Monday, December 7, 2009

All Time Favorite Holiday Recipes

CREAM PUFFS!



I have made these cream puffs for years at Christmas and for parties. People love them! I remember making a platter of them for a New Year's party one year and we forgot to have dessert (the champagne was flowing...) A few days later my friend called and said she had eaten all but one! Not only that, but had given her husband the "eye" when he wanted the last one. She was thinking she wouldn't be needing any calories for a while.

It's a Betty Crocker recipe, and came from my very first cookbook back in 1971. It has been a family tradition to make these and deliver them to neighbors and friends on festive holiday plates. I usually make enough for each family member to have two, because one is just not enough! They are small, perfect for about two or three bites. My old cookbook is in storage so I went online to find the original recipe. The batter for the puffs was the same, but it included different fillings - so I started with the one I usually use, and added the other two as well.

Puffs
1 Cup Water
1 Cube Butter (4 oz) (or margarine - I guess...) 
1 Cup White Flour
4 Eggs


1. Heat oven to 400ºF. 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.


2. 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.


3. 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.


Vanilla Whipped Cream Filling: 
16 oz Heavy Whipping Cream
1 - 4 oz Pkg Vanilla Instant Pudding
1 Cup Milk
In large bowl beat beat all three incredients until soft peaks form. Fill puffs as directed and drizzle with chocolate frosting.

Eggnog Fluff Filling: 

16 oz Heavy Whipping Cream
1 - 4 oz Pkg Vanilla Instant Pudding 
1 Cup Milk
1 tsp Rum Extract
1 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger 
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: 

16 oz Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar or Powdered Sugan
1 tsp Peppermint Extract
5 or 6 Drops Red or Green Food Coloring
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.


Chocolate Frosting: 
2 oz Unsweetened Chocolate
2 TBL Butter
1-2 Tablespoons hot water (or as needed)
1 Box Powdered Sugar. 
Melt the chocolate and butter, add the powdered sugar and add hot water, a little bit at a time (just so it is slightly runny), mix well. Drizzle cream puffs and voila!


Now for your recipes!

ESSAYS AND UTTER NONSENSE
PISTACHIO COCONUT COOKIES


 THE RAMBLINGS OF A DISGRUNTLED SECRETARY
FRENCH BREAKFAST MUFFINS

ARMY MOM'S PLACE
SWEET POTATO SOUFFLE



SIXTYFIVEWHATNOW
PANETTONE


CAJUN DELIGHTS
PECAN PRALINES


MY YEAR ON THE GRILL
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER NUTELLA CRESCENT ROLLS


WRITE PLACE! WRITE CHICK!
CHERRY 'O CREAM PIE & CHOCOLATE FROSTED PISTACHIO ECLAIRS



If you think of something you would like to share, drop me a comment today and I will add it to the above list. Also in my comments from the last post I had a couple of wonderful ideas for hot chocolate and a cream cheese appetizer - so check those out. Thank you for participating and I can't wait to try these recipes!

27 comments:

Natalie said...

I'm coming over! These are my favourites.YYYYUUUUMMMMMYYYYYYY!xx♥

Leah J. Utas said...

Oh, my those sound good. Ummm, help me out, please. Not sure about a measurement. How many ounces in a cube of butter?

Alicia @ boylerpf said...

Can I be a neighbor? I have yet to get my creme puffs to turn out! These look delicious to say the least!

Joanne said...

What a great idea for a cookbook - blog-linked recipes. Lots of personality would accompany each recipe, most definitely!

DJan said...

These look wonderful, even after my overindulgence at a Christmas party on Saturday! I neglected to get anything on this list, but I will definitely be checking them out!

ellen abbott said...

Ooooo. Cream puffs. These bring back memories. When we were growing up my mother had a maid/cook and she would make cream puffs for desert. Not the little ones you see at parties, but big ones. I loved cream puffs.

Brian Miller said...

yum. egg nog stuffing. yum. really i almost licked the screen, but i am at the library so that would be just gross...

Sylvia said...

Oh, I want to be your neighbour!!! Such a lovely tradition! Those ones look delicious. I just can't wait until Christmas - I'll cook them before. :)

Rosaria Williams said...

Yummy. I love all those fillings.

Unknown said...

I'm afraid that I have to ask, like Leah above, how much is a cube? a tablespoon? Sorry to be dense...smiles.

Anonymous said...

Those look SO SO SO delicious!!!
Here's one of mine:

Rustic Tomato Lentil Soup:
-as much garlic as you can stand (I used 4 cloves).
-1 medium onion, diced.
-3 medium carrots, diced.
-2 tbsp olive oil.
-2 stalks celery, chopped.
-6cups vegetable broth.
-1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes.
-2 cups cooked lentils.
-pepper (to taste).
-cayenne pepper (to taste).
-1 cup dry pasta (any short kind).

In a large soup pot, saute garlic, onions, and carrots in oil on medium-high heat until the onions are translucent. Add the celery, stock, tomatoes, lentils, pepper, and cayenne and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender. Add pasta and simmer for 10 more minutes before serving.


This soup serves many and it is so delicious!

pam said...

I love cream puffs, but I would have never ever considered making them!

Nancy said...

Leah & Emom - 1 cube = 4 oz - I sometimes forget food may be measured differently in different areas.

Phoebe - Thanks! I may make this tonight - it's snowing and that sounds heavenly.

Joanne - Great idea!

Brian - LOL!

Lillian Robinson said...

I sure picked the wrong time of year to lose weight! Who doesn't love cream puffs? I think I could just settle down in front of a Christmas movie with a bowl of the vanilla filling! Oh, my! Did I say that out loud?

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

I am new, my good blogger buddy Marguerite over at Cajun Delights sent me here, and I love your site...


Just made a holiday treat that you are welcome to link (and forgive the rant that came with the post)\\http://yearonthegrill.blogspot.com/2009/12/chocolate-peanut-butter-nutello.html

Meeko Fabulous said...

These recipes all sound great! Can't wait to try my hand at those cream puffs! :)

Marguerite said...

Those cream puffs look divine and I'll have the eggnog fluff filling, please! I have that same Betty Crocker cookbook and it is timeless. Thanks for all of the other delicious recipes, too!

~JarieLyn~ said...

Your cream puffs look divine and they are one of my favorite desserts. I added two recipes to my blog if you want to check it out.

I'm going to try your recipe this year.

Jo said...

I love cream puffs. My mother was famous for her choux pastry cream puffs. I'm going to try some of these recipes for cream puff fillings that yuo have posted here.

Hilary said...

Oh Nancy, between you and Jarie Lyn I'm gaining weight just reading about these yummy desserts. They sounds just wonderful!

The Good Cook said...

Yum Cream Puffs!! And I am soo mad at myself for not playing... I just got caught up in our tree decorating, etc...

Tis the season, no?

The Good Cook said...

ps. My mom stuffs cream puff shells with chicken salad, tuna, smoked salmon, all types of savory fillings...

GYPSYWOMAN said...

these all sound SO DIVINE!!! what a banquet of tastes! so good of you to make available for everyone, lady! am sorry to be a bit distracted of late, but sick little grandbaby, a daughter who's been ill for a couple of weeks and had to go to the ER in the middle of the night last night - the list goes on - in any event, creative and other energies impacted right now! but i always feel as if i'm "coming home" when i visit over here! thanks!

Mike said...

OMG!! I love anything like that! Napoleans, boston cream pie! Anything with cream filling!

Lori Lynn said...

They look perfect!
One of my favorite desserts, but they have to be homemade.
LL

Unknown said...

Reading your cream puff recipe gave me goosebumps.It makes this lame salad I am eating seem so... well... lame. But amazingly enough I think I might possibly have the mental capacity to make those. We will see. Maybe I will. Oh god they seem so tasty!

Kate said...

We make cream puffs for Christmas Day dinner. Family tradition. Out of the Red Plaid Cookbook - which everyone has, right? Only we fill ours with peppermint ice cream. And even though I was snowed in for Christmas this year, I made them ANYWAY.