College Cooking: cream puffs

Cream puffs are so much easier than you’d expect to make. They are one of my favorite desserts to make because they always make things feel fancy. They are quite technical, but I’m here to help foolproof them.

Here are a few tips to ensure perfect puffs.

• When making the pastry dough make sure to not add in the eggs too early. The dough will be too hot and cook the eggs too quickly if they are added right after the flour.
• Don’t worry if, when adding the eggs, the dough starts to separate into small lumps, just keep mixing and it will become one smooth mass again.
• While baking, DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN. This will inhibit the puff’s ability to rise and you will end up with flat puffs.
• You will definitely want a piping bag for this. It is the most helpful with the filling. If you do not have one, a food-safe plastic bag with the corner cut will work. If you don’t have a piping bag for the filling, slice each puff in half, dollop a small spoonful of filling into the bottom half and place the top half on top.

Ingredients:

Pate A Choux pastry-

• 1 cup water
• 8 tablespoons butter
• One-half teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flour
• 4 eggs + 1 for egg wash

Filling-

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 3-4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 10 ounces chocolate
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Specialty tools:

• Piping bag and coupler
• Medium round tip
• Small round tip
• Electric hand mixer

Steps:

Pate A Choux pastry-

• Preheat oven to 450^oF.
• In a medium- large sauce pan, bring the butter and water to a light simmer.
• Once simmering, add in the flour and stir until a ball of dough has formed.
• Remove from the heat and let rest to cool for 10-15 minutes.
• Add in the eggs one at a time, taking the time to mix each one in completely.
• Transfer the pastry dough into the piping bag fitted with the medium round tip.
• Pipe the pastry dough into circles making sure that there is about 2 inches of space between.
• In a small bowl beat together one egg and about 2 tablespoons of water to create the egg wash and brush it on to each circle.
• Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, lower the oven temp to 350^oF and bake for another 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes remove from oven and let cool completely.

Whipped Cream Filling-

• Mix the sugar, pinch of salt, vanilla, and whipping cream in a medium mixing bowl.
• Using an electric mixer, whip until stiff and fluffy.

Assembly-

• Once the pastry has cooled completely, using a paring knife, cut a small “X” in the bottom of each one.
• Fill a piping bag fitted with a small round trip with the whipped cream filling.
• Using the piping bag, fill each puff until just full, from the bottom.

Optional-

• In a small bowl, melt chocolate and coconut oil to gather until shiny and smooth.
• Dip the top halves of each cream puff into the chocolate.
• Let the chocolate cool and solidify.

Enjoy!