Chocolate Glazed Cream Puffs
Who doesn't love chocolate glazed cream puffs?! Well, I don't for one but don't let that ruin your fun!
I have this large problem where I can taste egg yolk in a lot of baked goods...and there are 4 eggs in these puppies!!! If you gasped at the "4 eggs" comment, then you should just eat the delectable creamy centre out of the pastry and lick off the decadent ganache from the top like I do!
If you are reading this thinking "this broad has a problem!!", then you should go ahead and savour every last bit of this light, billowy, sinful dessert!
The following recipe may seem like a lot of steps, but it is actually quite easy...so, roll up your sleeves and don't be afraid of these harmless little gems!
To make the pastry, (otherwise known as "pate a choux"...do not be alarmed...the name sounds like you need a Red Seal from Le Cordon Bleu School of Pattiserie but it's all a smoke show...quite easy!) you will need 1/2 cup of unsalted butter cut up into cubes. You will also need to preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add the butter, 1 cup of water and 1/4 tsp. of salt...
...and bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
Next, measure out 1 cup of all purpose flour and turn your stove down to low heat...add the flour to the boiling butter mixture, all at once...
...stirring quickly (you will notice that a dough will start to form here)
...keep stirring for about 1 minute or until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the saucepan.
Remove from heat and turn the dough out into a large bowl...For this next step, you will need 4 whole eggs.
With hand held beaters or a wooden spoon, beat the dough vigorously as you add in the eggs one at a time. You must beat the mixture well as you add in the eggs because the dough will still be hot and you do not want to cook the eggs...if you beat the eggs in one at a time, that will eliminate any scrambled eggs in your "pate a choux"!
Julia Child would never have scrambled egg bits in her cream puffs!!
Keep beating after each egg addition, until your pastry batter is smooth and silky...
Next, drop by the spoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet...the batter will puff up quite a bit so I generally use a tablespoon to spoon out each "puff", which is actually a "blob" at this point!
You can also put the mixture into a piping bag and "pipe" out lengths of batter to make eclairs but we're already washing enough dishes man, what do they want from us?!
Place the "blobs" in the preheated, 400 degree oven and bake for about 35-40 or until nicely puffed and golden brown...the pastry chef (Glyn) at my work, gave me a tip...keep your puffs in the oven until all traces of moisture have disappaeared...if not, your nicely risen puffs will be deflated when you remove them from the oven!
At the end of baking time, I also reach in (carefully) and poke a hole in each one with a sharp knife to release the steam...I find this also helps keep them inflated.
Remove from the oven and cool completely on wire racks...this recipe will make about 16 puffs so you will have to bake the rest separately.
While the shells are cooling, prepare the sweetened cream filling...you will need 2 cups of whipping cream, 6 tbsps. of white sugar and 1 1/2 tsps. of vanilla...beat this all together, until stiff peaks form.
Put the cream in a piping bag fitted with a star tip (or just toss it into a large ziploc bag with a small piece of the corner snipped off)...and fill each shell with the cream...or,
...you can cut the shell in half,
...and pipe the cream in all fancy-like too! :)
Once you have all the cream puff shells filled, set them aside and make the chocolate glaze for the top.
In a saucepan, over medium/high heat, bring a 1/2 cup of whipping cream (35%cream) to a boil...
...remove from heat and and pour in 1 1/2 cups of milk chocolate chips...let stand for 5 minutes, without stirring.
Once the chips have melted, stir glaze until smooth...let sit again for about 10-15 minutes until the ganache has set up a bit...if it's really thin, it will all run off of your cream puffs.
Once, the chocolate has "set up", spoon it over the top of the cream puffs.
I put waxed paper down first to catch the chocolate drips...easier for clean up and easier to eat the puddles of chocolate after!
Be prepared to clean up gobs of cream and chocolate after your friends get a taste of these little delicacies...you may want to pass out bibs! Enjoy!
Chocolate Glazed Cream Puffs
For the pastry
1 cup of water
1/2 cup, unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 eggs
1.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil over medium heat. Turn heat down to low and add the flour in all at once, stirring vigorously. Stir for about 1 minute or until the dough pulls away from the sides of saucepan.
3. Remove from heat, turn out into a large bowl and add eggs one at a time, beating quickly and well after each addition, until batter is smooth and silky (remember this step must be done quickly so the eggs don't cook in the warm flour mixture).
4. Drop batter by tablespoon onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake at 400 for about 35-40 minutes or until all moisture around the bottom of shell is gone and they are nicely puffed and golden brown. Using a sharp knife, I poke a hole in each one, when they are almost done to allow steam to escape and it will help them to stay inflated (don't take them out of the oven, I just open the door and carefully reach in to cut a small slit in each puff...close the door until they are completely done). When they are done, remove from oven and cool completely on wire racks.
Cream Filling
2 cups whipping cream
6 tbsps. white sugar
1 1/2 tsps. vanilla
5. Beat cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form...fill cooled shells with cream.
Chocolate Glaze
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
6. In a small saucepan, over medium/high heat, bring the cream to a boil...remove from heat and add the chocolate chips...let sit for 5 minutes, without stirring. When the chips have melted, stir until smooth and let sit for about 10-15 minutes. Spoon over the tops of each cream puff.
* Store cream puffs in the fridge...if there are any left!
* Makes about 16