High-SocieTea
"Where the Art and Elegance of Taking Tea is Treasured"
If you are like everyone else, you automatically think of Cream Puffs as a fattening indulgence. Well, this recipe is about to prove you wrong. These puffy little shells can be filled with a variety of low-cal sweet treats, making them a must for your waistline-watching Afternoon Tea friends. 1 cup water Calories per small puff (unfilled): 65
"A Dream of a Cream Puff"
½ cup butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
(can substitute Splenda
for even less calories)
1 cup all purpose flour
4 eggs
Fillings/Toppings:
About 5 cups frozen yogurt
(can use fat-free for even
less calories)
Sliced fresh fruit
Powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 425E. In a 3-quart pan, combine water, butter, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Remove the pan from the heat and add flour all at once. Beat with a wooden spoon until well blended.
Reduce heat to medium. Return pan to heat and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a ball in the center of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat; let mixture cool for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. (Mixture will break apart into slipper clumps after each egg is added, but will return to a smooth paste with vigorous beating).
To shape cream puffs, scoop out batter with a spoon (or spoon batter into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip). Use about 2 tablespoons of batter for each medium-sized puff, or about 1 tablespoon for a small puff. Space the mounds of batter about 2" apart on greased baking sheets.
Bake the cream puffs in the upper third of the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375E; remove the puffs from the oven and cut a slash in the bottom of each puff. Return to the oven and continue baking until puffs are firm, dry to the touch and golden brown (about 10 minutes more). Transfer the puffs to racks to cool completely.
Use the puffs as soon as they are cooled, or seal in an airtight container and freeze for up to one month.
To serve, carefully cut the top third from each puff with a sharp knife, and scoop out and discard the moist, doughy interior. Spoon your desired filling into the puffs and replace the tops. Dust with powdered sugar. Makes about 2 dozen medium-sized puffs or 3-4 dozen small puffs.
Calories per medium-sized puff (unfilled): 125
(less if made with Splenda)
(less if made with Splenda)
