Cream Puffs are not normally thought of as Puff Pastry, but are quite easy to make. You can vary the size, shape and fillings to suit the menu you have in mind.
The ones I made today are filled with a Orange Cream Cheese and Whipped Cream filling. I drizzled some chocolate over them. If you make them bite size, a hot chicken salad is good in them also.Tuna salad, crab salad, the fillings are endless. Great appetizers.
No matter what you see on the Food Channel, you do not have to pipe them out. Drop the dough from a spoon and they work just fine. We lost power this morning while the puffs were in the oven and they still came out just fine. Electric ovens will hold the heat for awhile after they are shut off.
Do give these a try and you will be surprised how easy they are to make.
Cream Puffs
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 eggs
3 cups of whipped cream, pudding, or what ever filling you choose.
Preheat oven to 400°. Grease or line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan combine the water, butter and salt.
Bring to boiling, add the flour all at once. stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball of dough that pulls away from the sides of the pan and doesn’t fall apart.
Cool 10 minutes. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each.
Drop from a Tablespoon (I just use a large soup spoon) onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until they are firm and golden brown.
Remove and cut small slit in side to let steam out. Let cool.
When cool, slice top off and pull out any soft dough from inside.
Fill and put tops back on.
If you wanted to, instead of dropping the dough you could pipe them onto the sheet, but that is a lot of unnecessary work.
Once again my comment was erased as soon as I clicked "publish." :-( Will try again.
ReplyDeleteI had stated that these are a childhood favorite, but always with a vanilla custard or vanilla pudding. I usually make eclairs from the recipe in my '69 Betty Crocker book. Bet they'd be good with those other fillings! You must be having the strong winds we had recently (& snow?) Stay safe & warm.
Nadine, Sure wish I knew what your problem with commenting was. I hope it straightens up as we don't have any idea what is causing it.
ReplyDeleteYes, we had and are having the strong winds and had the snow last night.
Have been sick with a cold this week, ladies, but back to read this lovely recipe this morning!
ReplyDeleteHope you are feeling better Mary Ann. We have all had colds this winter also. Can't wait till Spring.
ReplyDeleteI like these as éclairs, spooned out the long way, and then filled with whipped filling and topped with chocolate, too.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, there is no need to be afraid to make these, they turn out great! Yours look especially good!
Omigosh! Do you know how much I love cream puffs/chocolate eclairs! With your urging as to how easy these are I'm going to make them. Filled with vanilla pudding. I may eat them all myself. Seriously. Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteThese are good enough to eat all by yourself, the vanilla pudding sounds good for a filling. They are really easy to make and I know from your blog that you do a fair amount of baking.
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