Betty Crocker Cream Puff Food

CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. In 2 1/2-quart saucepan, heat water and butter to rolling boil. Stir in flour; reduce heat to low. Stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat. Beat in eggs, all at once; continue beating until smooth.
• On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls about 3 inches apart. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed and golden. Cool away from draft, about 30 minutes.
• Make one of the fillings (directions below). Cut off top third of each puff and pull out any strands of soft dough. Fill puffs with filling; replace tops. Cover; refrigerate until serving. Store covered in refrigerator. Eggnog Fluff Filling: In large bowl, beat pudding mix, milk, rum extract, nutmeg and ginger with electric mixer on low speed until well blended. Add whipping cream; beat on high speed 1 to 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Fill puffs. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 3 hours. Just before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar or brush tops with light corn syrup and sprinkle with colored sugar or nonpareils. Peppermint Whipped Cream Filling: In large bowl, beat ingredients with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fill puffs. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours.

EGGNOG CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400ºF.
• In 2 1/2-quart saucepan, heat water and butter to rolling boil.
• Stir in flour.
• Stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat.
• Beat in eggs, all at once; continue beating until smooth.
• Drop dough by scant 1/4 cupfuls about 3 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed and golden.
• Cool away from draft.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat all Eggnog Cream ingredients except cream with electric mixer on low speed 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth.
• Add cream.
• Beat on high speed 1 to 2 minutes or until soft peaks form.
• Cut off tops of cooled puffs; pull out any soft dough.
• Fill puffs with Eggnog Cream; replace tops.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
• Serve immediately.
• Store covered in refrigerator.

EGGNOG CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. In 2 1/2-quart saucepan, heat water and butter to rolling boil. Stir in flour. Stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat. Beat in eggs, all at once; continue beating until smooth.
• Drop dough by scant 1/4 cupfuls about 3 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed and golden. Cool away from draft.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat all Eggnog Cream ingredients except cream with electric mixer on low speed 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Add cream. Beat on high speed 1 to 2 minutes or until soft peaks form.
• Cut off tops of cooled puffs; pull out any soft dough. Fill puffs with Eggnog Cream; replace tops. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately. Store covered in refrigerator.

CARAMEL CREAM PUFFS WITH CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• In 3-quart saucepan, mix 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons water with wooden spoon. Heat over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, without stirring, until sugar turns dark golden brown and just begins to smoke. (Do not allow to burn.)
• Immediately add 2 cups whipping cream, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. (Be careful-mixture will bubble furiously and be very hot.) Reduce heat to low. Stir constantly until any lumps of sugar melt. When mixture is smooth, remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour into large bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until cold.
• Adjust oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 400°F. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper if desired.
• In heavy 3-quart saucepan, heat 3/4 cup water, 6 tablespoons butter, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar and the salt to boiling over medium heat. Quickly stir in flour. Mixture will form a sticky paste. Cook about 1 minute, stirring vigorously, until mixture is stiff and smooth and forms a ball. Remove from heat.
• Add 1 of the eggs and stir vigorously with spoon until smooth (it will look like the egg will not blend in, but keep stirring and it will). Once egg is blended, add remaining egg and the egg white. Stir vigorously until dough is smooth and thick.
• Spoon about 3 tablespoons dough into a mound on parchment-lined or ungreased cookie sheet. The mound should be about 2 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches high (you can also use pastry bag to pipe dough into mounds). Repeat with remaining dough, making 8 equal mounds placed at least 2 inches apart. If the mounds have peaks, wet your fingertips and smooth them down.
• Bake dough 35 to 40 minutes or until puffs are very crisp and dark golden brown. Cool puffs on wire rack, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat brown sugar, 1 tablespoon butter and the corn syrup over medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown sugar melts and mixture bubbles. Add 1/2 cup whipping cream and stir until brown sugar dissolves and cream simmers. Remove from heat and stir in bittersweet and unsweetened chocolates until smooth. Stir in peanut butter.
• Beat cold cream mixture with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form.
• Use serrated knife to cut each cream puff in half horizontally. Divide whipped cream evenly among puffs and replace tops. Place cream puffs on serving plates and spoon sauce over tops.

PROFITEROLES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. In 2 1/2-quart saucepan, heat water and 1/2 cup butter to rolling boil. Stir in flour. Reduce heat to low; stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat.
• Beat in eggs, all at once, with spoon. Continue beating until smooth. Drop dough by level tablespoonfuls about 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets to make 36 profiteroles.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until puffed and golden. Cool away from draft, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, mix granulated sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in half-and-half. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Gradually stir at least half of the hot mixture into egg yolks, then stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter and the vanilla.
• Pour filling into bowl. Press plastic wrap on filling to prevent a tough layer from forming on top. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until cool.
• Cut puffs horizontally in half. Fill puffs with filling; replace tops. Sift powdered sugar over tops. Cover; refrigerate until serving. Serve drizzled with chocolate topping. Store remaining profiteroles covered in refrigerator.