Cream Puffs

Basic Recipe for about 20 Cream Puffs

125 grams of water (for slightly richer cream puffs, you can also replace half of the water with milk)
50 grams of butter
50 grams of gluten-free flour from Lisa's Choice
2 eggs pinch of salt

Custard Filling
250 ml full-fat milk
2 egg yolks
50 grams of sugar
25 grams of gluten-free flour from Lisa's Choice
seeds of half a vanilla pod
pinch of salt
30 grams butter
100 ml heavy cream

Chocolate Topping
150 grams of chocolate orange food coloring for chocolate

Oven at 200°C, baking tray lined with parchment paper (or use a macaron mat if available), a whisk or optionally a food processor or hand mixer.

Cream Puffs:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. In a saucepan, combine water and butter, bring to a boil. Remove the pan from heat and gradually add the gluten-free flour, stirring well to prevent lumps. Place the pan over low heat and continue stirring until the dough comes off the bottom and begins to shine. Take the pan off the heat again, then add salt and the eggs one by one while whisking with a whisk until a smooth batter forms (you can also use a hand mixer or food processor). The batter is ready when it falls off the spoon in a V-shape. If it's slightly too thick, add a small amount of egg.
3. Fill a piping bag with the cream puff batter and pipe about 20 small dollops onto the baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake the cream puffs for about 25 minutes, then let them cool on a rack. Once the cream puffs are completely cooled, use a piping tip to make a hole in the bottom. You can make the cream puffs a day in advance. Store them airtight. If they have become slightly soft, you can refresh them in the oven for a short time.

Custard Filling:

1. Place half of the milk in a saucepan with half of the sugar. Split the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds, adding both the seeds and the pod to the milk. Bring to a boil.
2. Combine the other half of the milk and sugar with the egg yolks, salt, and gluten-free flour in a large bowl (the remaining milk will be added later), mixing well with a whisk to eliminate any lumps.
3. Once the milk is boiling, remove the vanilla pod and pour the milk into the egg/flour mixture. Mix well with a whisk. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return it to the heat, bringing it to a boil again. Keep stirring!
4. The mixture will thicken and bubble slightly. Let it bubble for a minute. Add the butter and stir until it's fully incorporated. Transfer the custard to a container and cover it with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Allow it to cool completely.
5. Once the custard is completely cool, whisk it until smooth and glossy (you can do this by hand or with a hand mixer or food processor using the whisk attachment). Whip the cream until stiff and fold it into the custard. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a tip.

Chocolate Topping:

1. Melt the chocolate using a double boiler. Make sure the chocolate is just melted and not too hot. Add any food coloring if desired. Dip the cream puffs into the chocolate and allow them to harden.

Fill the cream puffs with the custard filling. The cream puffs are best enjoyed the same day.

Enjoy!