Really would love a Cream Puff recipe

I recently went to the State fair and had a yummy cream puff and took a brownie home. I would love to have a great recipe for the cream puff, and maybe as well as a good gooey yummy brownie one as well. Anyone know? Thanks in advance:)

You sure? It always seemed to me cream puffs were among those things (along with eclairs) it was just a lot easier to go to a good bakery and buy. Actually, in my neck of the woods, the Safeway bakery section sells pretty decent ones.

If nobody else offers a recipe, though, I'm sure if you just Google "cream puff recipe" you'll be overwhelmed.

BT's right on both counts. The Wisconsin State Fair recipe is no secret, but it looks like quite a bit of work.
Wisconsin State Fair Cream Puffs
Made from the ingredients Wisconsin is famous for - milk, cream, butter and eggs - cream puffs were a natural addition to the Wisconsin State Fair. Since their introduction in 1924 cream puffs have grown to be a signature Fair item, selling more than 365,000 annually. The Wisconsin State Fair dairy bakery operates around-the-clock during the Fair to meet the ever-growing, insatiable demand.

Some fairgoers wait all year for a chance to indulge in the rich sweetness of a State Fair cream puff, but now you can make them year-round in your own kitchen. This recipe does not take dozens of employees or tons of whipping cream to make, but the taste is as genuine as the Fair. So, go ahead - indulge and savor the memories.

1 cup water
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 teaspoon iodized salt
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
4 whole eggs
1 whole egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups whipping cream (whipped with vanilla extract and sugar)
Confectioners' sugar, sifted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour 1 very large or 2 small baking sheets, or line with parchment paper.

Pour water into heavy saucepan. Cut butter into small pieces and add to water. Add salt. Place saucepan over medium-low heat so butter melts before water boils. Bring water just to boil.

Remove pan from heat and add flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until dough forms into a ball and bottom of pan is filmed with flour. Let dough rest 5 minutes.

Add whole eggs, beating in one egg at a time. Dough should be stiff but smooth.

Immediately drop 1/4 cupsful of dough 3 inches apart on baking sheet. (Or for a neater appearance, use pastry bag with 3/4-inch plain tip and pipe dough onto baking sheet.)

Combine egg yolk and milk in a small bowl. Brush each puff with glaze mixture, taking care not to let liquid drip onto pan. Bake 35 minutes, until puffed, golden brown and firm.

Cool puffs on wire racks, pricking each with a cake tester or wooden pick to allow steam to escape, or leave them in a turned-off oven with the door propped open for about an hour, until firm. (If baked pastry is filled before cool and firm, it will be soggy and may collapse.) Baked puffs should have hollow, moist interiors and crisp outer shells that are lightly browned.

Cut off tops, fill with whipped cream (use pastry bag with star tip or scoop the whipped cream with a large spoon.) Replace the tops of the puffs and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 203 Calories; 17g Fat (73.8% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 135mg Cholesterol; 36mg Sodium

Exchanges: 1/2 Grain (Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 3 Fat

If you do make them, my wife and I will be right over! I'm partial to heavy vanilla

My cream puff recipe is a LOT simpler than that.

French Silk Filled Cream Puffs
What you need:
CREAM PUFFS:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs

FILLING:
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons instant coffee
3 eggs
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

How to make them:
Heat oven to 400F.
Bring water and butter to a boil in a heavy saucepan.
Add flour and salt at once.
Beat until smooth ands forms a ball; remove from heat.
Beat in eggs one at a time until batter is shiny.
Place by tablespoon portions 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool.
Slice top off and scoop uncooked batter from inside.
Fill with filling and replace top.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

For filling, cream butter and sugar in mixer, blend in vanilla and coffee.
Add eggs one at a time, beat 2 minutes each.
Blend in chocolate.
Chill 1 hour before filling cream puffs.

both of these recipes would benefit from the addition of a tablespoon of sugar. not that the puffs need to be sweet, but it will definitely help them to brown nicely.
and users of felix's recipe should note the raw eggs. not necessarily a problem for me, but i believe that pregnant women, especially, should avoid them.

Cream puffs were the second dish that I learned to cook growing up (after an Italian pasta dish). The proportions are very easy: 1 stick of butter, 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of water; the water and butter should be heated until simmering, the flour should be added to make a smooth roux, and then 4 eggs should be added, one by one, and the resulting mixture should be shiny as the previous poster pointed out. Drop by spoonfuls on a baking sheet, and as was stated before, put them in a 400 degree oven until golden brown (about a half hour). The classic French recipe does not call for heating the oven in advance, but I have not experienced that it makes a big difference one way or the other.

An easy filling is any whipped cream mixture, with chocolate, caramel, etc. I have even eaten them filled with generic versions of "Cool Whip," and they tasted fine.

The classic French recipe does not call for heating the oven in advance, but I have not experienced that it makes a big difference one way or the other.

In my experience they don't puff unless they go right into a hot oven, but I'm willing to learn different.

As far as classic recipes go, I doubt you'd ever find a good baker, French or otherwise, or a cook, French or otherwise, who'd put anything into a cold oven and then turn it on. I fail to see why you'd take the chance. But, again, I'll listen to anyone, once.

tacchinos recipe sounds about like I remember, we made cream puffs in home ex class and it was the only time Mrs.Davis allowed all us guys to be in one group..

quote:

Originally posted by Scallion1

and users of felix's recipe should note the raw eggs. not necessarily a problem for me, but i believe that pregnant women, especially, should avoid them.

True. You could always use an alternate filling, like just plain custard.

What you need:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
Dash of salt
3 eggs, separated, room temp.
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine 1/2 cup sugar, flour and salt in top of double boiler.
Stir in 3 egg yolks and milk; blend well.
Cook, uncovered, over boiling water, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Remove from heat; add vanilla.

Thank you all so very much. I have tried several sold in local stores, and to me they are not the same. I just bought one the other day at our Ninos Italian Bakery, got it home, poured some hot fresh coffee and prepared to indulge......the puff was hard as a rock and the cream tasted too much like lard.....can I say BLECHHH? Anyways, that is what got me thinking I should make them myself. I love to bake and cook anything, even if it takes me hours:) It is the only time I get away from the kids and hubs and animals So now I am so looking forward to making these recipes. I did a google search, and actually cooked them, I tried 3 recipes so far. I felt it was time to ask and beg my fellow road food people:) So thanks again! BTW< I am located 5 minutes outside of Milwaukee in Waukesha County, so if there are any people that know of a store that sells them as good as the State fair in Greenfield, let me know!

I forgot to add, to Milwaukee Food lover, those cream puffs will be ready tomorrow evening, so stop on by. (hee hee)

Michelle, I have a rich and fudgey brownie recipe I'll look for and post soon, if you are still looking.

Years ago a a co-worker gave me a tip - buy the most generic store brand, or plain brownie mix, add a small bag (7oz?) tollhouse morsels, a cup of chopped walnuts or pecans, and bake by pkg instructions. Now of course, all the brownie mixes add their own chips and choc syrup, but the old generic standby still works, and makes very rich, and fudgey brownies.

Oh Belle, that would be great! I do that trick you mentioned in my mixes, but for some reason, those ones at the fair still beat mine! OH how I wish I finished Cuilinary Arts, for this reason! If you find it please post it! Thanks so much!

Hello Michelle,
Here's my cream puff recipe from my first cook book, very easy to make.

CREAM PUFFS - PRE HEAT OVEN TO 450.

1 Cup Water
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sifted a.p. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
5 x lg. eggs
1 x lg. egg white

choice of filling, custard - bavarian cream - chocolate mousse - whatever you like, even lemon mousse is great top the puff with chocolate sauce.

PREPARATION
Cook butter & water in a heavy sauce pan over med - hi heat until boiling.
Add salt & flour while stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon.
Stir until mixture pulls from the sides of the sauce pan.
Turn off heat.
Add eggs to the mixture one ata time, stirring well with the wooden spoon. Blend each egg thoroughly into the mixture before asdding another. Stir in egg white. Stir until smooth, set aside to cool down.
Pour cooled mixture into a pastry bag with a plain tip.
Pipe mixture onto a lightly sprayed sheet pan in small mounds (cream puff size) and space 2 inches apart.
Bake on middle oven rack for 8 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let the puffs cool on a wire rack.
Fill with custard.

ENJOY! - CHEF JOE!

Michelle---these are easy and GOOD!
Bisquick Fudge Brownies

2 cups chocolate chips
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups Bisquick
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease well a 13 x 9-inch pan.

In large saucepan, over low heat, melt 1 cup chips with margarine; remove from heat. Add Bisquick, sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla extract. Stir in remaining chips. Turn into prepared pan. I like to press agoodly amount of sweetend coconut and almond slivers into the top of the batter.Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool.

Garnish as desired--creamcheese frostin and more nuts is nice. Cut into bars.
Eat!

Thank you Chef Joe and TIki! I can't wait, looking forward to making these! YUMMY!

BTW....might be a silly question, but what is a.p flour? Is it the baking flour special for just baking? And, where can I get your cookbook!

Tiki, bisquik I never thought of any other recipes with that! Thank you!

A.P. = All Purpose Flour

HAHHAHAHA Oh my god, too funny, here I am thinking it is some "special baking flour" Thanks for clarifying that! My recipes just usually say flour or baking flour....can I say DUH?

The Good Eats episode aired Tuesday (a rerun) covered cream puffs (and types of flour). They probably have the recipe at foodnetwork.com. The French term he used sounded like pot-a-shoe.

Hey Michelle,
Drop me an email and I'll give you the info. Chef Joe!

OOH I love good eats, thanks, searching right away thanks for the tip! And to chef, I will be dropping you an email right quick, Thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by tiki

Michelle---these are easy and GOOD!
Bisquick Fudge Brownies

2 cups chocolate chips
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups Bisquick
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease well a 13 x 9-inch pan.

In large saucepan, over low heat, melt 1 cup chips with margarine; remove from heat. Add Bisquick, sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla extract. Stir in remaining chips. Turn into prepared pan. I like to press agoodly amount of sweetend coconut and almond slivers into the top of the batter.Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool.

Garnish as desired--creamcheese frostin and more nuts is nice. Cut into bars.
Eat!

Thanks for the recipe........made some this weekend everyone who ate one loved them.

I made those as well, but I changed a couple of things:) I added 2 cups of the mixed morsels, the ones that are milk chocolate/peanut butter, then I added a milk chocolate frosting. They taste sooooo good, almost like a brownie candy bar! Thanks for that recipe!

These are very rich, named after the good friend who gave me the recipe

Margaret's Brownies

2 sticks of margarine or butter
3 squares of Baker's sweetened chocolate
4 eggs (beaten)
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
11/2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 13"x9"x3" baking pan

Melt chocolate and margarine (or butter). In a large mixing bowl, combine melted margarine(or butter),chocolate, eggs, vanilla, pecans, and remaining dry ingredients. Mix well, and pour into baking pan. Bake 25-30 minutes (check for doneness with toothpick test)

Remove from oven and frost while brownies are still hot.


Frosting

1 stick margarine or butter
1 square Baker's sweetened chocolate
1 lb. box confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla
5-6 TBS. milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Melt margarine(butter) and chocolate and combine the remaining ingredients, pour over still-warm brownies.

YUMMMMM! I will be baking those tomorrow! Thanks Belle!

quote:

Originally posted by plb

The Good Eats episode aired Tuesday (a rerun) covered cream puffs (and types of flour). They probably have the recipe at foodnetwork.com. The French term he used sounded like pot-a-shoe.

quote:

Originally posted by plb

The Good Eats episode aired Tuesday (a rerun) covered cream puffs (and types of flour). They probably have the recipe at foodnetwork.com. The French term he used sounded like pot-a-shoe.

Hi! I live in Europe, and the fench term is 'choux' pastry - the type of pastry used for cream puff and eclair shells. A very easy pastry to make, that can be used for savoury shells as well, for example, filled with creamed chicken, etc.

Can I say yum? AND Can I move to France? Thank you both!