Cream Puffs with Ice Cream and Hot Fudge Sauce
This old-fashioned no-bake cake has just three components: store-bought cookies, homemade mint whipped cream, and chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for baking sheets
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash
- 2 to 3 pints vanilla ice cream, for serving
- Hot Fudge Sauce
Directions
- Make the dough: Preheat oven to 425°, 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 note below). 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 Fudge Sauce. Serve immediately.
Note: The dough is of the right consistency when it pulls away from the sides of the pan and looks like dry mashed potatoes.
Source: Everyday Food - Issue 27, December 2005, Page 112.