Eggnog Cream Puffs

So, cream puffs. These are one of those pastries that definitely take a lot of precision and most of all, practice. Do not expect to nail these on your first attempt, but if you do, please let me know how you did it. Choux pastry (the puff) is fairly difficult as, a lot can go wrong. You need to act quickly and be very careful and most of all, you need someone to hold your hand through it. That’s what I am here for! Also, since this is a pastry, the measurements are in grams, which means you need an electric scale. Don’t worry, they are like $10 on Amazon!

Some notes:

• Do not add filling until ready to serve.
• Bake one tray at a time, do not double up.
• Be sure that your cracklin’ is thin, as if it is too thick it will prevent the puff from rising!
• These freeze really well, so you can fill them and then place in a freezer safe ziplock to store. Take out and put into the fridge to defrost before serving.

what you need:

Choux Dough:

• 125g whole milk
• 125g water
• 110g unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 15g granulated sugar
• 165g all-purpose flour
• 240g eggs

Cracklin’ Top: (this is optional, but gives them a little crunch and that little crackle top)

• 50g unsalted butter, room temp
• 60g all purpose flour
• 120g brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Eggnog Filling:

• 1- 5oz package of vanilla instant pudding
• 2 cups eggnog, no alcohol added
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon rum extract
• Large pinch of nutmeg

PREPARE THE FILLING: In a large bowl, add in the pudding mix, eggnog, and heavy cream. Whisk until completely combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to thicken. Add in the powdered sugar, rum extract, and nutmeg. Stir well. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap into the top of the pudding to make sure it doesn’t form a film, and place in the fridge for AT LEAST two hours.

PREPARE THE CRACKLIN’: Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. It will resemble cookie dough. Place between two large sheets of parchment paper and roll out until it is about 1-2mm thick. Place in the freezer for at least an hour.

PREPARE THE CHOUX: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare 2 – 3 cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.

In a small nonstick pot over medium heat, combine the milk, butter, salt vanilla, and granulated sugar. Stir together with a wooden spoon until butter is melted and it has begun to boil.

Remove from heat, and add the flour all at once. Return to the heat and mix very quickly with the wooden spoon. It will turn into a thick paste like texture but keep stirring for 2 minutes. Do not stop stirring!

Pour the paste into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium for 1 minute, to help it release some heat and cool down.

With the mixture on low, slowly pour in the eggs and once all are added, adjust mixer to medium speed and beat the dough for about 4 minutes. Test the consistency by dipping a spatula into the batter, and pulling it up. If the batter resembles a “V” when it breaks off the bottom, it is done. If it still too stiff and does not do this, mix another minute or so and then test it again.

Pour the batter into a pastry bag (you can choose to use a fun tip or just a round one) pipe the puffs into 1-inch circles onto your baking sheet about 2 inches apart, using a quick flick of your wrist at the end. If you are not using cracklin’ and your puffs have a point, wet your finger and then push down on the point to flatten it. If you ARE using cracklin’ do not worry about the points.

Remove the cracklin’ from the freezer and using a 1-inch circle cutter, cut out circles of the cracklin’ and then gently place on top of the puffs. Do this one tray at a time, putting the cracklin’ back in the freezer in-between trays.

Bake the puffs for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, and then lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake another 20 minutes or so. Check the status frequently and remove once the tops are deeply golden brown and they have puffed up.

Once out of the oven, let cool a few minutes and then, using a chopstick or something similar, poke holes in the bottom of each puff to release the steam.

Fill a pastry bag, or a zip lock with the tip cut off, with the eggnog cream and fill each puff until firm, being careful to not overfill.

Serve within a few hours of filling and keep leftovers in the fridge or freezer.

Recipe adapted from Cloudy Kitchen