Having grown up in the heart of dairyland one of Ken’s favorite desserts at any time of year is cream puffs.
We enjoy cream puffs most frequently in the summer as a cool, sweet treat especially around state fair time (reminiscent of days in Wisconsin). On a couple of occasions, instead of making individual puffs with choux I’ve made one giant one or a ring of connected puffs that are cut and then served.
This winter for our Advent party, I made a giant ring choux, filled the ring with peppermint flavored cream, then filled center with bright Christmas red strawberries and sugared the entire pastry with “snowy” powdered sugar. It was delicious!
I donned it the Christmas Snowball.
This time I made peppermint flavored cream to highlight the winter/Christmas flavors, but the cream is also amazing when flavored with almond. Custard filling or custard cream is traditional for State Fair time.
The recipe that I’ve found to best represent State Fair style cream puffs is from my old standby cookbook, a wedding shower gift some 20 years ago – The Better Homes and Gardens Illustrated Cookbook.
Cream Puffs (a la Christmas Snowball)
INGREDIENTS
Choux Paste
1/2 C butter
1 C water
1/4 tsp salt
1 C all purpose flour
4 eggs
Cream
1 C whipping cream
1/2 C powdered sugar
1-2 tsp peppermint or almond extract
additional powdered sugar
strawberries, washed and sliced (or other berries)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Choux Paste
1. Place parchment paper on a large cookie sheet or round metal pizza pan. Draw a circle the size of the desired snowball/cream puff; approx 7 – 9 inches.
2. In a 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, heat butter, water and salt until butter mixture boils. Remove from heat.
3. Add flour all at once. With a wooden spoon, vigorously stir until mixture leaves the sides of the pan a forms a doughy ball.
4. Add eggs into flour mixture, one at a time, beating well and fully incorporating after each addition.
5. Using a large spoon and rubber scraper, drop heaping spoonfuls onto the parchment inside the drawn ring.
6. Bake 40 - 50 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cut slits into the side of the ring in 4 – 5 places. Return the ring to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
7. Turn off heat and leave in oven for an additional 10-15 minutes for the puff to dry.
8. Remove from oven and cool. Prepare cream.
Cream
1. Pour whipping cream into a chilled bowl of KitchenAid stand mixer. With whisk attachment whip on high until cream is light and begins to stiffen.
2. Add powdered sugar 2 Tbs at a time until all is incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add extract.
Chill until ready to assemble.
Assembling
1. When puff ring is cool, cut ring completely in half. With a metal spoon, gently remove any spongy interior.
2. Dollop cream by spoonfuls around bottom of ring. Cover with top of puff ring.
3. Add sliced strawberries to center of ring.
4. Dust entire ring and fruit with a snowy covering of powdered sugar.
Chill until ready to serve or freeze it and serve as a frozen dessert.
~Enjoy!
