Cream Puffs

 Cream Puffs

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 cup of flour

1/2 cup butter or margarine (butter makes them better)

1/2 cup of Powdered sugar

Filling:

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Mix on medium speed until starts to thicken a little, switch to high speed.  Use the whisk attachment.  When almost done, add the sugar and the vanilla.  This can easily be altered to your preferences.  Try adding almond extract or jelly, fruit, etc..

To Make the cream puffs:

 

Melt the butter in the water over medium heat, and bring to a boil.

Using a whisk, mix in the flour, don't worry if it looks like it wont' mix, it will.

Mix until it starts to form a ball.  Next you will add in the eggs all at once.  I have done this with a whisk in the same pan, but have found a mixer will save you worry and trouble.

Place pan ingredients into the mixer, adding the eggs all at once. Mix a few minutes until smooth as shown below.

You can use a pastry bag to get these perfect, but I really enjoy the rustic difference once they're cooked.  I flatten slightly with a spatula, but not necessary.

     Bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes until golden brown.  Cool on a rack for 10-15 minutes.

Using a bread knife or serrated knife, cut in half.

How they look inside.

You can also use a pastry bag for inserting the filling.  They are almost hollow inside, so simply insert into the side or bottom of puff, and squeeze some filling into it.  If cut in half, much easier to add the cream by a spoon, or add additional items you may want in them.

Pastry bag.  This is used by inserting a large tip inside at the end of the bag.  Then add the whipped cream, and push the cream down into the tip by twisting the upper part of the bag.  As the amount of cream goes down, continue to twist the bag to keep air pockets from forming.