WISCONSIN CREAM PUFFS

By polledl

Ingredients

• Shell:
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 TBS white sugar
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup flour
• 4 eggs
• powdered sugar
• dark chocolate, melted for garnish
• HOMEMADE VANILLA PUDDING RECIPE:
• 1-1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 TBS cornstarch
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 cups milk
• 1 TBS homemade unsalted butter
• 1 tsp homemade pure vanilla extract
• homemade whipped cream, for garnish

Details

Adapted from keyingredient.com

Preparation

Step 1

I use this vanilla pudding in my cream puff recipe. You may use boxed pudding if you wish - but why? Great for pies too.Make vanilla pudding first.Then let cool plastic wrap directly on pudding to keep skin from forming on pudding.Place in fridge to cool while you make the cream puff shells.

For Pudding:
Combine the sugar, flour and cornstarch together with a whisk in a heavy saucepan.

Add the egg yolks, but do not mix yet. Gradually add the milk and stir all together thoroughly with a whisk.

Place pan over medium heat and cook until thick and smooth; stirring constantly with a whisk.

Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla. Mix well. Put into bowls.After chilled put pudding into ziplock bag put back in fridge.The ziplock bag will make it easier to fill your puff pastry shells.


For Shells:
PREHEAT oven to 400 degrees. Cut a piece of brown paper grocery bag and lay it flat on top of a baking sheet. Parchment paper also works. DO NOT GREASE.


In a large pot, bring the water and butter to a rolling boil and pour into your mixing bowl. Add all 4 eggs at once and IMMEDIATELY mix on medium until dough is tacky and starts to stick to the side of the bowl; approximately 2-3 minutes.


Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Immediately poke a small hole on each side of the puffs to let the steam escape.


Once puffs are cool, bring out the whipped cream or pudding mixture and cut about 1/8 of an inch off the tip of the resealable bag. This way, instead of trying to spoon the mixture into the cream puffs by hand, or transferring the mixture to a pastry bag, you can directly pipe the mixture into the puff.


Be sure to cut only an 1/8 of an inch or so off the bag to ensure maximum control of the amount of filling you're putting into the puffs.

Fill the mixture from the bottom of the puff by making a tiny incision (I used the tip of a steak knife), that way the puff will remain whole and look more appetizing when served (as opposed to slicing it in half and filling it like a sandwich).


Also a light dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of melted dark chocolate on top adds a scrumptious accent. I also have a homemade chocolate syrup recipe below.