ajoyouskitchen

8.13.20 Strawberry Creme Puffs

2020 has been a wild year, but the most recent twist has really thrown me: I got listeria! There was a recall on lemons from my fav grocery store, but it was too late for me. Unfortunate for sure, but I’ll be alright, and at least I can still day dream about the creme puffs I made last week 🙂

This was the first time I ever made cheux pastry, and honestly I was so nervous. I had been putting off making these because of the pastry and I literally sat and watched them puff up in the oven. However, there really was no need to worry! They came out perfectly, just look at the puff in that picture with a perfect empty space for filling. I originally thought that I had to weigh the eggs and then base the measurements for all the other ingredients on the weight of the eggs. That definitely works, and might be more foolproof, but I really don’t think it’s necessary! As long as you use large eggs, you’ll be totally fine.

To go with the perfect shells, I made a simple, yet perfect, strawberry whipped creme filling. And, since I couldn’t decide, I made two toppings – both chocolate and a lemon icing. It’s almost like one was strawberry lemonade flavor and a chocolate covered strawberry flavor. They were so different, yet both complemented the filling so well, I really couldn’t choose a favorite!

Strawberry Creme Puffs

Ingredients

for the choux

  • 8oz water
  • 4 oz butter
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 5 oz flour
  • 4 large eggs

for the filling

  • 1 C heavy cream
  • 6 T powdered sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 6 T strawberry jam
  • 5 strawberries, finely chopped

for the lemon topping

  • 1 C powdered sugar
  • juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
  • pinch of salt
  • 1-2 tsp water

for the chocolate topping

  • 1/3 C dark chocolate
  • 3 T heavy creme

How to do it

  1. make the choux pastry: preheat oven to 375. line 2 pans with parchment paper and gently spray with water
  2. combine the water, butter, and salt in a medium sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a boil.
  3. once boiling, remove from heat and add the flour. mix thoroughly, then return to heat for 1-3 minutes. the mixture is done cooking when you can stick a metal spoon in it and the spoon stays straight upright
  4. transfer the flour mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium until the bowl no longer hot
  5. beat in eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated
  6. transfer to a piping bag and pipe evenly sized circles onto the prepared pans. wet your finger with some water and smooth out the tops
  7. bake for 30 minutes, then remove the puffs and poke a hole in each with a toothpick. return the puffs to the oven for 5-10 minutes until they’re golden brown. let cool while you prepare the filling and toppings
  8. make the filling: whip the creme, powdered sugar, and salt to stiff peaks. fold in the strawberry jam, then fold in the strawberries. make sure the strawberry pieces are small enough to fit through the piping tip you’ll use to fill the puffs!
  9. transfer the filling to a piping bag with a medium sized round piping tip
  10. make the lemon topping: combine all ingredients other than the water in a small bowl. add water a bit at a time until it reaches the consistency you want
  11. make the chocolate topping: in a small bowl, combine the ingredients and heat in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time, until the chocolate is melted. mix well until smooth
  12. assembly: using a small knife, cut a whole in the bottom of the puffs just big enough for the piping tip to fit into. fill each puff, then dip the top in one of the toppings. you can also just cut the puffs and spoon in the filling, then dip the top half of the puff in the topping before placing on top of the filling
  13. enjoy!

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