{simple & elegant} Cream Puffs

This right here is it. The epitome of beautiful and delicious. Cream puffs have been a favorite of mine ever since, well, forever. But when I say “cream puff” I’m referring to the frozen ones from Costco, the ones that never seem to thaw out evenly. But despite the fact that they are eternally half frozen, I always make a beeline straight to the cream puff plate whenever they’re served at a party. When I came across this recipe for a home made version (well, I didn’t really stumble across it, I scoured every page of a cookbook and scrawled out all the recipes on the back of my son’s homework paper that I wanted to try. And then I gave the  cookbook to Grandma Judy for Christmas. Is that bad?), I was intrigued. They looked so dainty and delicate, I figured they must be a bit fussy to make. And I was waiting for a good excuse to make them. So I put it off for months, but they were always there in the back of my mind calling my name. Nobody was throwing any parties, there were no ward potlucks, no baby showers to attend and no reason at all that I would need to make an entire batch of cream puffs. But then we had some left over whipped cream from Sunday brunch that I was about to throw out. And that right there was my excuse. So in celebration of a completely average day, I made cream puffs. And you know what I found out. They are about the easiest things to make. And they are SO.FREAKING.GOOD. Like, they blow your mind and they blow the frozen Costco variety waaaaaaayyyyy out of the water. It’s not even a competition. They are little puffs of sweetened air that just melt in your mouth. You better believe that every single party I attend from here on out, these will be my signature plate that I bring. And you better believe I’m not waiting for an invite to a party to make these again. Without further ado, I present to you the best bite sized little morsels you will ever consume in your entire life. Amen.

Preheat oven to 400. In a medium saucepan over med-high heat, heat water and butter until it begins to boil. Gradually add flour and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat, mix in sugar and vanilla then add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg before adding the next. If it looks like a gooey hot mess, then you did it right.

Line a large tray with parchment paper, use a tablespoon to scoop out a ball of dough and place at least one inch apart. I know, I was a little skeptical at this point too. It doesn’t look like these will amount to anything, but just you wait….

Bake for 30 minutes, until puffed and lightly browned. See, I told you! Beautiful, huh? Transfer to a cooling rack and split along the side to release any moisture.

And just one more, because they’re so flippin cute.

When they’re completely cooled, fill the split with whipped cream then dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with chocolate sauce to serve

1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1 cup flour
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
freshly whipped cream (to fill)
powdered sugar (to dust)
chocolate sauce (to drizzle)

Preheat oven to 400. In a medium saucepan over med-high heat, heat water and butter until it begins to boil. Gradually add flour and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat, mix in sugar and vanilla then add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg before adding the next. Line a large tray with parchment paper, use a tablespoon to scoop out a ball of dough and place at least one inch apart. Bake for 30 minutes, until puffed and lightly browned. Transfer to a cooling rack and split along the side to release any moisture, then when they are completely cooled fill the split with whipped cream, then dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with chocolate sauce to serve.

Source | Gran’s Kitchen Dulcie May Booker