Cream Puffs

Cream Puffs


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I started making cream puffs in high school a long time ago. I still love these. You have so many options. You can make them small or large. You can fill them with whatever you like and top them with nothing . The cream filling is traditional but you can use pudding or ice cream. Again powdered sugar is traditional. Melted chips drizzled over the top makes it elegant. The dough is very simple to make. Gives your arm a work out. If you use instant pudding it makes this extremely simple.



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1 c water

½ c butter or margarine

1 c all-purpose flour

4 eggs

Cream filling, pudding, sweetened Whipped Cream or ice cream

Powdered sugar or melted chocolate

Heat oven to 400°F. Heat water and butter to rolling boil in 2 ½ quart saucepan. Stir in flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute; remove from heat. Beat in eggs, all at once; continue beating, until smooth. Drop dough by scant ¼ cupfuls about 3 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until puffed and golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool away from draft. Cut off tops; pull out any filaments of soft dough. Fill puffs with filling of your choice. Replace tops; sprinkle with powdered sugar. Refrigerate until serving time. Makes approximately 12 puffs.

Cream Filling

1/3c sugar

2 T cornstarch

1/8 t salt

2 c milk

2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

2 T butter or margarine

2 t vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir at least half of hot mixture gradually into egg yolks. Stir into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla; cool.
Eclairs

Shape dough into a finger 4 ½ inches and 1-½ inches wide with spatula or lightly floured fingers. Bake; cool. Fill with Cream Filling. Frost with Chocolate frosting. Refrigerate until serving time.
Chocolate Frosting
Heat 1 square unsweetened chocolate and 1 t butter or margarine over low heat until melted; remove from heat. Stir in 1c powdered sugar and about 2 T hot water. Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.

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