Cream Puffs

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! These Cream Puffs are a simple way to celebrate! My beloved aunt gave me this recipe when I was 12. I’ve been making these ever since: They’re always a big hit!

Cream Puffs:

1 c. (250 mL) water

½ c. (125 mL) butter or margarine

1 c. (250 mL) sifted all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. (1.2 mL) salt

4 eggs

2 tbsp. (30 mL) icing sugar

1 tbsp. (15 mL) whipping cream stabilizer (optional; see Note)

1 c. (250 mL) whipping cream

Have eggs at room temperature. Bring water and butter to a rolling boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Sift flour and salt together and add to saucepan, stirring vigorously until dough pulls into a ball. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Drop by heaping dessert spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, aiming for 10 large or 24 small portions of dough.

Preheat oven to 450 deg. F. Bake 15 min. Lower heat to 325 deg. F. and bake 25 min. longer. Turn off oven and remove puffs, splitting each horizontally to remove the top third. Return opened puffs to the still-warm oven and allow to dry 20-to-25 min.

When puffs are fully cool, add icing sugar and stabilizer to cream. Whip until soft peaks form, piping or spooning cream into base of puffs. Top with remaining third of cream puff. Drizzle with Fabulous Chocolate Glaze. For a lower calorie count, skip the glaze and sift icing sugar over tops. 

Note: With the addition of a whipping cream stabilizer, these Cream Puffs may be filled and refrigerated up to 12 hours. You can easily make your own stabilizer: See How to Stiffen and Stabilize Whipped Cream.

Melt butter in water over medium-high heat.

When water and butter start to boil, work fast!

Add flour and salt all at once, stirring quickly.

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

Dough will pull away from pan sides to form a ball.

Spoon dough onto parchment-lined baking sheet.

Dough puffs up in hot oven.

Cut top third from fully cooled puffs; fill with cream.

Drizzle chocolate glaze over filled puffs.

Present Cream Puffs with panache!