DIY dessert: Cream Puffs!!

Looking for an easy and delicious dessert?? Try cream puffs!! The recipe below is taken from Betty Crocker's New Picture Cookbook (first edition, printed in 1961). Gotta love the retro cookbooks! I wish you could see these illustrations!! Classic!

Profiteroles (Puffs): 
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup all purpose flour, sifted
4 eggs


1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2.) Heat water and butter to a rolling boil in saucepan
3.) Stir in flour over low heat and continue stirring vigorously until mixture forms a ball (about 1 min)
4.) Remove from heat
5.) Beat in eggs thoroughly, 1 at a time. Beat until smooth
6.) Spoon into ungreased baking sheet into mounds 3 inches apart
7.) Bake 40-50 mins or until puffed, golden brown and dry. 

You can also opt to place the dough into pastry bags, and pipe out 12 fingers, 4 inches long and 1 inch wide OR (mini) "petits choux" for a bite-sized ending to a special meal or party! But be sure to cut the baking time to about 20-30 mins if you make smaller puffs!

Custard filling: (Fills 10-12 large cream puffs.)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
4 egg yolks (or 2 eggs), beaten
2 tsp vanilla (or preferred flavoring)

1.) Mix sugar, flour and salt in saucepan
2.) Stir in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring until it boils
3.) Boil 1 min then remove from heat
4.) Stir a little over half of mixture into egg yolks, then blend into hot mixture in saucepan
5.) Bring just to boil
6.) Cool and blend in vanilla

The rest is up to you! Cover with chocolate or powdered sugar, fill with ice cream, whipped cream, or berries... make it your own!! Here is a picture of Martha's profiteroles with vanilla gelato and raspberry coulis to tickle your taste-buds and get your culinary creativity flowing!

 Photo courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

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