Spooky Cream Puffs Recipes

JACK-O'-LANTERN CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring the water, butter and sugar to a boil. , In a small bowl, combine flour and pie spice; add to water mixture 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. , Preheat oven to 400°. Drop 12 rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto a greased baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Remove to a wire rack. Immediately split puffs open; remove tops and set aside. Discard soft dough from inside. Allow puffs to cool completely. , For filling, in a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar and pie spice until smooth; fold in whipped topping. Pipe into cream puffs; replace tops., For frosting, in a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Divide frosting into thirds; tint one portion green, and one portion orange; set aside. Stir cocoa into the remaining frosting. Pipe jack-o'-lantern faces with orange and chocolate frosting. Pipe stems with green frosting.

SPOOKY PASTRY PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 420 degrees F. Thaw puff pastry in refrigerator
• For the filling: Melt butter in a pan. Add the apples and toss so they are covered with the melted butter. Add brown sugar, rum extract, pumpkin pie spice and apple cider. Stir over heat until thick.
• Lay 1 sheet of puff pastry flat on a cutting board. Cut puff pastry with Halloween shaped cookie cutters like bats, pumpkins and ghosts. Place cutout shapes on an ungreased cookie sheet. Make sure there is enough room between shapes for them to puff-up. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
• When puff pastry has been baked carefully cut each shape in half like a sandwich. Spread apple butter on bottom half of puff pastry. Layer apple filling on top of the apple butter. Put whipped topping on top of apple filling. Place top half of puff pasty on whipped cream to complete the sandwich. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

GRAMMY'S GIANT CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Melt butter in boiling water in a large saucepan. Add flour and salt. Stir until mixture forms a ball, then remove from heat and transfer to mixer. Beat to cool slightly, then add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each, until smooth.
• Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip; pipe 2-inch puffs 4 inches apart on lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and puffed, about 1 hour.
• Let cool completely, then split in half and remove any uncooked dough from center. Fill with Grammy's Cream Puff Filling and dust with powdered sugar.
• Pour heavy whipping cream into a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip.

CLASSIC CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine butter, sugar, salt and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and quickly stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir until a film forms on the bottom of the pan.
• Remove from heat and transfer contents to a bowl to cool slightly, about 3 minutes. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously to entirely incorporate egg after each addition.
• For the egg wash, whisk together the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water. Set aside.
• Transfer the pate a choux to a large pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip. Pipe 1-1/2-inch rounds onto each prepared pan. Gently smooth the pointed peaks with a moistened finger, rounding tops to ensure even rising. Brush tops with reserved egg wash. Bake until puffs rise and are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Puffs can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.
• Transfer pastry cream to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/8-inch plain round tip. Insert the tip into the opening of each pastry, and pipe to fill with pastry cream. Serve immediately.

CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or stand mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Centers should be dry.
• When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pudding mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells.

CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• To make the cream puffs: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt, and granulated sugar to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, immediately take the pan off the heat. Stirring with a wooden spoon, add all the flour at once and stir hard until all the flour is incorporated, 30 to 60 seconds. Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring, 30 seconds to evaporate some of the moisture.
• Scrape the mixture into a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix at medium speed. With the mixer running, and working 1 egg at a time, add 3 of the eggs, stopping after each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated. The dough should be thick, but should fall slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift them out of the bowl. If the dough is still clinging to the beaters, add the remaining egg and mix until incorporated.
• Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, pipe the dough onto the baking sheet, in 2-inch diameter rounds or balls. Whisk the remaining egg with 1 1/2 teaspoons water. Brush the surface of the rounds with the egg wash to knock down the points (you may not use all the egg wash). Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake until puffed up, and light golden brown, about 20 minutes more. Try not to open the oven door too often during the baking. Let cool on the baking sheet.
• To fill the cream puffs, place a pastry tip on your finger and poke a whole in the bottom of each puff. Whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla until stiff. Pipe whipped cream into each cream puff and chill until ready to serve, no more than 4 hours.
• Notes about the recipe: The moisture in the eggs turns to steam and puffs the batter to try to release itself. You can fill them with anything.