Scrumptious Cream Puffs! by Alissa Probst
Desserts
Why this recipe is special:
This recipe is SO easy to make, and tastes INCREDIBLE! They're fun just to pop in your mouth when you feel like something sweet, and they wont go off because you can keep them in the freezer and take them out as you like.
Serves: 20
Ingredients:
For the Pastry:
1C Water
1/2C Butter
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1C Flour
4 Eggs
For the cream filling:
Small bottle of cream (125ml)
1/3C Icing Sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla essence.........If you can get a hold of some vanilla beans or Hansells vanilla paste, they are delicious in this recipe!
**If you happen to have either creme fraiche or mascarpone on hand, you can add approx 2 Tablespoons of either & it will taste even more divine!
Chocolate Topping:
100 grams dark chocolate melted
cream optional.....works as a ganache (melt chocolate & cream together)
Method:
Pre-Heat oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
Bring Water & Butter to a rolling boil and take off the element. Mix in salt and flour, stir until the dough starts to combine together and makes a ball shape. Add Eggs one at a time, mixing well after adding each one.
Drop teaspoon sizes of the dough onto a baking sheet (either sprayed with oil, or lined with baking paper) and cook for approx 20 - 25 minutes in the oven.
**These triple in size, so don't be deceived when you only put a little bit of dough onto the sheet!
When finished cooking, let them cool for about 10 minutes before inserting the cream mixture.
While the pastry is cooling - Start making your cream mixture:
Beat Cream, Icing Sugar, and Vanilla until a peak forms.
Next, put the cream into a piping bag, using a tip that is sharp on the end helps.
**You can get reasonable piping bag sets at the grocery store for a decent price ($4) if you don't have one already.
Gently poke the pastry's side with the tip & squeeze piping bag until the pastry is filled with cream. Continue this until all of the "puffs" are filled with cream.
Next......Chocolate! mmmmm
It's pretty simple really, just break up the chocolate if it isn't already in pieces & slowly melt in the microwave (20 seconds at a time).
If you want to make a ganache, bring the cream to a slight boil, take off the element and add chocolate. Stir until melted.
Take a Spoon or a Fork, dip it in the chocolate & drip over the cream puffs. Or you can dip the cream puffs into the chocolate.
Done! Easy peasy I promise!
Oh and these are fantastic if you freeze them.....and eat them about 15 minutes after taking out of the freezer (like the store bought ones).
