Alright, let’s talk about these mini cream puffs I baked up the other day. I’ve always loved those little bites of heaven, and I finally decided to try my hand at making them myself. Turns out, it’s a bit of a process, but totally worth it in the end.
First things first, I started by gathering all the ingredients. Needed some water, milk, a pinch of salt, some unsalted butter, and flour. Pretty basic stuff, really. Oh, and eggs, can’t forget the eggs. I used both water and milk, ’cause I heard that using water makes the shells a bit crispier.
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup flour
- 4 eggs
Then I got to work on the dough. I combined the water, milk, salt, and butter in a saucepan and brought it all to a boil. Once it was bubbling, I took it off the heat and dumped in all the flour at once, stirring like crazy until it formed a smooth ball. It took a bit of elbow grease, but I got there.
After that, I let the dough cool down for a few minutes before beating in the eggs, one at a time. This part was a little tricky, because you want the dough to be smooth and glossy, but not too runny. I think I got the hang of it, though.
Once the dough was ready, I scooped out little mounds of it onto a baking sheet. I was aiming for mini puffs, so I made them pretty small. Then I popped them into a preheated oven and baked them until they were golden brown and puffed up.
Now, here’s where I learned a little something. I pulled them out of the oven, and some of them started to deflate a little. Turns out, that can happen if you use too much liquid or don’t bake them long enough. I made a mental note to maybe bake them a bit longer next time. Also, I used regular old cheese, but I read somewhere that dry, aged cheese can help them rise better. Who knew?
Anyway, once they were cool, I whipped up some cream, filled them, and dusted them with powdered sugar.
The Result
Man, they were good! Even with the slightly deflated ones. Making cream puffs from scratch is definitely a bit of a learning curve, but it’s so satisfying when you finally bite into one of your own creations. I’d say they were a success, and I’ll definitely be making them again.
