Mocha Pudding Cream Puffs

Does this look like a four-ingredient French pastry? Water, butter, flour and eggs … that’s it. Though they look intimidating, these profiteroles (a.k.a. cream puffs) are simple, versatile, beautiful, and contain no sugar.

Did you catch that when I listed the four ingredients? No sugar. This lack of sweetness is what makes the puffs so versatile. They become a crispy-chewy vehicle for savory or sweet preparations. One batch will make 6 large puffs (as pictured above) or 20-24 mini-puffs (bite-sized). The mini-puffs are a great option for appetizers or a bite-sized sandwich/dessert for a party or luncheon.

how to fill a profiterole

Some of my favorite ways to serve these include:

• a replacement for shortcake in strawberry season (pictured here),
• filled with mocha pudding (pictured previously),
• stuffed with chicken salad (pictured below), or
• holding a big scoop of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup drizzled over top.

That last option is courtesy of my sister-in-law who would make homemade fudge sauce and was never stingy with it!

more filling options

As I was making this batch, I started thinking about fillings I hadn’t yet considered. Now I can’t stop thinking about:

• coconut cream,
• sliced turkey with avocado slices and microgreens,
• bruschetta with fresh basil,
• peanut butter cream with jelly,
• bananas foster,
• scrambled eggs with sausage gravy, and
• Italian meatballs!

Some of these ideas are not likely to work well. The one rule to consider with cream puffs is they will absorb liquid and become soggy very quickly, making it difficult to pick up if they are filled too early. For example, the bruschetta mixture would have to be drained well before putting in the shell. A layer of fresh basil placed on the shell before adding the filling will help separate the remaining liquid from the pastry.

Of course you can use instant pudding. The mocha pudding recipe was my first ever attempt at homemade pudding. Do not be intimidated … it is worth it!

But first, the profiteroles!

Cream Puffs with Mocha Pudding Filling

Cream Puffs are a versatile shell for stunning sweet or savory desserts or fancy sandwiches. Find out just how easy they are to make with only four ingredients!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

  

Cream Puffs

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 eggs

Mocha Pudding

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 1/2 cups Milk
• 2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee
• 1 egg yolk slightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

 

Cream Puffs

• Heat oven to 425°. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
• In a medium saucepan, heat water and butter to a rolling boil.
  
• Reduce heat to low, add flour, and stir/whisk vigorously about 1 minute, or until mixture leaves the side of the pan and forms a ball. Remove from heat.
  
• Stir in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition until smooth.
  
• Divide dough into 6 parts (about 1/4 cup each) and drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart.
• Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325° and continue baking for 20-25 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool 2-3 minutes. Transfer puffs to a wire rack.
  
• Allow puffs to cool 2-3 more minutes or until they are cool enough to handle.
  
• Cut a small portion off the top of each puff and set aside the base.
  
• Gently use a spoon to “pull” the soft dough from inside each lid and base, careful not to tear the puff. Discard the soft dough. Cool completely.
  
• When cool, the puffs can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for one day. The puffs will not spoil after that but will not maintain their texture.
  

Mocha Pudding

• In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch. Combine milk and instant coffee and stir into sugar mixture. Bring mixture slowly to a boil over medium-low heat, whisking constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
  
• Gradually stir a small amount of hot mixture into beaten egg yolk, blending well. Whisk the egg mixture back into saucepan and return to heat. Continue whisking until mixture boils and immediately remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into heat-proof bowl and allow to cool 10 minutes.
  
• Press a sheet of plastic wrap onto surface of pudding and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
  
• When ready to serve, scoop pudding into cream puff base, place lid on top and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
  

Notes

NOTE: If making mini-cream puffs, use a rounded teaspoon of batter per puff, allowing 2 inches between puffs on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 425°. Reduce oven temperature to 325° and continue baking for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

new and improved

I was looking through other cookbooks to see if I could find any other helpful hints to include and found that many recipes will tell you to bake at 425° for 10 minutes and then reduce oven temperature to 325° and continue baking for an additional 20-25 minutes. I like this idea because it is how we bake pies to get the crust nice and flaky with the hot oven and then bring it down to finish the cooking process without burning the pastry.

Next time I make cream puffs, I will try this new/old method. If I like it better, I will update the recipe with the improved instructions.

Sounds like the perfect excuse to try out some of those other filling options, don’t you think??

NOTE: As you can see, I did try the high/low temperature method and have edited
the recipe accordingly. This post was updated on June 15, 2018. 

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