How to Make Cream Puffs... And Delight Everyone!

Welcome To My World!

We've done cream puffs before, but honestly, this is a Win/Win/Win and if you're not making cream puffs for a party, you should be because people will love you and these days, I'm okay with soaking up all the brownie points I can get!

First, we've got some fun stuff happening here.... The Herne Family Christmas Party....

And then there's this little sweet cheeks!

And a very special visitor with a bunch of Herne cousins!!!  So stinkin' cute!

And then there's this:

(Right now I'm going to choir practice where they overlook my narrow range of notes because they're very good people... and the pic that's supposed to be here isn't coming through to my e-mail from my phone, so it might or might not be here in the morning!!!!)  :)

My school age daycare buds have put together a "Help for the Homeless' opportunity day this Saturday. They'll be spending the day (or parts of it!) outside in tents, no electronics, no screens, dressed in layers and fighting the cold. Weather: 30 ° and calm and cloudy. Honestly, here in upstate in December, this is mild!!!!

So far my buds have raised over $500 to donate to the Open Door Mission (for men) and Bethany House (for women). I'm so proud of them!

We'll have a soup and bread lunch to reflect what they'd have in a soup kitchen. And at the end (I hope...) they'll have a heightened awareness of how special life... and life in America!... truly is.

Okay, so back to cream puffs....

Shells:

1 stick butter
1 cup water
1 cup flour
4 large eggs (I had two HUGE eggs and one normal one, but that's normal around here!)



In 3 quart saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil. Turn off heat when butter is melted, stir in 1 cup flour until well blended.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating with spoon (think EXERCISE OPP!!!) until smooth after each addition. Using a regular teaspoon, drop small mounds of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet, about two inches apart (puffs rise).

Bake at 400° for about twenty minutes until deep golden brown. If you take them out too early they're too tender to hold the pudding, and we want these bad boys to hold the pudding!

Cool.  Then slice of top leaving the hollowed shell ready for pudding or whipped cream filling.

Pudding:

4 tablespoons butter, melted in 3 quart saucepan
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
4 cups milk
4 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla

Melt butter in pan. Turn off heat. Mix sugar and cornstarch together. Blend into melted butter. Whisk in milk and egg yolks, then return to medium/medium/high heat and stir while cooking. Bring to a boil, boil and stir one minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir well, chill. (If you don't like "skin" on top of real pudding, lay a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the hot pudding. This prevents the skin from forming...

Although I love the skin!!!!

Frosting: (I often have this made ahead of time and tucked in freezer or fridge or cupboard... )

1 Stick butter (melted in 3 quart saucepan... I'm sensing a trend!!!!)
1/2 cup Hershey's cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups Confectioners/powdered/10X sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix cocoa and salt into melted butter. Add powdered sugar and milk. Whisk. When smooth, add vanilla. Frosting thickens as it cools, but if it's too thick, a dash of milk (slightly more than a dab and less than a splash) can be stirred in until frosting is desired consistency.

THIS IS MY GO-TO CHOCOLATE FROSTING.

It is Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Frosting recipe, it is amazing and should always be respected. Spoons and fingers should be licked clean at all appropriate points.

Children will rise up and call you blessed for making this.

I'm not kidding.

There was a huge tray of of these. I mean 14" across, huge tray of deliciousness and I forgot to take a picture.

So these guys escaped detection and I got a picture of these six BEFORE THEY WERE DISCOVERED!!!!

And then there's this;

Nothing like candlelight, cookies and candy! Sounds like a party to me!