Two weeks ago, I stumbled upon the cream puff recipe in our Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I remember Asher trying that once (and failing), so I decided to give it a shot. We ran to Brookshire Brothers to get some vanilla ice cream, because that was the recommended filling. So I made the puffs and then came the hardest part: filling. I knew that piping ice cream isn’t normally a good idea, but I wasn’t sure how else. Dad said to take a sharp piping tip and just stab the puffs, but.. let’s just say… that didn’t work out. So I got a paring knife and cut the tops off the puffs. (BTW, while I was cutting, the ice cream was melting…🙄) I took a piping bag, filled it with ice cream, and started piping. I got to four puffs before the ice cream was melting like crazy and I had to stick it in the freezer for several minutes. Unfortunately, ice cream doesn’t freeze as fast as it melts… so it was still kinds soft when I started piping again. This time, I got about six done before I had to return it. In the end, the result was all right, but not good. There was barely any ice cream in it because it melted all over the plate. The next try was no different.

Yesterday, however, was better. I decided to make a pastry cream because the ice cream was all gone, and I was pretty sure Pastry Cream doesn’t have to be frozen. This time, I took a paring knife and cut an X on the top of each puff and then, with my pastry cream, (which I happened to make Chocolate-Vanilla) I piped a generous amount of pastry cream into each puff, but halfway through, I realized I was running out of cream. I piped less into the puffs, and it was just enough. Unfortunately, that meant no extra to eat. 😋

I put the two plates of puffs (the heavier and more filled on one plate and the lighter and less filled on the other) in the fridge, because cold pastry cream is SO GOOD. Luckily, the pastry cream didn’t melt like ice cream and the puffs were still flaky and delicious. Note to self: Don’t over-fill the puffs. You won’t have enough pastry cream to go around.

Better Homes and Gardens’ Cream Puff Recipe

With my edits

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• 1 cup water
• ½ cup butter
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 batch pastry cream

1. 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.
2. Using a large piping tip, pipe puffs. They will spread a little, so don’t space them too close together. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
3. Cut an X in the top each puff. Fill using a piping bag without a tip. Refrigerate and eat.

Chocolate-Vanilla Pastry Cream

• 1 pastry cream (I used Dominique Ansel’s, which Dad paid for, so I can’t share it)
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 small piping bags
• 1 big piping bag

Split your pastry cream into two bowls. Stir the cocoa into one and leave the other vanilla. Put them both into separate piping bags. DON’T SNIP THE TIPS. Slide both bags into the big bag, pushing them in as hard as they’ll go. Tie off the ends with a small rubber band. Snip the tips where both colors come through. Pipe!