Cream Puffs

Isn't it gorgeous? I was a tad excited when I made them because I took a million photos. The first thing I want to say is that making cream puffs isn't nearly as difficult as it looks. If you're going to a gathering of any kind, this is definitely a treat that you could take that has the wow factor. People will be very impressed when you show them homemade cream puffs, I promise. The second thing I want to say is that they taste amazing. I did over cook the cream filling, which made it a little too thick, but it didn't affect the flavor one bit. By the way, I found this recipe at Miz Helen's blog --- easily one of my favorite blogs that I check often and this is actually one of my favorite posts, so check it out.

And finally, let's take a moment to observe the tiny dollhouse chair that almost ended my life. My toddler always manages to place them in the perfect spot, so that when I walk through, I slip and almost fall over, which would have a very ugly result for me. :)

Tiny, but deadly trap. hehe

By the way, I just bought the cookbook Miz Helen recommended, "Cooking for Company" by Helen Corbitt. The price? 1 penny. I know, I know, how can I afford this? Well, after selling the car, the house and a kidney, I was finally able to scrape up enough money to buy this book. I just hope that, in the end, it's worth it. ;) I love vintage cookbooks!

The Dough

I did make a few changes. The ingredients are similar to Miz Helen's, but I used my kitchenaid mixer instead of mixing it by hand. My skinny chicken arms can't handle the stress of physical activity for an extended period of time.... as in 2 minutes.

Cream Puff Dough

Original Recipe: Miz Helen and Kitchenaid

Serving Size = About 36 bite size cream puffs

• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup butter (I used unsalted)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup flour (I used all-purpose)

1. Heat the water, butter and salt in a medium saucepan until boiling. Reduce heat and quickly stir in the flour, mixing quickly until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan in a ball. 
2. Place the flour into a stand mixer and attach the flat beater. Turn to speed 2 and add eggs, one a time, beating 30 seconds to combine after each addition. Stop and scrape the bowl. Turn to speed 4 and beat for about 15 seconds.
3. Place the dough into a zip lock bag and cut the tip off. Pipe the dough onto a greased baking sheet, keeping them about 2 inches apart. You should have close to 36 bite size cream puffs. I ended up filling two baking sheets, so one had to wait until the other baked. No need to worry, the second batch turns out just as good as the first. 
4. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and bake 25 minutes longer. Turn off the oven and open the door slightly so that some of the heat can escape. Leave for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Mix until the dough pulls away from the sides.

Add to the mixer and then add eggs one at a time.

Place the dough into a plastic bag and cut the tip off.

Pipe the cream puffs to whatever size you want.
I made them about bite size (about 27 total).

Let them cool.

They are so cute!

And one more close up!

The Filling

This recipe uses flour but I've also seen some that use cornstarch. Does it make a difference? I will try sometime and see if it's the same or not.

Custard Filling

Original Recipe: Miz Helen

Serving Size = Will fill every cream puff :)

• 3 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup flour (all-purpose)
• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Quickly cream together the sugar, flour, salt and eggs. Add the milk and continue stirring. Cook over medium heat, in a medium saucepan, until thick. I cooked mine too long, but next time I will stop right as it gets to a pudding consistency, but not too thick. It does thicken as it cools. Also, it takes a while to thicken, maybe 15 minutes.
2. Stir in the butter and vanilla and remove from heat. If you want to avoid a skin forming across the top, just place a piece of plastic wrap right against the custard. Let it cool completely.
3. Load into a piping bag, or a large plastic bag with a wide and round pastry tip in the end. Pipe the custard into each cream puff until full, but not exploding.

Heat the ingredients until they thicken.

Pour into a bowl and let cool completely.

Fill the cream puffs

One more note!
I want to thank Alea at Premeditated Leftovers for using a few of my recipes in her appetizer post. And congrats on having 500 posts! Very cool! :)

Linking to: Recipe Swap Sundays