Who wants to learn how to make AMAZING, decadent French pastries? I know, I KNOW!! Yes, you too can make these babies. If I can, you can, with aplomb. You’re welcome.
I have avoided baking for the longest time. I failed at a few recipes, succeeded at a few. In my doubting brain, I only remember the fails. At some point I convinced myself you need to have the ‘baking’ gene in order to make delicious desserts and breads that people will drool over and shower you with compliments.
Nobody raved about my fresh baked loaf of bread, which I forgot to add the salt to, twice! Arggg…. I made some ‘OK’ cookies a few times. It didn’t take long before I gave up on baking. I don’t have a sweet tooth so the motivation just wasn’t there.
Slowly, the lack of baking in my life started to nag at me. My family loves sweets and I started to feel like I was letting them down.
So what did I do? Learn to make French pastries, YIKES!! I read about French pastries, scoured cookbooks and watched hours and hours of Youtube videos. What I found was that although French pastries require some specific techniques, it wasn’t rocket science. The important things to remember are:
- Use the right ingredients
- Use quality ingredients
- Pay attention to what you are supposed to look out for
- Learn the techniques, don’t just gloss over that part
- Start over if you mess up
- Weigh your ingredients, buy a scale if you don’t have one
- Have fun and try new things, always!
What is a cream puff?
A cream puff is a baked pastry made from choux pastry, also known as Pâte à Choux. It is a wet dough that relies on baking in high heat to create the steam needed for the pastry to rise. The result is a hollow center that allows for piping some delicious cream filling into. This makes for a light yet decadent treat for you and anybody lucky enough to know you;)
This tutorial is for making the cream that is piped into cream puffs and drizzled with a chocolate and coffee ganache. For the cream puff recipe click here. It has step-by-step instructions with photos on how to make cream puffs, also known as profiteroles, from choux pastry. This tutorial is very easy and shows you exactly what to look for to make the perfect puff pastry dough.
Now onto the amazing Nutella Cream Puffs with Chocolate and Coffee Ganache. Ganache is a fancy word for melted chocolate and cream sauce. I added some coffee because it gives the sauce a richer, slightly smokiness to it.
Punch a hole in the bottom of your pastry.
Ensure the hole is big enough for you piping bag.
Whip heavy cream or full cream on high speed with your mixer. You may use a hand mixer.
Try not to over whip your cream. You want soft peaks.
Add your Nutella and mix on high speed until well blended.
Scoop your Nutella whipped cream into your piping bag. I used a plastic food storage bag and snipped the corner for piping into cream puff.
Pipe your cream into pastry hole, repeat until all is filled. Dust your pastries with powder sugar. Make your chocolate ganache as directed and drizzle over pastries. I used another plastic bag, snipped the corner and drizzled. You may also use a squirt bottle, especially if you are going to make big batches of these decadent cream puffs.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with the fillings. Let me know what inventions you came up with!
A fancy but easy French pastry recipe that is light yet decadent.
Ingredients
- 1 Choux Pastry recipe, baked into profiteroles
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream or full cream
- 1 Tbs powdered sugar
- 6 Tbs of Nutella or more if desired
- 1 cup of dark chocolate pieces
- 1/4 cup of heavy cream
- 1/4 cup of strong, black coffee or a shot of espresso
Instructions
- Add first two ingredients to mixing bowl and mix on hight speed until soft peaks form, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add Nutella, mix on high for 30-60 seconds more.
- Add mixture to piping bag with medium tip or use a food storage bag, squeezing the cream into one corner and snipping off the corner with scissors.
- Pipe the mixture into the hole you made in the pastry, repeating until all pastries are filled.
- In a microwave safe bowl, place chocolate in and microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir and microwave again for about 15 minutes, stir. The chocolate should have melted, if not repeat until chocolate is melted.
- Add cream, stir, add coffee, stir.
- Place ganache in a piping bag or food storage bag, same as above.
- Drizzle as desired.
- Bon Appetit!
More French Pastries:
Choux Pastry and Profiteroles
French Apricot Tart
