Well, howdy there! Today, we’re gonna yak about somethin’ called… uh… eggnog cream puffs. Yeah, that’s it. Fancy name for somethin’ that ain’t all that hard to make, y’know? My grandpappy used to say, “Don’t let the name fool ya, a biscuit’s still a biscuit, even if you call it a ‘fluffy cloud of deliciousness’.” Same goes for these puff things.
First off, gotta get that oven hot, real hot. Like, 400 degrees hot. Hotter than a summer day in July, I tell ya! You find yourself one of them saucepans, the kinda medium-sized one, and dump in some water and butter. Get it boilin’ good, like a pot of beans on a campfire. Then, ya dump in some flour, all at once. Stir it like you’re churnin’ butter, real fast, till it all balls up together. Take it off the heat then, don’t wanna burn it to a crisp.
Now comes the tricky part, but don’t you fret none, it ain’t rocket science. You gotta beat in some eggs, one at a time. Like you’re milkin’ a cow, steady and slow. Don’t go throwin’ ’em all in at once, or you’ll end up with a mess. Keep stirrin’ till it’s all smooth and gooey, like thick gravy.
- First, heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix water and butter in a saucepan and boil it.
- Dump in flour and stir it until it forms a ball.
- Beat in eggs one at a time until it’s smooth.
Next, ya gotta get them puffs on a bakin’ sheet. I just use a spoon, nothin’ fancy. Plop ’em down, not too close together, ’cause they gonna puff up like a toad in a rainstorm. Shove ’em in that hot oven for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down a bit, to 350 degrees. Let ’em bake for another 25 minutes or so, till they’re nice and golden brown. Don’t be peekin’ at ’em while they’re bakin’, or they might fall flatter than a pancake. That’s what my old neighbor, Martha, always said, and she baked the best darn pies in the county.
Once they’re done, take ’em out and let ’em cool. Now, for the inside stuff, the eggnog cream. That’s just like makin’ puddin’, but with eggnog instead of milk. You heat it up with some sugar and stuff, then thicken it with somethin’ called cornstarch. I ain’t exactly sure what that is, but it works. Let it cool, then you whip up some heavy cream and fold it in. Makes it all light and fluffy, like a cloud.
Now, you can fill them puffs with that creamy stuff. You can use a spoon, or if you’re feelin’ fancy, you can use one of them pastry bags. I just use a spoon, works just fine for me. And that’s it! You got yourself some eggnog cream puffs. They’re good for eatin’ any time of day, but they’re especially nice around Christmas time. Makes things feel a bit more special, y’know?
If you got leftovers, you can freeze ’em. Just the puffs, though, not the cream. The cream gets all watery if you freeze it. You can make a whole bunch of puffs ahead of time and keep ’em in the freezer, then just fill ’em up whenever you want a sweet treat. That’s what I always do when the grandkids come visitin’. They gobble ‘em up faster than a chicken pecks corn.
And that’s all there is to it. Eggnog cream puffs, simple as pie, or maybe simpler! Don’t be scared to try it, even if you ain’t never baked nothin’ in your life. Like I always say, the worst that can happen is you gotta order a pizza. And ain’t nothin’ wrong with a good pizza, now is there?
Tags: Eggnog, Cream Puffs, Pastry, Dessert, Christmas, Baking, Recipe, Homemade, Holiday, Sweet Treats
