Welcome!

Welcome to Simple Fare, Fairly Simple. This is a place for me to post recipes of all kinds...along with other miscellaneous fodder from my so-called life here in the south. Who knows what you will find here. Could be anything from my husband...known as IT Guy...to my kids and beautiful grandbabies that are growing up way too fast right before my eyes. But...mostly this will be a place for food. I hope you'll see something you like and if you decide to try something from the list...leave me a comment and let me know!



Friday, April 26, 2013

Cream Puffs

If you're a faithful follower of this page then you will know that I am a lover of cream based desserts. Anything with a pudding-y filling is my best friend. Love it! And of course cream puffs fit right into that category. Yum!! And...to make them even better....CHOCOLATE!! I made these to take to a potluck last week and no big surprise...I came home with an empty platter. I guess I'm not the only one who loves creamy, delightful desserts!

Cream Puffs



1 cup water
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium sauce pan, bring water to a boil. Add butter and cook and stir until butter is melted.

Combine flour and salt. Add to water/butter all at once and stir until mixture forms a ball.

Remove from heat.

Add eggs, one at a time, stirring well with a wooden spoon until each egg is mixed in.

Drop mixture by rounded tablespoon onto prepared pan. (Or use a pastry bag with a large round tip and pipe mounds about 1 1/2 inches round and 2 inches tall.

Bake puffs for 15 minutes at 425 degrees then reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 20 minutes more.

When puffs are lightly golden, remove from oven. Turn oven off. With a serrated knife, cut tops off of puffs. With a small spoon, carefully remove the dough from the inside of each piece...tops and bottoms. Return puffs to the cookie sheet and place back in the warm oven for at least an hour to dry out.

Okay...here we go!
Okay...here we go!

Boil the water, then add the butter. Stir until the butter is melted.
Boil the water, then add the butter. 
Stir until the butter is melted.

Then add the flour and salt all at once.
Then add the flour and salt all at once.

And stir, stir, stir! Stir until the mixture comes together.
And stir, stir, stir! Stir until 
the mixture comes together.

Remove from the heat and add the eggs..ONE AT A TIME...stirring well after each addition. After you add each egg, the mixture will appear slimy...but keep stirring so the eggs get incorpororated.
Remove from the heat and add 
the eggs..ONE AT A TIME...stirring 
well after each addition. After you 
add each egg, the mixture will appear 
 slimy...but keep stirring so the eggs get incorporated.

Here's what the dough will look like after all the eggs have been stirred in.
Here's what the dough will look 
like after all the eggs have been stirred in.

Then plop little mounds of the dough onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. These are a mounded tablespoon sized dough ball. You can also use a pastry bag with a large round tip if you're proficient in that.
Then plop little mounds of the 
dough onto a parchment paper 
lined cookie sheet. These are a 
mounded tablespoon sized dough 
ball. You can also use a pastry bag 
with a large round tip if you're proficient in that.

Baked puffs!!
Baked puffs!!

Right after they come out of the oven, cut the tops off of the puffs.
Right after they come out of the oven,
 cut the tops off of the puffs.

Then take a small spoon and scoop out the insides of the puffs. You have to make room for the filling!
Then take a small spoon and scoop 
out the insides of the puffs. You have 
to make room for the filling!


Cream Filling:

*This amount of filling will fill twice the amount of puffs in the above recipe so you might want to make two batches of puffs. I don't recommend doubling the puff recipe. Make a batch..then make another batch. There's something about doubling the recipe that has failed me in the past.

1 5-ounce package vanilla instant pudding
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, combine pudding. milk, powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir well with a whisk.

In a mixing bowl, whip cream until thick.

Gently fold whipping cream into pudding mixture until well combined.

Fill a pastry bag with cream filling mixture. Pipe some of the mixture into the bottom of each puff.

Here's what you'll need for the filling.
Here's what you'll need for the filling.

Mix together the pudding, milk, vanilla and powdered sugar,
Mix together the pudding, milk, 
vanilla and powdered sugar,

Then whip the cream until thick.
Then whip the cream until thick.

Combine the pudding mixture and the whipped cream until well mixed.
Combine the pudding mixture and 
the whipped cream until well mixed.

Then pipe the cream into the empty puffs. You can use a small spoon for this, too.
Then pipe the cream into the empty
 puffs. You can use a small spoon for this, too.

Filled puffs! And empty lids. Don't worry about matching the puffs and lids...it won't matter once the chocolate is on them.
Filled puffs! And empty lids. Don't 
worry about matching the puffs and 
lids...it won't matter once the chocolate is on them.



For chocolate topping:

1 jar hot chocolate fudge ice cream topping.

In a small bowl, heat about 1 cup topping until warm and liquid-y. Dip the tops of each puff into the chocolate topping and replace onto a filled puff.

Place puffs in a covered container in the fridge and keep chilled until ready to serve.

Here's what I like to use for the chocolate topping. It melts easily and sets to a shiny, gooey finish on top of the filled puffs.
Here's what I like to use for 
the chocolate topping. It melts 
easily and sets to a shiny, gooey 
finish on top of the filled puffs.

Melt about 1 cup of the topping. Then dunk the top of each lid into the chocolate and set it on a filled puff.
Melt about 1 cup of the topping. 
Then dunk the top of each lid into
 the chocolate and set it on a filled puff.

Store in a sealed container in the fridge until serving time. And don't forget to call me when you're ready to share!!! <3
Store in a sealed container in the 
fridge until serving time. And don't 
forget to call me when you're ready to share!!! <3