Vanilla Sugar Puffs Recipes

VANILLA SUGAR PUFFS

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats
• In a heavy bottomed 2 quart pan, mix milk, 1/2 cup water, vanilla bean, butter, sugar and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat,s tirring occaswionally. Carefully remove vanilla bean and scrape any remaining seeds into liquid. Bring mixture to a boil. Add flour, lower heat to medium and immediately begin stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Don't let up til the dough starts to come away from the sides of the pan and form a loose ball. A light crust will form on the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring quickly to dry the dough, about 2 minutes more. The dough should now be very smooth and have lost most of its moist appearance
• Transfer dough to bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, on medium speed. You'll think the dough is breaking apart and all is lost, but it will come together again, when all the eggs have been added. Beat in vanilla extract. Drop dough by the tablespoonful onto prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between dollops.
• in a small bowl, beat together egg,vanilla extract, salt and 1 tsp. water til well blended. Brush each puff with this egg wash and sprinkle generously with pearl sugar
• Bake for 15 minutes, then rotato the sheets from top to bottom and front to back. Continue baking til puffs are deeply golden and sound hollow when their crisp exteriors are tapped, another 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully transfer puffs to a wire rack to cool a bit before serving. Makes about 2 1/2 inch puffs

VANILLA AND COFFEE CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• For the dough: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine the butter, granulated sugar, salt and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Add the flour, then return to the heat, mixing vigorously with a wooden spoon until all the flour is incorporated and the mixture forms a ball.
• Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed until the dough cools and the steam dissipates, about 4 minutes. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, letting each egg become fully incorporated before adding the next. The dough should be shiny, stretchy and slowly fall from a spoon in thick ribbons. If necessary, beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and add a tablespoon at a time until the dough looks correct.
• Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe 2-inch mounds onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until the puffs are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, about 25 minutes. Prick each puff with a skewer to allow the steam to escape, then remove the puffs to a rack to cool completely.
• Use a serrated knife to carefully cut the tops off the puffs; reserve the tops.
• For the cream: Microwave 2 tablespoons of the cream in a small bowl until warm. Add the espresso powder and stir until dissolved; place in the refrigerator to chill.
• Put the remaining cream in a large bowl, along with the vanilla and 4 tablespoons of the confectioners' sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until the cream just holds stiff peaks.
• Transfer half of the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain or star tip. Pipe half of the puffs full of whipped cream; replace their tops.
• Add the chilled coffee cream and the remaining 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar to the remaining whipped cream in the bowl; beat until the cream returns to stiff peaks. Transfer to the piping bag (no need to clean in between) and fill the remaining puffs; replace the tops.
• Dust the cream puffs with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.

VANILLA SUGAR

Steps:

• Pour the sugar into an airtight container. If the vanilla bean is whole, slice it halfway through the long way, open up the bean, and use a spoon or kitchen knife to scrape out the black gooey specks. Stir the specks into the sugar, and bury the bean pod in the sugar. Cover the jar and let stand for at least 1 week.

VANILLA CREAM PUFF DESSERT

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Continue beating until smooth and shiny. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. , Pour into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 400° until puffed and golden brown, 28-30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack., For filling, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, milk and pudding mixes until smooth. Spread over the crust; refrigerate for 20 minutes. Spread whipped topping over filling. Store in the refrigerator. Just before serving, drizzle with chocolate syrup.