Toffee Cream Puff Ring Recipes

ALMOND CREAM-PUFF RING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour a cookie sheet, or use parchment paper. Using a dinner plate as a guide, trace a circle on the sheet.
• In 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil. With a wooden spoon, vigorously stir in flour all at once, until mixture forms a ball, and leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from heat, and beat in the eggs one at a time, until mixture is smooth. Drop batter into 10 mounds inside the circle traced on the cookie sheet, to form a ring.
• Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn off oven, leaving ring in for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool on wire rack. When cool, slice in half horizontally, and place bottom ring on serving plate. Spoon Almond Cream Filling on bottom ring, then replace top ring. Chill in refrigerator.
• To make Almond Cream Filling: Prepare pudding according to instructions on package, but use only 1 1/4 cups milk. Fold in whipped cream, and 1 teaspoon almond extract.
• To make Chocolate Glaze: In a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, combine chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons milk, and 1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup. Heat until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally. Spoon over the top of chilled ring.

CARAMEL TOPPED CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Make the Cream Puffs: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Combine the water, butter, salt, and sugar in a large saucepan and bring 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 the flour is incorporated, about 30 to 60 seconds. Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring, 2 minutes to evaporate some of the moisture.
• Scrape the mixture into a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer or mix by hand.) Mix at medium speed. With the mixer running, add 3 of the eggs, 1 at a time, stopping after each 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 another egg and mix until completely incorporated.
• Using a pastry bag, pipe the dough in bite-size "kisses" (about 1 1/2 inches across) onto 1 of the cookie sheets.
• Dip your finger in flour and push down the points to smooth out any bumps. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake until puffed up and light golden brown, about 25 minutes more. Try not to open the oven door too often during the baking. Let cool on the baking sheet.
• Make the Caramel: Pour the sugar into the center of a deep saucepan. Carefully pour the water around the sugar, trying not to splash any sugar onto the sides of the pan. Do not stir; gently draw your finger through the center of the sugar to moisten it. Over high heat, bring to a full boil and cook without stirring, swirling the pot occasionally to even out the color, until amber-caramel in color, 10 to 20 minutes. When the mixture is done, remove the pot from the heat and rest the bottom in the ice bath for 15 seconds to stop the cooking.
• Dip the top of each cream puff in the caramel and place it caramel-side down, with the base sticking straight up, on the other greased cookie sheet. The caramel will pool slightly around the puff and will harden and develop a foot. (When you turn the puffs over later, this will be a smooth flat "lid" for each profiterole.) Let cool until set, at least 10 minutes.
• When ready to serve, carefully turn the puffs over and cut each 1 horizontally in 1/2 using a long serrated knife. Fill each with a small scoop of ice cream or sweetened, flavored whipped cream. Place the lid on top and serve immediately.

TOFFEE CREAM PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk cream and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Stir in 1 cup chopped candy. Fold in 2 cups whipped topping. Transfer to crust., Spread remaining whipped topping over top and sprinkle with remaining candy. Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours or until firm.

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.

TOFFEE ICE CREAM PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine ice cream and crushed candy; spread into crust. Cover and freeze until firm., In a small saucepan, melt chocolate chips and butter over medium-low heat. Add confectioners' sugar and evaporated milk; cook and stir for 4-5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cut pie into slices and drizzle with sauce.

TOFFEE CREAM PUFF RING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F.
• Line baking sheet with kitchen parchment paper.
• Draw one (9-inch) circle on parchment sheet, turning over parchment so marking shows through.
• Combine 1 cup water, butter, sugar and salt in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full boil (4 to 6 minutes).
• Remove from heat; beat in flour.
• Stir until dough forms a ball.
• Return to heat.
• Cook, stirring vigorously, until mixture leaves sides of pan and forms a ball (1 to 2 minutes).
• Remove from heat.
• Let cool 5 minutes.
• Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until batter is smooth.
• Whisk remaining egg and 1 teaspoon water in small bowl to make egg wash.
• Set aside.
• Place dough in pastry bag fitted with star tip; pipe 9-inch circle onto prepared baking sheet.
• Pipe 3 concentric circles next to and inside first circle making ring.
• Pipe second layer of circles on top of first until all dough is used.
• Brush top and sides with egg wash; (Do not to let egg run onto parchment.)
• Sprinkle with almonds.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 375°F
• Continue baking for 30 minutes.
• Turn off heat.
• Leave ring in oven for 15 minutes with oven door ajar.
• Remove from oven; cool completely on wire rack.
• Meanwhile, beat whipping cream in large bowl at high speed, scraping bowl often, until stiff peaks form (2 to 3 minutes).
• Gently stir in toffee chips.
• Slice ring in half horizontally.
• Remove excess dough filaments.
• Fill bottom half with whipped cream mixture; cover with top half of ring.
• To serve, cut into wedges.