How to make Italian cream puffs

Cream puffs – mom’s all time favorite dessert.

Cream Puffs are not as difficult to make as one might think.

The puff pastry can be made ahead of time and you can now use instant custard or pudding for the filling.

Years ago Mom made homemade custard for the filling which is really tricky and a little time consuming to make.

Instant fillings will give you the same delicious results.

Even though Mom just made these for St. Joseph’s Day and Christmas, this dessert is great any time of the year.

The crusty pastry filled with custard was so good I could never resist waiting for them to cool down before I would eat at least a half a dozen of them.

Instead of the traditional custard filling for these puffs you can try them with a chocolate cannoli cream filling instead.

Finish them off with a dusting of powdered sugar and your ready for a party.

SERVING

This recipe should make 3 dozen Cream Puffs.

PASTRY

Ingredients

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup of water
• 1/4 tsp of salt

Preparation

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
2. In a saucepan bring the water, salt and the butter to a boil.
3. Stir in the flour until it forms a ball.
4. Transfer the dough to a bowl and mix in one egg at a time until well blended.
5. Using a tablespoon drop dollops of dough onto a cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minute until puffs are golden brown and the inside is dry.
6. Let the puffs cool down before filling.

CUSTARD FILLING

Ingredients

• 2 packages of instant custard
• 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup of milk

Preparation

1. Mix together the cream, milk and instant custard and chill until firm.
2. Cut the Cream Puffs in half and fill with custard.
3. Put the tops back on and dust with powdered sugar.

CHOCOLOATE CANNOLI FILLING

Ingredients

• 1 pound of ricotta
• 3/4 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 Tbls of vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Preparation

1. Using a mixer or a food processor, blend together the ricotta, sugar, vanilla and melted chocolate until smooth.

Buon Mangiata!