I remember when I had my first cream puff, all thanks to my friend, Hidemi K., who introduced them to me. :) They were so delicious! Yum! I was only able to find them in Okinawa, but cannot find them here in Virginia. Booo.
So today, I decided to make them - again. I made my first batch yesterday and they turned out really runny and/or bread-like without the hollowness of the puff that I was looking for, but my second attempt turned out perfect!
The recipe I was following had very poor instruction, which caused my puff to turn tough, dry, and/or bread-like. So, in this blog, I will explain how I tweaked the recipe a bit.
There are 3 portions to this recipe. Good luck!
So today, I decided to make them - again. I made my first batch yesterday and they turned out really runny and/or bread-like without the hollowness of the puff that I was looking for, but my second attempt turned out perfect!
The recipe I was following had very poor instruction, which caused my puff to turn tough, dry, and/or bread-like. So, in this blog, I will explain how I tweaked the recipe a bit.
There are 3 portions to this recipe. Good luck!
RECIPE
Makes 20-25 puffs
Creamy Custard (Tip: Must make at least 4 hours ahead or a day before)
4 egg yolks
3 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter (1 oz)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whipped cream
Makes 20-25 puffs
Creamy Custard (Tip: Must make at least 4 hours ahead or a day before)
4 egg yolks
3 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter (1 oz)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whipped cream
- In a medium sauce pan, combine the flour and sugar together.
- Whisk 4 egg yolks with 1 cup of milk into the flour and sugar mixture until well stirred.
- Add the remaining milk to the pan.
- Stir the mixture over medium heat until it thickens. Keep stirring to prevent the bottom burning. Once it starts to blob, remove from the burner.
- Place the butter in the custard mixture and stir until melted.
- Pour the mixture in a glass container and flatten the surface.
- Place a plastic wrap on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin.
- Allow to cool on the counter top, and then refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Before filling the puffs, fold in a cup of whipped cream into the custard.
Cookie Crust (Tip: Can be made a day ahead.)
2 tablespoons butter (1 oz)
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup flour
- Place the butter and sugar in a small sauce pan, and heat the butter and sugar until well-melted and remove from heat.
- Immediately pour in the flour and mix until you form a dough.
- Allow the cookie dough to cool in the sauce pan.
- If it's cool to touch, go ahead and roll the dough to a round cylinder shape and set aside.
If you're not making the puffs today, you can place cookie dough in the fridge overnight wrapped in a plastic wrap. Thaw out 4 hours before making the puffs.
Cream Puff (Tip: Can be made a day ahead.)
3 extra large eggs
1 stick of butter (4 oz)
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted
pinch of salt
- Heat the oven to 420 degrees.
- Line 2 cookie sheets with wax paper and set aside.
- Sift the flour and salt in a large stainless steal bowl and set aside.
- In a small sauce pan, heat the butter and water until butter has melted and water starts boiling.
- Take off from the burner and immediately pour over the sifted flour and stir until you form a dough.
- Take one egg and lightly beat in a separate bowl and pour over the dough mixture and stir.
- Continue step 6 until you achieve a smooth, thick batter.
- Fill a piping bag and pipe the batter into the cookie sheet in a 1-1.5 inch diameter.
- Take the cookie dough and cut the dough into equal parts to the puffs.
- Roll each cookie dough into the palm of your hands and flatten.
- Place each flatten pieces on top of the puff batter. If the pieces are broken, that's fine.
- Place the cookie sheets on the middle racks of the oven and cook for 13 minutes.
- Rotate the sheets and cook for another 13 minutes.
- A total of 26 minutes has passed, now turn the heat down to 210 degrees and cook for 40 minutes.
- Take the cookie sheets out and allow the puffs to completely cool.
- Peel the wax paper off the bottoms of the puffs. Do not pull the puffs off the wax paper.
- Fill your piping bag with custard cream and fill the puffs until puffs are full. (To fill the puffs, you will need to have a bismarck tip, a.k.a. pastry filling tip).
- Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
If you're not serving the cream puffs immediately, skip step 17 until you are ready to serve. Place the puffs in an off-setting oven overnight or until ready for step 17. When you are ready to serve the puffs, take the puffs out of the oven and preheat the oven at 210 degrees. Heat the puffs for 8-10 minutes and then continue with step 15.