Basic Cream Puff Dough

1 cup water

½ cup unsalted butter or shortening

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 425° F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets or line with parchment.

In a medium saucepan, combine water and butter and heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Bring water to a full boil and immediately stir in salt, sugar and flour.  Stir with a wooden spoon until all the flour is blended.  Shuffle the saucepan briefly over burner to dry out the dough.  Remove from heat and place in large mixing bowl.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Turn mixer on and add eggs one at a time blending each egg.  Pastry dough should look glossy after the last egg is blended.

Spoon the pastry dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a plain tip.  Pipe mounds of dough about 1 inch in diameter.  Use a blunt knife dipped in warm water to separate dough from tip.

Bake until golden brown, about 22-25 minutes.  Remove from oven and make a small horizontal slit on one side of each puff.  Turn the oven off.  Replace cookie sheets in the oven to dry inside of pastries in a draft free place.  Check to make sure they do not over cook.  Makes about 3 dozen pastries

Vanilla Pastry Cream Filling

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

2 egg yolks, beaten

2 tablespoons butter

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan.  Gradually stir in milk until smooth.  Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from the heat.  Stir a small amount of the hot filling into the beaten egg yolks and return all to the pan.  Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and extracts.  Cover and refrigerate until cool.

After pastry cream is thick and cold, place in a large pastry bag with a medium plain tip.  Fill each puff through the slit in the side.  Optional:  Add fresh strawberries and bananas and top with favorite topping.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Filling

1 cup chopped semisweet chocolate

4 ounces light cream cheese, softened

½ cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons strong brewed coffee, cold

½ cup ground hazelnuts

½ cup ground almonds

2 cups heavy cream

Melt chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water.  Stir constantly until smooth.  Allow to cool to room temperature.  In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, brown sugar and coffee until smooth.  Blend in the melted chocolate.  Fold in the ground hazelnuts and almonds.  In a second large bowl, whip the cream until peaks form.  Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cheese mixture, and then quickly fold in the remaining whipped cream until no streaks remain.

Place filling in a large pastry bag with a medium plain tip.  Fill each puff through the slit in the side.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.