Chanukah Cream Puffs

Delectable from-scratch pastries filled with mild vanilla cream and topped with a holiday-appropriate white and blue glaze. Makes 22. Get more Chanukah recipes from our Chanukah recipe collection.

Directions

Prepare the Pastries

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with Gefen Parchment Paper trimmed to fit inside the pan.

2. Bring the milk or soymilk, water, butter or margarine, and salt to a boil over medium-low heat, making sure the butter or margarine melts. Turn heat to low and add the flour and mix in vigorously with a wooden spoon. Cook for one minute more, stirring constantly to dry out the dough and make sure all of the flour is mixed in.

3. Remove from heat. Place the dough into a bowl and let cool for two minutes, pressing the dough into the sides of the bowl. Meanwhile crack the three eggs into a bowl, beat well, and then measure out two tablespoons into another bowl and set aside. The smaller amount will be used to brush the pastries.

4. Add one-third of the beaten eggs and mix well with your wooden spoon. You will need to mix vigorously to incorporate the eggs into the dough. Add another third and mix well. Add the remaining egg and mix well.

5. With a pastry bag and round tip about 1/3 inch, pipe out circles of the dough, about one and a half inches in diameter, onto the parchment-lined cookie sheet, leaving an inch between each one. The easiest way is to hold the pastry bag tip down, hold the bag still and squeeze until you have the size you want and then lift up the tip.

6. Brush the remaining eggs on top of each circle to gently smooth out the little tip on top. Place into the oven and immediately turn off the oven. After 15 minutes, turn the oven on again to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake pastries another 25 to 30 minutes. They are done when the cracks on the top are the same color as the rest of the pastry. Remove to rack and let cool.

Prepare the Pastry Cream

1. In a heavy small to medium saucepan, place the soymilk, half the sugar, and butter or margarine cut into pieces. Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the pot along with the vanilla bean, or add vanilla extract. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

2. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks, flour and the remaining sugar in a medium bowl. Strain half the cooked mixture into the egg bowl and whisk. Strain the other half of the mixture in and mix well. Return the entire mixture to the saucepan and cook on medium-low heat for two minutes, whisking constantly. You will need a spoon or silicone spatula to mix the cream in the corners of the saucepan into the middle so it does not burn.

3. Remove from heat and place into a clean bowl. Let cool for five minutes, whisk again and then cover with plastic. Place in the fridge until chilled, for at least four hours or overnight.

Prepare the Glaze

1. To make the sugar syrup: Place the water and sugar into a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a rolling boil and then stir to dissolve the sugar. Boil for one minute and remove from heat. Let cool. May be made three days in advance.

2. Place the confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Add the lemon juice and one tablespoon of the hot water and whisk. Add another tablespoon of hot water and whisk. Add one teaspoon of the sugar syrup, or more, until you have a thick glaze. If it is too thick, add more syrup. If too thin, then add more confectioners’ sugar or let sit for five minutes. When the glaze thickens while you are coating the pastries, add more sugar syrup, a teaspoon at a time to achieve the desired consistency.

Assemble the Pastries

1. Place the pastry cream into a pastry bag with a small round tip, about 1/4-inch. Poke a hole in the bottom of the pastry. Squeeze the cream into the pastry through the hole until you feel the pastry get heavier.

2. Take each pastry and dip the top into the white glaze, dripping off the excess. After all the pastries are glazed with the white, add a drop of royal blue gel food coloring into the remaining glaze and whisk. Add more drops to achieve the desired shade of blue color. Use a fork to drizzle blue lines across the white glaze. Store in the fridge.

3. Save any remaining sugar syrup to sweeten your coffee or tea.

Recipe tags

Channuka Channukah Chanuka Chanukah Cream Cream puffs Dairy or pareve Dairy or parve Hannuka Hannukah Hanuka Hanukah Hanukkah

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basi

2 years ago

can these b frozen?

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So}mouwmin

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Reply to basi

2 years ago

Baked cream puff shells can be frozen for up to 2 months in a resealable plastic freezer bag. … Do not fill cream puffs until they are completely cooled. After they are filled, refrigerate at once, but don’t let them stand in the refrigerator longer than an hour or two or they may soften.