Cream Puffs

And now for dessert.

This recipe came from my grandmother. If you have a copy of How To Bake Without Baking Powder, you’ll find it on page 62. The puffs beautifully demonstrate the leavening power of eggs.

That copy of recipe did not include the fudge sauce, so all you’ll have to write that one down.

For the puffs:

• 1 C boiling water 
• ½ C butter 
• 4 eggs 
• 1 C flour 
• ¼ tsp salt 

Place water and butter in saucepan on high heat. When it comes to a boil, add flour and salt and stir until the dough pulls away from the side of the pan and forms a ball. Add eggs one at a time, beating with a fork until smooth and fluffy. Drop onto greased baking sheet and bake at 425ºF (220ºC) for 15 minutes, then 30 minutes at 325ºF (165ºC). Let sit in oven until cool.

For the cream filling: 

• 1 pint milk (2 C)
• ¼ C sugar 
• 2 heaping tbsp flour 
• 2 eggs 
• salt and vanilla 

Mix and cook over double boiler until thick and creamy.
Slice puffs and pour filling over bottom half. Replace the other half and top with chocolate sauce.

For the fudge sauce:

• 2 squares ounces of bitter (bakers) chocolate 
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 C sugar
• 1 small can evaporated milk (5 ounces, see Recipe Notes below.)

Cook in a double boiler until thick. Thin with water if it gets too stiff.

Recipe Notes:

• Unsweetened baking chocolate used to come in fat 1-ounce squares individually wrapped in paper. They’re in a bar now, and each square is half an ounce, so the recipe took four squares of bitter chocolate to make.
• I don’t keep canned evaporated milk around so I substituted whole goat milk (which is pretty rich).

This recipe uses half-a-dozen eggs, so it’s one I use when the chickens are laying well. If you’re like me, though, you’re probably already thinking of other fillings and toppings for the puffs.