How to Make Profiteroles (Cream Puffs)

My favorite combination: vanilla pudding in the middle and chocolate sauce poured over the top.

Profiteroles can be complicated, especially if you are making everything from scratch.  But I don't think they take much longer than other homemade sweets, it's just that you have to multitask and pay attention.

Planning:
Again, the sauce/pudding filling could be made in advance.

Or you could make the filling and sauce while the shells cool (which is what I did).

Ingredients:
(Profiteroles)
1 c water
1/2 c butter
1 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs

(Vanilla pudding)
3/4 c sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch or flour
3 c milk
4 beaten egg yolks or 2 beaten eggs
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla


(Chocolate sauce)
3/4 c cocoa
1 c sugar
1/2 c water
3-5 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
(Profiteroles)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (you are going to turn it down later)
1) Bring water to a boil, add butter and stir, then return to a boil.
2) Add flour and salt all at once and stir until mixture forms a ball.
3) Remove from heat and add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously until smooth.
4) Drop by heaping tablespoons, 3 inches apart, on cookie sheet. (As you can see, I got 10 largish cream puffs. You can make them smaller if you want.)
5) Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 325 degrees F and bake 25 minutes more.*

*Here you are supposed to take them out, remove the center, and place in oven to cool. Mine were cooking too fast, so I turned it off earlier and just left them in there. I also didn't scoop out any of the center; I wanted to eat it all!

Recipe: allrecipes (just the shell part)




(Vanilla pudding)
1) Combine sugar and flour/cornstarch in saucepan; stir in milk; cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly.
2) Cook and stir 2 minutes more.
3) Have the eggs or egg yolks beaten in a bowl. Gradually stir 1 cup of the milk mixture into the eggs.
4) Now pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with everything else, and bring to a gentle boil (egg yolks) or not quite to a boil (whole eggs).
5) Reduce heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes more; remove from heat and add butter and vanilla.
6) Pour into a bowl, close tightly; chill.*

*Mine came out lumpy, go figure. I guess the eggs weren't beaten enough, or something. Maybe that's why it's better to use just the yolks.

Recipe: Better Homes and Gardens

(Chocolate sauce)
1) Bring cocoa, sugar, and water to a boil.
2) Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla.

Recipe: My mother