Cream Puffs With Spiced Ice Cream And Caramel Sauce Recipes

CARAMEL TOPPED CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Make the Cream Puffs: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Combine the water, butter, salt, and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, immediately take the pan off the heat. Stirring with a wooden spoon, add all the flour at once and stir hard until the flour is incorporated, about 30 to 60 seconds. Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring, 2 minutes to evaporate some of the moisture.
• Scrape the mixture into a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer or mix by hand.) Mix at medium speed. With the mixer running, add 3 of the eggs, 1 at a time, stopping after each to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated. The dough should be thick, but should fall slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift them out of the bowl. If the dough is still clinging to the beaters, add another egg and mix until completely incorporated.
• Using a pastry bag, pipe the dough in bite-size "kisses" (about 1 1/2 inches across) onto 1 of the cookie sheets.
• Dip your finger in flour and push down the points to smooth out any bumps. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake until puffed up and light golden brown, about 25 minutes more. Try not to open the oven door too often during the baking. Let cool on the baking sheet.
• Make the Caramel: Pour the sugar into the center of a deep saucepan. Carefully pour the water around the sugar, trying not to splash any sugar onto the sides of the pan. Do not stir; gently draw your finger through the center of the sugar to moisten it. Over high heat, bring to a full boil and cook without stirring, swirling the pot occasionally to even out the color, until amber-caramel in color, 10 to 20 minutes. When the mixture is done, remove the pot from the heat and rest the bottom in the ice bath for 15 seconds to stop the cooking.
• Dip the top of each cream puff in the caramel and place it caramel-side down, with the base sticking straight up, on the other greased cookie sheet. The caramel will pool slightly around the puff and will harden and develop a foot. (When you turn the puffs over later, this will be a smooth flat "lid" for each profiterole.) Let cool until set, at least 10 minutes.
• When ready to serve, carefully turn the puffs over and cut each 1 horizontally in 1/2 using a long serrated knife. Fill each with a small scoop of ice cream or sweetened, flavored whipped cream. Place the lid on top and serve immediately.

CREAM PUFFS WITH ICE CREAM AND HOT FUDGE SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the dough: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. with racks in upper and lower thirds. Butter two large rimmed baking sheets.
• Combine butter, 1 cup water, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until butter melts. Reduce heat to medium.
• Add flour; cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball, 30 seconds to 1 minute (see Cook's Note). Remove from heat; cool 1 minute.
• With an electric handheld mixer, beat in eggs, a little bit at a time, until completely incorporated (dough should look shiny and be soft enough to slowly fall off a spoon).
• Bake the puffs: Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto baking sheets (you should have 24 to 28), about 2 inches apart. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush puffs with egg wash (do not let it drip on sheets).
• Bake, rotating sheets between racks halfway through, until puffed and brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven; turn oven off.
• With a toothpick, poke a hole in each puff. Return to oven (still off) for 10 minutes (this helps puffs dry out).
• Fill the puffs: When cool, halve each puff horizontally with a serrated knife.
• Working in batches (to prevent ice cream from melting), place a small scoop of ice cream (2 to 3 tablespoons) in each bottom half. Replace tops; press gently. Arrange on one rimmed baking sheet; freeze until firm. Cover with plastic wrap; freeze up to 2 days.
• Arrange 3 filled puffs in each of eight shallow bowls; drizzle with warm Hot Fudge Sauce. Serve immediately.

CARAMEL SWIRL CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray (butter flavored, if available) and set it aside.
• Roll dough out into a 12-inch by 9-inch rectangle. If using crescent rolls dough, pinch it to seal the perforated seams. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12 squares.
• Place each square of dough into a muffin cup, and press it into the bottom and up along the sides of the cup to form a little dough cup.
• Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and let it cool.
• Put whipped topping in a large bowl. Add instant pudding mix. Stir until it's blended, thickened, and uniform.
• Add chocolate pudding in dollops, and then gently swirl into the whipped topping mixture, creating a swirled effect. Do not mix until uniform.
• Remove dough cups from the muffin pan and evenly distribute pudding mixture among them.
• Drizzle each with 1/2 tablespoon of caramel dip and use the end of a spoon or fork to swirl it into the creamy mixture. Serve with berries, if you like. Enjoy!

PUMPKIN CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Place the butter, water, and salt in a heavy saucepan, and bring to a full rolling boil. Stir in the flour and beat vigorously until the mixture forms a ball. Place the dough ball in a mixing bowl, and beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding the next egg when the last one has been fully incorporated.
• Drop dough by tablespoons onto an ungreased baking sheet, and bake until the puffs rise and are golden brown on top, with fully-cooked insides, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool before filling. Cut the cream puffs horizontally with a serrated knife.
• To make filling, place the cream in the work bowl of an electric mixer, and whip until beginning to thicken, about 1 minute. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and pumpkin pie spice until well-mixed, and continue mixing until the cream forms soft peaks, about 3 minutes.
• Use a rubber spatula or wire whisk to fold 1/3 of the pumpkin puree into the whipped cream. Gently run the spatula through the center of the bowl, then around the sides of the bowl, repeating until fully incorporated. Add the remaining pumpkin puree, folding just until incorporated.
• Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the pumpkin cream filling into each puff, and dust the top of each puff with confectioners' sugar and a pinch of pumpkin pie spice for garnish. Refrigerate leftovers.