Chocolate Cream Puff Recipes

CHOCOLATE CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring water, butter and salt to a boil. Add the flour and cocoa all at once; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth and shiny., Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls 3 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes or until set and browned. Remove to wire racks. Immediately split puffs open; remove and discard soft dough from inside. Cool puffs completely., In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Fold in whipped cream and strawberries. Fill bottom halves of puffs; replace tops. Serve immediately.

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 CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring water, butter and salt to a boil Add flour and cocoa all at once, stir until a smooth ball forms.
• Remove from the heat, let stand 5 minutes.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Beat until smooth and shiny.
• Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls 3 inch apart onto greased baking sheets.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until set and and brown.
• Remove to wire racks.
• Immediately split puffs oven, remove and discard soft dough from inside.
• Cool puffs completely.
• In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy.
• Fold in whipped cream and strawberries Fill bottom halfs of puffs.
• Replace tops and serve immediately.

CLASSIC CREAM PUFFS WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in the egg yolks until combined, then whisk in the milk. Heat over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it starts to thicken, 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat.
• Whisk in the butter and vanilla bean paste. Transfer to a bowl, then press a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface of the pastry cream. Let cool, then refrigerate until chilled through, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Start the cream puff dough: In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, butter and salt to a simmer over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture comes together. Cook until the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the pan into a ball and looks dry, 3 to 5 minutes more.
• Finish the cream puff dough: Using a wooden spoon, beat in the eggs, one at a time, waiting until they are fully incorporated before adding the next. Mix until the batter is shiny and stiff. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-low speed to incorporate the eggs. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round pastry tip.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Form and bake: On the prepared baking sheet, pipe rounds of dough that are 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide and about 1 inch high, allowing 1 inch between each. Alternatively, measure out a scant 1/4-cup dough for each puff. Wet your finger and press down any pointed tops on the cream puffs. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven to 350 degrees F and bake until firm to the touch, another 15 to 20 minutes.
• Finish baking: Shut the oven off. Let the puffs dry inside the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
• Assemble: Using a paring knife, hollow out a hole in the bottom of each of the puffs. Pipe the pastry cream into the hole. Alternatively, you can cut the top off each puff and remove any undercooked dough in the center, then fill with the pastry cream and top with the top again. Hold in the refrigerator until ready to garnish and serve.
• Make the chocolate sauce: In a small pot, heat the cream. In a small bowl that fits over the pot of cream (without the bottom of the bowl touching the cream), combine the chocolate with the cinnamon. Use the pot of cream as the bottom of the double boiler and melt the chocolate over the cream. When the chocolate is melted, add the heated cream to the bowl with the chocolate and whisk to combine. Keep warm.
• Top the cream puffs with a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar and some of the chocolate sauce.

CHOCOLATE CREAM-PUFF TRIFLE

Steps:

• Dried fruit:Bring anisette just to a simmer in a small pot. Add dried fruit and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat; let sit at least 1 hour and up to 3 days at room temperature.
• Pate a choux puffs:Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring butter, sugar, salt, and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat. Quickly stir in flour with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan and a film forms on bottom, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and beat with a mixer on low speed until cool, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs and egg white, 1 at a time. Increase speed to medium and beat until a soft peak forms when you touch dough with your finger, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (Ateco #806). Pipe dough into thirty 1-to-1 1/4-inch mounds, 1 1/2 inches apart, on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Smooth tip of each mound with a moistened finger, then bake until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely. Choux puffs can be made 2 days ahead and stored in refrigerator, or frozen up to 1 month.
• Chocolate pastry cream:Place chocolate in a bowl and set a fine sieve over bowl. Bring milk and 1/3 cup sugar almost to a boil in a saucepan; remove from heat. Whisk together egg yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in another bowl until thick, 2 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and salt, then whisk to combine. Whisk in half of hot milk, then pour mixture into remaining milk in pan. Bring to a boil quickly, whisking very fast to prevent scorching, about 1 minute. Pour mixture through sieve over chocolate, then whisk to combine. Press plastic wrap directly on surface of pastry cream to cover and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour. Pastry cream can be made up to 2 days ahead.
• Ricotta cream:Beat together ricotta, cream, sugar, orange zest, anisette, and salt with a mixer on medium-high speed until very thick and fluffy. Stir in chocolate and refrigerate until ready to use. Ricotta cream can be made up to 2 days ahead.
• Assembly:Place chocolate pastry cream in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip (Ateco #801). Make a small hole in bottom of each choux puff with a paring knife. Insert pastry-bag tip into hole in each puff and squeeze bag until puffs are completely filled with pastry cream. (See Cook's Notes.) Spread half of ricotta cream in a 12-to-16-cup trifle bowl. Top with half of marmalade, then sprinkle with half of dried fruit and soaking liquid. Top with 15 cream puffs. Repeat layering with remaining ricotta cream, marmalade, dried fruit, and cream puffs. Top with whipped cream. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours before serving.

CHOCOLATE CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Combine water, butter, sugar and salt in a medium size saucepan.
• Place over medium low heat to melt butter.
• Add flour and cocoa powder all at once; stir vigorously until mixture pulls away from side of pan.
• Remove from heat. Heat oven to 400.
• Lightly coat baking sheet with cooking spray.
• With the saucepan off heat, add eggs one at a time, to batter in saucepan, beating well after each addition.
• With a 1/4 cup drop mixture onto baking sheet, spacing 2" apart. Bake for 40 minutes until puffed and firm.
• Cool slightly.
• Cut off top third of each puff; scoop out soft center from bases.
• Cool bases and top on wire rack.
• Fill puffs with ice cream of your choice; cover with tops.
• Freeze on baking sheets until firm.
• Transfer to an airtight container.
• Freeze for up to 1 week.
• Place puff on plates.
• Let stand 15 minutes.
• Top with sauce of your choice.

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.