Christmas Cream Puffs

Christmas Cream Puffs

This Christmas cream Puff recipe is so easy with such elegant results, sure to impress family and friends. Cream puffs are an iconic and well loved pastry that can be found in French and Italian bakeries, but they are surprisingly easy to make at home.

They require simple, inexpensive ingredients, about 1 hour of your time and basic kitchen tools, a medium pot, a wooden spoon, or a hand mixture  and a pastry bag if you want to pipe the filling into the Cream puff shells, that’s all you need to make a decant restaurant quality dessert.

Three Tips When Making Christmas Cream Puffs

This Christmas Cream Puff recipe is easy. But to ensure success there are a few things to remember. First, to prevent the Cream puff shells from becoming soggy leave them in the oven with the door slightly ajar and the oven off for 1 hour.

Second be sure to cool the puffs completely before filling, or even better fill them just before serving.

And third you can make the cream puff shells  ahead of the time and freeze them filling them when you plan on serving them.

If you make this Christmas Cream puff recipe please be sure to leave me a comment, and please don’t forget to tag me on Instagram with your creations. I love hearing from you, It’s my favorite part!!! If you like more easy Italian inspired desserts try lemon Italian sponge cake, pane di spagna

Ingredients

  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 3.5oz. vanilla instant pudding mix
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup butter

Instructions

  1. Mix together the vanilla pudding mix cream and milk cover and refrigerate to set
  2. Preheat oven to 400
  3. In a large pot bring the water, vanilla and butter to a rolling boil
  4. Mix  flour with the sugar slowly mix into the water and butter mixture, stirring continually until the mixture forms a ball
  5. Using a mixer beat in the eggs one at a time  mixing well after each addition
  6. Drop by Tablespoons on ungreased cookie sheet bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown
  7. Turn the oven off open the door and leave the cream puffs in the oven with it off for one hour
  8. Cool completely split them in half and fill them with the pudding mixture
  9. Shape them into a Christmas tree  drizzle with chocolate and sprinkle with powered sugar
  10. keep refrigerated  until ready to serve


Italian Pizzelle Cookies

Italian Pizzelle Cookies

No Italian Holiday is without  these crisp, thin, buttery Italian  Pizzelle Cookies.

Delicate, thin, wafer like this recognizable Italian cookies aren’t baked in the oven, they get their shape by pressing the  batter between the hot Pizzella Iron .

This easy, quick cookie can be flavored with vanilla, anise, almond extracts and even chocolate.

These cookies are easy, quick, delicious and use few ingredients, the only thing you need is a pizzella iron.

Things To know When Making Italian Pizzelle Cookies

The first thing to know when making these Italian Pizzelle Cookies is to  be sure the pizzella iron is well oiled and hot.

Another thing is the amount of butter and how tightly you press the iron will determine the texture and thickness. I like mine thin and crispy, so I add a little less flour, and 2 tablespoons more of butter.

You can use margarine or canola oil in place of the butter, I like the flavor of real butter in cookies. As for the flavoring my favorite is that of my childhood, vanilla and anise.

Sometimes I use almond extract and mix finely ground almonds in the mix. These cookies are easy, quick, delicious and use few ingredients, the only thing you need is a pizzella iron.

And  while still hot , you have a few seconds to shape them into different curvy shapes, these Italian Pizzelle cookies made great waffle cones for ice cream too!!!

These classic Italian  Pizzelle cookies don’t need much more than a dusting of powered sugar.

If you need a company’s coming quick dessert top them with vanilla ice cream, and drizzle some chocolate sauce over the top, sprinkle with chopped almonds for a decant flare.

You will want to make these quick, versatile cookies more often than for the holidays,  when  you make them,  please leave me a comment, that’s my favorite part…..

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons each vanilla and anise
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • Instruction
  • Heat pizzelle iron
  • Beat eggs with sugar,  until light
  • Add melted butter, vanilla and anise extract
  • Combine baking powder  with flour
  • Add flour to liquid ingredients
  • Mix until well blended
  • Drop by tablespoon on to hot pizzelle iron
  • Press the iron shut
  • Bake 3 to 4 minutes
  • Repeat with remaining dough
  • Sprinkle  with powered sugar…….Enjoy!!!!