: Make these cream puffs, again and again, this summer by varying the berries and flavors you use. You need 1/2 cup (125 ml) fruit puree to fold into the whipped cream, so substitute enough fresh berries to produce this amount and have fun varying the flavors combinations. Here are dreamy duos to inspire you:
  • Strawberry + Hibiscus
  • Cherry + Basil
  • Blackberry + Lavender
  • Blueberry + Lemon

Choux Pastry Video Class

Never made pâte à choux before? In my detailed video class, you will learn how to make pâte à choux, and then discover how to turn this one dough into chouquettes, cream puffs, profiteroles, éclairs, and gougères, or savory cheese puffs. Along the way, I’ll provide helpful tips to help you be successful on your first try, and demonstrate many variation ideas. My fun class will quickly allow you to master a new skill, that will in turn allow to create impressive puffed treats. Watch now!

Check out the class trailer for a sneak peek into what you’ll learn in the class:

Watch the class now!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Rose Raspberry Fool Cream Puffs

These Rose Raspberry Fool Cream Puffs elevates a quick and easy summer favorite—raspberry fool—to special occasions status.

Prep Time:30 minutes mins

Cook Time:35 minutes mins

Total Time:1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Servings 30 2-inch (5 cm) round cream puffs

Author Marie Asselin, foodnouveau.com

Ingredients

For the puffs

• 1 cup 250 ml all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup 125 ml water
• 1/2 cup 125 ml milk
• 1/2 cup 125 ml unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into cubes
• 1/2 tsp 2 ml kosher salt, or fine sea salt
• 4 large eggs

For the rose raspberry fool filling

• 1 cup 250 ml fresh raspberries (about 4 oz/113 g)
• 2 tbsp 30 ml granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp 15 ml rose water
• 2 cups 250 ml heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup 125 ml powdered sugar, sifted

For the raspberry glaze

• 1 cup 250 ml powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tsp 5 ml strained raspberry juice (saved from the rose raspberry fool filling, see instructions below)

To decorate (optional)

• Dried rose petals or fresh, untreated rose petals
• Edible gold flakes

Instructions

• For the puffs: In a medium saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. When the mixture is boiling, add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. Continue to cook and stir the mixture for about 1 minute to eliminate excess moisture. Take off the heat. At this point, the dough comes together in a sticky ball and rolls away from the sides of the pan when stirred.
• Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer, or to a large mixing bowl if you’re using a hand mixer, and let cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow the steam to come out. Set the mixer to medium speed, and beat the eggs in one at a time, making sure each egg is well incorporated before adding the next. Also scrape the bowl down between each egg addition. Every time you add an egg, the dough will separate and look curdled, but it will then come back together as you beat it. The dough will keep on getting smoother as you add more eggs. The dough is done when it is smooth and elastic, not dry. It will be very thick and sticky.
• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven, and a second one in the upper third. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a 1½ tbsp (22 ml) cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, create mounds of dough on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet, spacing them 3 inches (7 cm) apart. Using damp fingertips, press down any peaks of dough to create round puffs.
• Bake the puffs for 15 minutes in the preheated 400°F (200°C) oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C), then keep baking until golden brown and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes more. (A puff should sound hollow if you tap under it with your finger.) Take the baking sheets out of the oven and immediately transfer the puffs to a cooling rack. Let cool to room temperature, at least 30 minutes. (You can freeze the baked puffs at this stage; see instructions below.)
• For the rose raspberry fool filling: Puree the raspberries, granulated sugar, and rose water using a hand blender, stand blender, or food processor. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• Pour the whipping cream in a large mixing bowl. Beat to soft peaks, then add the sifted powdered sugar. Keep beating until you reach the stiff peak stage.
• Scoop 1 tbsp (15 ml) raspberry juice from the raspberry puree, avoiding solids. Set this raspberry juice aside for the glaze.
• Add the remaining raspberry puree to the whipped cream, and use a spatula to gently incorporate (fold, do not beat, to make sure the whipped cream stays fluffy.) Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip, or transfer to a large zip lock bag and seal, remove any excess air from the bag before you do.
• For the raspberry glaze: Pour 2 tsp (10 ml) of the reserved raspberry juice in a bowl, then add the sifted powdered sugar and sugar to incorporate. You want the glaze to be quite thick, so it holds to the top of the puffs without dripping. If the glaze seems too thick, whisk in a bit more raspberry juice.
• To assemble the Rose Raspberry Fool Cream Puffs: Cut off the top third of the puffs horizontally with a serrated knife to create lids. If you transferred the rose raspberry fool filling to a zip lock bag, cut off one corner of the bag. Using either your prepared piping bag, or make-shift zip lock one, generously pipe cream filling into each puff. Using a small spoon, spread some of the glaze over each of the lids. Decorate the wet glaze with rose petals and edible gold flakes, if desired. Let the glaze set for a few minutes, then serve immediately, or refrigerate on a plate (left uncovered) for up to a half-day before serving.
• Cream puffs are best enjoyed the day they are assembled. You can keep both the puffs and the filling refrigerated separately for up to a day. Fill the puffs shortly before serving.
• FREEZING TIPS: Baked, unfilled puffs can be frozen. Let the puffs cool completely to room temperature--this is important--then transfer to an airtight container. Do not store puffs in a zip lock bag because they are quite delicate, so a container will protect them better. Refrigerate until cold, then transfer to the freezer. The puffs will keep frozen for up to 1 month.
• To defrost: Take however many puffs you need out of the freezer and set them on a wire rack to defrost at room temperature for 15 minutes. You can use them straight away, but if you want to return the puffs to their lightly crisp, freshly baked state, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Place the puffs on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely. Fill as desired.

Did you make this?

Tell me how you liked it! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag it with @foodnouveau on Instagram.

This site is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for the site to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.

If you click on an affiliate link, I may earn advertising or referral fees if you make a purchase through such links, at no extra cost to you. This helps me creating new content for the blog–so thank you! Learn more about advertising on this site by reading my Disclosure Policy.