Cream Puffs

When I shared this recipe back in 2010 I told y’all about my Granny making these when I was growing up. Once I was old enough she decided I needed to learn how to make them. At the time I was a teen and she recited the recipe to me, step-by-step from memory. I was in aew! She told me her mother used this same recipe as the base for many desserts. Sadly, I never found out what more her mother made with this. I have since learned that this is the basic recipe for Choux pastry, or pâte à choux, which is a light pastry dough used in many pastries. 

If you watch any of the cooking shows on television you most likely have seen them make this. The first time I watched it and someone messed it up I felt such pride that I had learned to do it the right way when I was a teen. It was one of those moments that I was grateful my Granny showed me that. She didn’t show any of her other granddaughters nor her daughters for that matter. I have no idea why she shared this with me but she did.

Ingredigents

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 4 eggs at room temperature

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Grease a baking sheet
3. Combine water and butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil.
4. Add flour and salt all at once. Stir vigorously over LOW heat until mixture pulls away from side of pan and forms a ball (My stirring usually brings laughs as my entire butt shakes)
5. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes
6. Add eggs 1 AT A TIME beating vigorously after each addition (more laughing)
7. Drop dough 1/4 cupfuls or a tablespoon (depending on size you want) 2 inches apart onto baking sheet.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until puff and golden. Cut small slit or poke with skewer to allow steam to escape and bake 2 minutes more.
9. Cool completely on rack.

Recipe Notes

• I find that a skewer works best for this. If you don’t have one but have a meat thermometer, it will get you a good hole as well.
• You can use an electric mixer however experience has taught me the a sturdy wooden spoon works best for these. It’s the method I learned on and leaves no room for error. Plus it gives me a workout.

You simply slice them open and fill with whatever you want: ice cream, whip cream, fruit, etc. You can also top them however you want. Granny used to pull out her Sanders Caramel that she had her sister bring to her in this giant can. You know the size you get for restaurants. She horded that stuff like you wouldn’t believe.

Another thing you can do is put the pastry into a piping bag and pipe it out. I once did a Tour de France which is just the pastry pipped into a large wheel. Once cooked and cooled you cut it in half to give you two wheels. I made whipped cream with small bits of Skor cookie mixed in. My brother and his girlfriend at the time loved it.