Super Easy Cream Puffs / Eclairs (Squirrelly Cakes)
 

1/2 cup of butter

1 cup water

1 cup of all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. of salt

4 eggs

Pre-heat oven to 375F. Grease a baking sheet.

In a saucepan combine butter and water and bring it to a boil over medium heat. All at one time, beat in all purpose flour and salt, mixing with an electric handmixer while it is still over the heat. Continue beating vigorously until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Then add, one at a time, the eggs beating vigorously after the addition of each egg, until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Now chill thoroughly.

Drop batter from a spoon, 2 inches apart on the greased baking sheet, mounding each and making a swirl on top. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes for extra small ones, 30-40 minutes for medium or 40-50 minutes for large, or until they are light and golden. Slit the sides, turn the oven off and let them dry in the oven. Cool.
Fill with sweetened whipped cream or a cream or vanilla or custard filling and dust with icing sugar.

For eclairs, shape into 4 inch long by 1 inch wide strips and bake on greased baking sheet for about 40 minutes. When cool, fill with a vanilla pudding or Bird's Eye Custard as per the directions on the tin and top with chocolate glaze.

Vanilla Cream Pudding

2 1/2 cups milk

3 tbsp. all purpose flour

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Scald the milk. Combine in a heavy bottomed saucepan all purpose flour, white granulated sugar, and salt. Gradually stir in scalded milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Cover and cook 2minutes more, stirring frequently. Stir a bit of the hot mixture into the egg, slightly beaten. Then blend in the remaining mixture. Cook 1 minute longer, stirring constantly and remove from heat. Add vanilla and cool.

Chocolate Glaze For Eclairs

1, 6 ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1, 6 ounce can undiluted evaprorated milk.

In a small saucepan, heat together over low heat, the semi-sweet chocolate chips with the undiluted evaprorated milk. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a boil and cook gently, stirring constantly until thickened - about 3-5 minutes. Cool, stirring every so often. Makes about 1 cup glaze.

Posted by Squirrelly Cakes