Cream Puffs

Cream puff dough

1 cup water

1 stick butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 eggs

Cream filling

1 package pudding (chocolate is superior)

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp powdered sugar

1 cup heavy cream 

Chocolate drizzle

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp heavy cream 

Preheat oven to 400°.

For dough: 

In a medium sized saucepan, combine water and butter and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to low and add flour. Mix until smooth and a dough ball has formed. Remove pan from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Add in eggs one at a time and beat until completely combined. (This may take a couple minutes, but just trust and keep mixing.) Add in second egg once the first is completely combined. Repeat with the other two eggs. Spoon or pipe gold dollar sized dollops onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes. Remove and cool on wrack.

For filling:

Whisk pudding mix, milk, and vanilla together, then place in fridge for about 5 minutes. Whip heavy cream with powdered sugar then fold into pudding. Let chill in the fridge

For chocolate drizzle:

In a microwave safe dish, melt chocolate chips and butter in the microwave. (About 2, 15 second intervals, stirring after both.) Mix in heavy cream and microwave in 10 second intervals until smooth and “drizzle-able”. 

Assembling:

Once puffs are completely cooled, cut a small hole in the bottom and pipe filling into the puffs. Drizzle chocolate over puffs. 

Additional notes:

I made the chocolate drizzle after I had filled the puffs, that way the drizzle doesn’t harden again.

Applesauce Muffins

Delicious! If you can get your hands on some chunky applesauce, it's worth it.

2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/3 cups unsweetened applesauce, room temp
2 large eggs, room temp
1/3 cup coconut oil or butter, melted
1/3 cup honey or pure maple syrup, room temp
1/3 cup milk (dairy or nondairy), room temp
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup mix-ins (raisins, dried cranberries, chopped pecans or walnuts, etc.)
optional: 3 Tablespoons chopped sliced almonds and/or 1 Tablespoon sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray muffin pan with nonstick spray or use cupcake liners. If using cupcake liners, spray the liners too.

Whisk the flour, oats, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the applesauce, eggs, oil, honey, milk, and vanilla together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stir a few times, then add the mix-ins. Fold everything together gently just until combined and no flour pockets remain.

Spoon the batter into liners, filling them all the way to the top. Top with oats and a light sprinkle of coarse sugar, if desired. Bake for 5 minutes at 425 then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 15-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 20-21 minutes, give or take. (For mini muffins, bake 11-13 minutes at 350°F (177°C) the whole time.)

Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, and then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling or enjoy warm.

Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days, then transfer to the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction