Easy Cream Puffs

Cream puffs are irresistible.  These light and fluffy little pastries filled with sweet cream make great desserts and treats for morning or afternoon tea.  I dust them with icing sugar, then garnish with a sprinkling of edible flower confetti just to make them even more adorable.  Easy to make, they are in fact the first thing I ever learned to use my oven for.

Makes 6

INGREDIENTS

• 50g / 1¾oz butter
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup plain flour
• 2 large size eggs
• a pinch of salt
• 1 cup fresh cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar
• edible flower confetti (optional)

METHOD

1. Grease or line a baking sheet with baking paper.
2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Add water and bring to a boil over medium heat. 
3. Add flour and salt all at once.  Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball.
4. Remove from heat.  Add eggs, one at the time, stirring vigorously until fully incorporated before adding another.  The dough is ready when it is smooth and shiny.
5. Drop heaped spoonfuls of dough onto the prepared sheet, slightly apart.  Makes 6.
6. Bake in a preheated 200°C/400°F oven for about 10 minutes until they puff up, then turn down to 180°C/350°F and bake for another 5 minutes or so until they are golden brown.
7. Transfer puffs onto a wire rack to cool completely.
8. In a mixing bowl, combine fresh cream, sugar and vanilla extract.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy with stiff peaks, about 1 minute. 
9. Split each puff in half and fill in with cream.
10. Dust puffs with icing sugar.  Garnish with edible flower confetti (optional).  Serve immediately.

*You can also fill puffs with vanilla ice cream instead of fresh cream.