Cream Puffs with Custard and Fruit Filling

{ this might very well put beard papa's out of business. }

I wish someone had told me before how easy it is to make cream puffs.  It would have saved me a lot of money and trips to Fort Lee and the Upper West Side for Beard Papa's.  I feel it's my civic duty to pass on the knowledge and share with you how simple these scrumptious desserts are to make.  I may be putting Beard Papa's out of business by doing so.  Sorry 'bout that. 

[If you want to skip all the verbiage and just get to the recipe, scroll down to the bottom of this post.]

We had friends over for dessert on Saturday and then our neighbor over on Sunday to watch the football game (go Jets!).  I wasn't sure what to make for dessert for the evenings so I sat skimming through my Taste of Home cookbook when my eyes came across a cream puff recipe.  Glancing at the ingredients and the directions, I thought, "There's no way it can be that simple."

Well, folks.  I'm here to tell you that it is.

I did a research online for cream puff recipes just to be sure the one in Taste of Home wasn't steering me wrong.  I saw a few and they seemed relatively similar but had different suggestions for the filling. 

In reading the reviews for a cream puff recipe on Allrecipes.com, I got a little concerned and thought maybe this isn't as simple as it seems.  A few of the reviews complained about the dough appearing too runny after adding the 4 eggs (some suggest beating in the first 3 and then adding the 4th if the texture isn't right).  I have no idea what the right texture is supposed to be like, but I went ahead and added the 4th egg and it turned out beautifully.

{ the dough is ready to go in the oven }

Another common comment I read was that the pastry didn't puff and it turned out flat.  A few reviewers claimed you had to poke a hole while the pastry was baking to make sure it would puff.  Being paranoid, I took the precaution of taking this step.  So 20 minutes into the baking process, I took a chopstick and popped a hole in 10 out of the 12 puffs.  I wanted to see what would happen to the couple that didn't get "popped".

{ this puff didn't get "popped" and rose to the occasion }

Well, they turned out just as beautiful as the rest.  So I'm not sure this extra step needs to be taken, but I guess it couldn't hurt.  But it is important to make sure it's cooked through to the center, otherwise it will get soggy and sag.  And other reviewers said it's helpful to let it sit in the oven with the door ajar for a minute or so after they're done baking to prevent collapsing.  I didn't do this either.  I just transfered them immediately to a wire rack, and it turned out just fine.

They all turned out quite beautifully.

{ perfect puffs }

And when you open them up, they're just begging to be filled with some sweet custard and fruit goodness. 

{ "fill me!" }

Oh yeah, like that.

It was nice knowing you Beard Papa's.

Cream Puffs with Custard and Fruit Filling
{ Prep time: 30 minutes; Bake time: 30 minutes; Yields: 12 puffs }

Ingredients
For pastry puff:
1/3 cup butter, cubed
1 cup water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For filling:
1 (5.1 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 cup strawberries, sliced

Directions

1. Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream and milk.  Cover and refrigerate to set.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
3. In a small pot, bring water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil over medium heat.  Once boiling, add flour all at once and with a wooden spoon, stir until a smooth ball forms.  Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes.  Transfer dough to a stand mixer.  Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each until dough is smooth and shiny.  Mix in the vanilla.  Drop by 2 rounded tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto baking sheet.
4. Place sheet on middle rack in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Centers should be dry (check with toothpick).  Transfer to wire rack to cool.
5. While shells are cooling, remove pudding mix from the fridge.  Fold in 1 cup of whipped topping and mix.  When the shells are cool, split and fill with custard and then layer on sliced strawberries.  Replace cream puff tops and dust with confectioners sugar.  You can refrigerate until ready to serve.*

*Tip:  It's best to keep the pastry and custard separate until ready to serve to prevent the cream puff from getting soggy. 

Next time, I'm going to try this with chocolate and banana pudding mix. 

Enjoy!

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Almond Drop Cookies with Almond Glaze

{ almond drops glazed in almond sweetness }

The family went over to a friend's for dinner for some amazing Chinese hot pot (fondue-style Asian stew)!   It was delicious and totally hit the spot.  I'll have to endeavor to make some and host a hot pot party at our home this winter. 

We were in charge of dessert.  I wasn't sure what to make to complement hot pot, but I was in the mood for something with almonds.  Inspired by the vanilla cookie sandwiches, I played around with the recipe and made almond drop cookies drizzled with almond glaze.  They were a hit.

What I love about this cookie is that it's soft, chewy, and has just a touch of sweetness, which is perfect for the kids.  And if you want something a little extra sweet, just drizzle it with some almond glaze goodness. 

I think these could easily become a household favorite.

Almond Drop Cookies with Almond Glaze
{ Prep time: 30 min Bake: 15 min per batch Makes: about 36 cookies }

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 4-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar (or reduce to 3/4 cup)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup coursely chopped almonds

1 recipe Almond Glaze (see below)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, the baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and almond extract until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Mix in chopped almonds.
2. Drop dough by placing rounded balls (about the size of a ping pong ball) 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake about 13 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool.
3. Once the cookies are cool, drizzle icing on top.

Almond Glaze

In a small bowl stir together 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and enough milk (3 to 4 teaspoons) to make an icing of drizzling consistency. [Tip:  Prepare the almond glaze while the cookies are baking.]

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Cranberry Almond Biscotti

{ cranberry almond biscotti with citrus zest.
perfect in the morning with fresh, hot coffee. }

Cheers and happy 2011, everyone!

Hubby and I actually made it to the strike of midnight (and then passed out shortly thereafter).  We rang in the new year by enjoying a glass of white wine and a plate of homemade biscotti right out of the oven.   I know what you're thinking.  We are such exciting people, and you can hardly contain your excitement at the mere thought of ours!   :)

Okay, so what you're probably really thinking is biscotti?  Why biscotti?  Because I was in the mood.  A friend shared homemade pistachio and almond biscotti with me over the holidays and it was fabulous!  I never thought to make my own, but I figured I'd give it a try.  I was amazed it turned out quite nicely.  The proof is in the empty bowl by noon today. 

I got the recipe for almond biscotti from Better Homes and Gardens but modified it a bit by adding cranberries, almond extract, and using less sugar.

Hubby is already requesting another batch.  Something tells me I'll be making a lot of biscotti in 2011.

Cranberry Almond Biscotti
{Prep: 25 min  Bake: 25 min/20 min  Stand: 15 min.  Oven: 325 degree  Makes: About 24 large cookies}

Ingredients 

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel
• 1 cup coursely chopped almonds
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside.  In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.  Place eggs and egg yolks in the well and stir into the flour mixture.  Add butter, almond extract, and orange peel. Stir until dough starts to form a ball.  Stir in almonds and dried cranberries.
2. Divide dough into two equal portions.  On a lightly floured surface, shape each portion of dough into a 12-inch-long loaf.  Place the loaves about 3 inches apart on the cookie sheet.  Flatten the loaves until about 1 1/2 inches wide (from top to bottom).  Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until firm and light brown.  Let stand on cookie sheets on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
3. Transfer logs to a cutting board.  Using a serrated knife, cut loaves diagonally into 1/2 inch slices.  Place slices, cut sides down, on cookie sheets.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Turn cookies over; bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until crisp and golden brown.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. 

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Moist Banana Bread

There is truly nothing better than fresh-baked bread right out of the oven (well, actually fresh-baked cookies could give it a run for its money). 

This holiday, I was on a banana bread fix and made 6 loaves over a 3-day span.   I made it Christmas eve morning for the boys and my in-laws, made it for my extended family gathering on Christmas day, and then made another batch for my college holiday gathering on the 26th.  And amazingly enough, I'm still not banana-ed out!

Here's the recipe I use for a moist great-plain-for-breakfast or even-better-when-paired-with-vanilla-ice-cream banana bread.

MOIST BANANA BREAD
{ Prep time: 15 minutes; Bake time: 1 hour }

Ingredients

• 4 ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (you can reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons applesauce (this is key to making the bread moist)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Place bananas in a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher.  Mix the melted butter into the mashed bananas.  Then mix in the sugar, egg, applesauce, and vanilla.  Mix in the baking soda and salt.  Add the flour last and mix.  Pour the mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch bread loaf pan.  Bake for 1 hour (if your oven tends to heat faster, you should check it at 45 minutes and see if it's cooked - overcooking will dry out the bread).  Keeping the bread in the pan, cool it on a rack.  Remove from pan and slice to serve.

The slice of bread goes perfectly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  You could easily add chopped walnuts or raisins.  But if you're making it for an event or gathering, I'd suggest keeping it simple because (1) you never know if someone has nut allergies and (2) you just can't go wrong with plain banana bread.

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Vanilla Cookie Sandwiches with Buttercream Frosting

{ cookie sandwiches with peppermint and toffee }

Although it's hard to find the time with two little ones, I love baking and trying new recipes when I can.  And I love baking even more when my son lends a hand!  Today CJ and I made these delights.  I got the recipe from Better Homes & Gardens Ultimate Cookie Book (one of my favorite cookie recipe books).

I love that the cookie itself is soft, chewy, and has just a hint of sweetness (which is perfect for the kids!).  When paired with the buttercream frosting, it gives it that perfect sweet guilty pleasure (perfect for the grown ups!).  The crushed candy adds a nice crunch.  I used peppermint candy canes and Heath toffee bars.


Vanilla Cookie Sandwiches with Buttercream Frosting
(from Better Homes and Gardens Ultimate Cookie Book)

FOR COOKIES
{ Prep time:  30 min  Chill:  2 hr  Bake:  6 min per batch
Makes:  about 30 sandwich cookies }

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Sugar (optional)
1 recipe Buttercream frosting (below)
Crushed candy of choice

Directions
1.  In a large mixing bowl beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Add the 1 cup sugar, the baking soda, and salt.  Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.  Stir in any remaining flour.  Divide dough in half.  Cover and chill dough about 2 hours or until easy to handle.
2.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time until 1/8 inch thck.  Using a 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out dough.  Place cutouts 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  If desired, sprinkle cutouts lightly with additional sugar.  Bake for 6 to 7 minutes or until bottoms are light brown.  Transfer to a wire rack; cool.
3.  Spread buttercream frosting onto the bottom halfs of the cooled cookies.  Top with the remaining cookies.  Roll edges in the crushed candy.


FOR BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
{ Start to finish: 10 min  Makes:  about 2 1/2 cups }

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons milk

Directions
In a bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy.  Add vanilla.  Beat in half of the powdered sugar.  Beat in 2 tablespoons of the milk.  Beat in the remaining powdered sugar until smooth.  Beat in enough of the remaining milk to make a frosting of spreading consistency.

FOR THE CANDY COATING
Crush candy of choice (candy canes, peppermint candies, Heath toffee bars).  Easiest way to do this is to put the candy in a ziploc bag and crush with hammer.  Once the cookie is assembled, roll the edges in the crushed candy.

The end result?

An enthusiastic thumbs up from my taste testers!

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Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

{ pumpkin + maple + heath toffee bits = perfect combination for the holidays! }

A few of my favorite things about Thanksgiving involve pumpkin pies, pumpkin cheesecakes, pumpkin bread . . . anything and everything pumpkin!

So why not pumpkin cupcakes?  I found the perfect recipe from Ina Garten.

But I'll let you in on a little secret.  I cheated and used this:

And it turned out moist and delicious.  So if you're short on time or just like shortcuts, here's the modified and simpler recipe (yields 12 cupcakes):

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ingredients

• Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread Mix
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped Heath bars

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix the ingredients.  Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter into a muffin tin with cupcake liners (I fill the cup 2/3 full).  Bake for 18-20 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Place the cupcakes on a wire rack to cool completely.  Spread the cupcakes with maple frosting and sprinkle with chopped Heath bits.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (I normally use a little less so the frosting isn't too sweet)

Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and butter on low speed until smooth. Stir in the maple flavoring and vanilla extract. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Then you can decorate with these.  Enjoy!

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Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

We celebrated a very dear friend's 40th birthday this past weekend.  We hosted a quaint and intimate dinner at our home.  My sister-in-law, Jane (her pseudonym), cooked up an amazing Korean beef and potato dish.  Everyone inhaled it.  We had other traditional Korean fare, as well, which was ordered from a caterer.

Instead of buying a cake, I decided to make coconut cupcakes.  Another friend of ours made these for CJ's 2nd birthday party, and they were amazing! 

Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
(Recipe from Ina Garten)

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk (don't make the mistake I have and get low-fat; it'll change the texture of the cupcake)
• 14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:
(I used a different recipe to get a thicker frosting which is better for decorating)

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (I always cut the sugar in half, so I only used 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

I decided to add the pink flowers to add a decorative touch and make the cupcakes prettier!  They're easy to make with a Wilton Large Star Decorating Tip 1-M.  I'm hoping to post up a step-by-step how-to in the coming weeks.  But this week will be devoted to another big project I'm working on (stay tuned for that).
 

And what's a party without some good wine?  As a complement to the cupcakes, I purchased what else, but Cupcake wines.  These are a recent new fave (and they're only $8.99/bottle).  I particularly enjoy the Cabernet Sauvignon.

We had such a fabulous time!  And we loved celebrating the life of a sister and friend we dearly treasure! S, you are an amazing blessing to us all!

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Flower Power

Here are some highlights from CJ's dohl.  Although we had many more guests at his party, it was much more lowkey than Nathan's in terms of preparation because we held it at a local park (CJ is a June baby so we took advantage of the nice weather).  We kept decorations very simple and had subs, gimbap (Korean california rolls), pasta and other simple picnic fare for lunch. 

{ sugar cookies made with lots of love }

The most work went into prepping the favors - homemade sugar cookies.  I thought these would make great centerpieces.  So I cut the cookies into flower shapes, stuck them on a lollipop stick, decorated each one, put them in a clear treat bag, tied a ribbon, and then placed a few in several pots (sticks were held secure by styrofoam).  Then guests took one home as a favor.

Decorating was easy.  All it required was some Betty Crocker cookie icing (in white and then you can add food coloring to make any color you want), candied sprinkles, and lots of love.

* * * * *

Here's the recipe I used (from AllRecipes.com):

SUGAR COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

* * * * *

These were a hit. 

{ a very manly cake }

I also contemplated making the cake for CJ's birthday but decided it would be too much work in addition to the cookies.  So we ordered from a local bakery in Tenafly called Cafe Savoy.  We've had their cakes in the past, and they are delicious!  We flipped through their cake catalog and chose a large white cake with strawberries featuring a monkey.

We had no idea it would be pink!  [This is probably why I decided to make Nathan's cupcakes for his party.  :)]

But the birthday boy didn't care.  He was as happy as could be.


{ We had similar items out for CJ's dohljabi as we did Nathan's.  CJ chose the yarn (which represents long life) and then the stethoscope.  By the way, Nathan chose the stethoscope and then the Bible.  I'm not sure how I feel about both of them being in the medical field.   And the pic of CJ and daddy is my absolute favorite.  Melts my heart each time. }

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Cupcakes Galore!

{ cupcakes for mother's day bake sale }

I discovered my love of baking cupcakes when I was pregnant with my firstborn.  I attribute it to the effects of "nesting".  I had never baked a thing in my life before - not even pre-battered cookies you just roll out on a sheet!

So my first cupcake project was initiated by a Mother's Day bake sale at church.  I figured I would give it a go and see how they turned out.  I researched endlessly online for recipes and decorating ideas.  The picture shows the end result.  Truth be told, I think they turned out more pleasing to the eye than the taste palette.  But over time and with practice, I'm hoping to make cupcakes that both look and taste great!

* * * * * *



{ nathan's birthday cupcakes }

For Nathan's 1-year birthday party, I baked white and chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  I was originally going to make a coconut cupcake but ended up improvising on a simpler recipe.  This is the recipe I used (which actually turned out quite nicely):

WHITE/CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

INGREDIENTS:

1 box white/chocolate cake mix (used Duncan Hines moist mix)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

¾ tsp salt

1 1/3 cups water

2 Tbs vegetable oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp pure almond extract

1 cup sour cream
4 large egg whites

RECIPE:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place cupcake liners in cupcake pans (you’ll need approx. 36).

2. In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix, flour, sugar and salt. Add remaining ingredients and beat with hand mixer for 2 minutes, or until well blended.



3. Use ice cream scoop to fill prepared cupcake tins- fill about 3/4 full. Bake about 18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Yield: 36 cupcakes

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature

8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature

2 cups of powdered sugar (I only use about 1 go 1.5 cup)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of almond extract

RECIPE:

1. With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

2. Add the vanilla and almond extract and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness and thickness.

3. Either spread on with a blunt knife or spatula, or spoon into a piping bag to decorate your cake or cupcake.

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