Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the water and butter and bring to a boil over medium heat.
3. Once boiling, quickly add the flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the saucepan and forms a ball.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the dough cool for 5 minutes.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the cooled dough, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract.
6. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe small mounds onto the prepared baking sheet.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the puffs are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
8. While the puffs are cooling, prepare the pastry cream. In a separate saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until steaming but not boiling.
9. In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in the hot milk until well combined.
10. Pour the milk mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency.
11. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the pastry cream cool. Once cooled, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip.
12. Using a skewer, poke a small hole in the bottom of each cooled puff. Fill each puff with the pastry cream through the hole.
13. To assemble the Croque en Bouche, arrange the cream puffs in a tower on a serving platter, drizzling caramel sauce between each layer.
14. Finally, decorate the top of the tower with spun sugar and serve immediately.