Puits d'Amour (Well of Love Pastries)

Nov 3, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Pastries doughnuts Vanilla: Beans Medium

Rings of puff pastry stacked on a pastry base bake into little wells that are filled with vanilla pastry cream and topped with a crackly caramel crust. Makes 6 pastries in about 3 hr 30 min.

Prep 40 min

Cook 20 min

Cooling 2 hr 30 min

Total 3 hr 30 min

Yield 6 pastries

Ingredients

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pastries

2 ¼ cups (500 g)all-purpose puff pastry, all-butter, thawed but cold
1 (50 g)egg, beaten, for brushing
1 ⅔ cups (400 ml)whole milk
7 tbsp (100 ml)heavy cream
5 (90 g)egg yolks
½ cup (100 g)granulated sugar, for the pastry cream
⅓ cup (40 g)cornstarch
1vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 ½ tbsp (20 g)unsalted butter
⅓ cup (60 g)granulated sugar, for caramelizing, for the to finish

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Instructions

Make the pastry cream: whisk the yolks, sugar and cornstarch. Heat the milk, cream and vanilla bean and seeds until just steaming, then whisk about a third into the yolks, return everything to the pan and cook, whisking constantly, until thick and bubbling for 1 minute.
Strain into a bowl, stir in the butter, press plastic wrap onto the surface and chill at least 2 hours.
Roll the puff pastry to about 1/8 inch (3 mm). Cut 6 solid discs and 6 rings, each 3 1/2 inches (9 cm) across with the rings having a 2 1/4-inch (5.5 cm) hole. Chill 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Place the discs on a lined baking sheet, prick them with a fork, brush the edges with egg, and set a ring on each. Brush the rings lightly with egg, keeping it off the cut edges.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes until tall and deep golden. Cool on a rack and gently press down any puffed center to make a well.
Whisk the chilled cream until smooth and spoon or pipe it into the wells in a dome.
Sprinkle the sugar evenly over each dome and caramelize with a kitchen torch, or place under a very hot broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely. Let the crust harden for 2 minutes and serve soon.

Tips

Keep the egg wash off the cut edges or the pastry will not rise evenly.
Fill and caramelize just before serving so the pastry stays crisp.
Work on parchment when caramelizing so any drips do not stick.
Cook the pastry cream until it thickens and bubbles so the yolks reach 160 F (71 C) and keep it refrigerated.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make puits d'amour (well of love pastries)?

Plan on 40 minutes of prep and 20 minutes of cooking, plus 2 hours 30 minutes to chill. The recipe makes 6 pastries.

How should I store puits d'amour (well of love pastries)?

Store unfilled pastry in an airtight container up to 1 day and pastry cream refrigerated up to 3 days; assemble just before serving.

Can I make puits d'amour (well of love pastries) ahead?

Yes. It needs time to chill and set, so it is a good one to make the day before you serve it.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Yes. This recipe uses 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped. Each teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be swapped for 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, the seeds of half a vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder. Paste and seeds add the classic dark specks.

Puits d'amour is a French pastry whose earliest known recipe appears in an eighteenth-century cookbook; the later version fills puff pastry rings with pastry cream and a caramelized top. Serve it with espresso.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 6 servings this recipe makes.

776 Calories / serving

47.4g Fat

75.4g Carbs

12.3g Protein

31.6g Sugar

Whole recipe (6 servings): ~4656 cal · 284g fat · 452g carbs · 74g protein · 190g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.