Chocolate Cream Puff Ring Recipes

CHOCOLATE CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet lightly with some shortening. Put beaters into the freezer to chill.
• Combine water and shortening in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt all at once and reduce heat to low. Stir mixture vigorously until it leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time, with chilled beaters, beating vigorously after each addition until batter is smooth and glossy. Drop dough into 6 mounds on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and dry, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and pierce the side of each puff with a knife to allow steam to escape. Transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely, abut 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine sugar, cocoa powder and whipping cream in a bowl for the filling. Beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.
• Cut cooled puffs in half horizontally. Fill with cocoa whipped cream.
• For the glaze, pour whipping cream into a small pot and heat until hot. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted. Allow to cool slightly. Drizzle chocolate glaze over the cream puffs and refrigerate until serving.

CHOCOLATE-FILLED CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, bring water and butter to a boil. Add flour and salt all at once; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat until smooth. , Cover a baking sheet with foil; grease foil. Drop batter into six mounds onto foil. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 30 minutes longer. Remove puffs to a wire rack. Immediately cut a slit in each for steam to escape. , In a bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and cocoa, beating until almost stiff. Split puffs and remove soft dough. Add filling; replace tops. Melt chocolate and butter; stir in sugar and water. Drizzle over puffs. Chill.

CREAM PUFF RING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and have ready 1 gallon-size ziptop bag and a pastry bag fitted with a large star piping tip. Draw an 8-in. circle on the parchment paper; turn paper over.
• Pastry:
• Bring milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour all at once; stir energetically with a wooden spoon until dough comes together in a shiny mass (bottom of pan will be covered with a thin film of flour). Cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer hot dough to a large bowl.
• Using a sturdy mixer, beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until each is blended (dough will be thick and shiny). Spoon warm dough into a ziptop bag; cut 3/4 inches off 1 corner.
• Pipe a ring about 1 inches thick on circle on parchment paper. Pipe a second ring inside first, just touching first ring. Pipe a third ring on top where rings meet. (If there's extra dough, pipe mounds for cream puffs or strips for eclairs.)
• Bake 20 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 375°F and bake 20 to 25 minutes more until puffed, brown and firm. Transfer sheet to a wire rack; let ring cool completely. (Ring will sink; that's OK.).
• Strain cream into a measuring cup, adding more chilled heavy cream if needed to make 1 1/3 cups. Pour into a large bowl, add 1/4 cup sugar and beat with mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted. Stir remaining 2 Tbsp sugar into crème fraîche; gently fold into whipped cream.
• Using a serrated knife and gentle sawing motion, slice top off pastry ring. Pull out and discard soft dough inside base. Carefully transfer base to a serving platter.
• Spoon cream filling into prepared pastry bag. Pipe large rosettes close together into base. Pipe another row of rosettes on first row, piping top rosettes between bottom rosettes. Add pastry top. Refrigerate while making Glaze.
• Glaze:
• Microwave chocolate, cream and corn syrup in small bowl on high, stirring every 10 seconds until chocolate melts and glaze is smooth. Spread on top of pastry ring; sprinkle with almonds. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours before serving.

CHOCOLATE CREAM PUFF RING

Steps:

• CREAM PUFF. Preheat oven to 400°F Lightly butter a cookie sheet, set aside.
• In medium saucepan over high heat, heat water with butter, sugar, and salt until mixture boils. Turn heat to low and add flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until dough leaves the side of the pan in a smooth compact ball about 1 minute.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; continue beating until dough is smooth and satiny (it should have a sheen to it). You can also transfer the dough to your KA mixer and use your paddle to beat in each egg.
• Drop heaping spoonfulls of dough in a large oval, making sure each dropful touches the one next to it (this is what will hold your ring together once baked).
• Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Pierce the ring with a skewer or narrow knife in about 4 or 5 places and let cook for a few more minutes (this allows steam to escape, which keeps the ring crisper).
• Cool on a rack. Ring can be prepared 1 day ahead and wrapped when cool.
• FILLING. Prepare while baking the ring or earlier in the day.
• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in chocolate and vanilla.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Continue to beat until sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Chill for a least one hour.
• GLAZE. In top of a double boiler, melt butter and chocolate together, stirring until smooth (you can use a microwave).
• ASSEMBLY. Slice cream puff in half horizontally, gently move the top and set aside, fill the bottom of the ring, then replace the top of the ring. Drizzle glaze over the top of the ring. Chill until ready to serve.
• Serves 6. Double the recipe for 12 servings.
• For bite size puffs (great for buffets) use a teaspoon or small ice cream scoop, puffs should be about the size of a walnut or a little smaller. To fill- snip open tops and pipe in filling, Drizzle on Glaze.
• I have made slightly larger puffs and served 3 on a plate, or divided dough into 6 puffs for a full size serving.

ALMOND-CREAM PUFF RING

Steps:

• Cover a baking sheet with foil; grease the foil. Trace a 12-in. circle onto foil; set aside. In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add egg, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny., Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls along the inside of the circle (mounds should be slightly touching). Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Lift foil and transfer to a wire rack. Immediately cut a slit in the side of each puff to allow steam to escape; cool. Carefully cut ring in half horizontally and set top aside; remove soft dough from inside with a fork. Transfer to a serving plate., In a bowl, whisk the milk, pudding mix and extract for 2 minutes. Chill for 5 minutes or until thickened. Fold in whipped cream. Spread over bottom of ring; replace top. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and butter; stir until smooth. Stir in corn syrup and milk. Drizzle over ring. Refrigerate until serving.

CHERRY CREAM PUFF RING

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring the water, milk, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. , Drop by 1/4 cupfuls into a 10-in. ring on a greased 12-in. pizza pan (mounds should be slightly touching). Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. , Remove to a wire rack. Immediately cut a slit in the side of each puff to allow steam to escape. Carefully cut ring in half horizontally and set top aside; remove soft dough from inside with a fork. Cool. , In a small bowl, whisk the milk, sour cream, pudding mix and 1/4 teaspoon extract for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. , Just before serving, place bottom of cream puff ring on a serving plate. Fill with pudding mixture. In a small bowl, beat the cream, confectioners' sugar and remaining extract until stiff peaks form. Spread over pudding. Top with pie filling. Replace cream puff ring top. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.