These delightful, hollow shells can be filled with almost any type of filling, sweet or savory. Serve these shells as an appetizer, tea-sandwiches, or a dessert.
Ingredients
1 cup water
½ cup butter
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup sifted
flour
4 eggs
Directions
Preheat oven to 450˚F.
In a saucepan combine the butter, salt and water, bring to a boil.
Remove from heat.
Add the flour, all at once to the boiling water.
Mix vigorously until the mixture is thick and smooth. The dough should easily move away from the sides of the sauce pan, forming a ball around the spoon.
If a ball does not form almost immediately, hold the sauce pan over low heat and beat briskly for a few seconds.
Remove from heat and add one egg at a time, again beating vigorously after each one, until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
Drop the dough, using a level #40 scoop or a teaspoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet, 2” apart.
Bake for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 375˚F for another 20-30 minutes until the puffs are dry, no longer shiny and no bubbles of fat remain.
When cool, cut open the puffs, remove any dough in the center, fill with the filling of your choice and replace the top.
The puffs are best to sit a day before using to ensure they are dry.