Cream Puffs

Cream Puffs
1cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet. 

In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.

Drop 12 heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden and firm. Transfer cream puffs to a wire rack and let cool.

Filling

1 box instant vanilla pudding (5.1 oz)

2.5 cups milk (I use whole milk)

1 container cool whip (8 oz)

Mix dry pudding with milk. Let set in refrigerator for 10 minutes. Gently stir in cool whip.

Frosting

In a bowl mix:
1 box powdered sugar
1/2 c. cocoa powder (more for darker chocolate frosting)
1 cube softened butter
1 T. vanilla (yep, that's right, a whole tablespoon!)
Enough milk to make the proper frosting consistency. Add the milk slowly because you don't need much.

From whence it came: Better Homes and Gardens gets the credit for this all time favorite cream puff recipe. Yep, that red and white checkered cookbook is where I found this beauty! Just about everybody in the world has this cookbook in their kitchen, including me!

Why it's blogable: Every time, and I do mean every time I made these cream puffs people go nutso. They are always a huge hit! My newest SIL is a big time fan! And my mom loves them mucho! If you want to wow folks, this recipe it the ticket!

Cooks tips: You can make the cream puffs smaller if you'd like.  I have made up to 20 per batch, and that's still a great size. To fill them you have a couple of options. You can cut off the tops, clean out the centers, fill then replace the tops. Or, you can use a pastry bag and tip to just squirt the filling into the top or side of the puff. The second way is faster but either way is great. For the frosting, I fill a ziplock baggie with frosting, clip of a tiny corner, and then just pipe it onto the puff. You can use a pastry bag if you prefer or you can just frost them like a cupcake.

This recipe is not difficult. In fact, it's pretty fool proof. They always turn out great. Check them after about 20 minutes to make sure they're not baking too fast. I only baked mine for about 25 minutes but we live in a higher altitude and things tend to bake more quickly here.

Make these for those you love! Make them for that church pot luck or work party. People will be so impressed, and you'll feel really proud of yourself.

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!