Double-Chocolate Mini Cream Puffs

Here is the recipe for my Double-Chocolate Mini Cream Puffs. I came up with my chocolate choux paste recipe after reading a number of recipes, most especially ones from Cook’s Illustrated and Australian Gourmet Traveler. The chocolate whipped cream comes from “Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts,” written by the founder of the Chocolat chain of stores, Alice Medrich. You will need to start the whipped cream at least 4½ hours before you want to fill your cream puffs. This will make thirty-six 1½ -inch puffs.

Ingredients

for the choux paste

• 4 whole eggs
• 1-2 egg whites
• 1 C. all-purpose flour
• ¼ C. Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 10 T. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 4 T. whole milk
• 6 T. water
• 1T. granulated sugar
• ½ t. salt

for the milk chocolate whipped cream (makes about 4 cups, you might have some left over)

• 8 oz. milk chocolate, finely chopped
• 1½ C. heavy cream
• 6 T. water
• pinch or two of salt (optional)

Preparation

1. Start to prepare the whipped cream by putting the chocolate in a medium bowl. In a saucepan, bring the cream and water to a simmer, then pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 30 seconds, stir well, then let stand for about 15 minutes to finish melting the chocolate. Stir again until all the chocolate has been incorporated into the cream. Let cool. Taste and add salt, if desired. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours; it can be prepared to this point up to 4 days ahead.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, set oven racks at middle position. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside. Sift flour and cocoa powder together, set aside. Beat whole eggs in large measuring cup, add egg whites to give you a total of 1 cup beaten egg, set that aside as well. Fit large pastry bag with 1/2-inch plain tip. Have ready a small bowl of cold water and a dessert spoon.
3. Bring butter, milk, water, sugar, and salt to boil in saucepan over medium heat, stirring once or twice. When butter has melted and mixture reaches full boil, remove saucepan from heat and stir in flour with heatproof spatula or wooden spoon. Keep stirring until the ingredients have been well combined and the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. Return pan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, using a smearing motion, for 3 minutes. The smearing motion ensures that all the flour in the mixture has a chance to cook. When the mixture looks like slightly shiny wet sand, and tiny beads of fat appear on bottom of saucepan, check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer. It should register between 175-180 degrees.
4. Immediately transfer mixture to food processor or stand mixer, and process with feed tube open or mix on medium speed for 10 seconds to cool slightly. With motor running, slowly add eggs in a steady stream. When the eggs have been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then process or mix until smooth, thick, sticky paste forms, 30-90 seconds. Choux paste can be made up to 2 hours ahead at this point. To store, transfer to medium bowl, cover surface with sheet of plastic wrap sprayed lightly with nonstick cooking spray, pressing down gently to cover entire surface of pastry, and keep at room temperature.
5. Fill large pastry bag with choux paste, pushing paste to the lower part of the pastry bag (you may need to do this with one half the paste at a time, depending on the size of your pastry bag). Twist top of bag and pipe paste into 1½-inch mounds on prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1¼ to 1½ inches apart.
6. Use back of dessertspoon dipped in cold water to smooth the shape and surface of piped mounds. Bake 15 minutes without opening the oven door, then reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until firm, 8 to 12 minutes longer. Remove baking sheet from oven. With sharp knife, cut slit into side of each puff to release steam, then return puffs to oven, turn off oven, and prop oven door open with the handle of a wooden spoon. Dry puffs in turned-off oven until centers are barely moist and puffs are crisp, about 45 minutes. Transfer puffs to wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, slice horizontally in half.
7. Whip the cream with an electric mixer until it holds a shape. You don’t want it loose, but it will become grainy if you overbeat it. Spoon or pipe whipped cream onto bottom half of choux pastry puffs, and cover gently with top halves.

Notes and ideas:

• Cooled puffs can be stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours, or frozen in zipper-lock plastic bags for up to 1 month. Before serving, crisp room temperature puffs in 300-degree oven 5-8 minutes, or 8-10 minutes for frozen puffs.
• You can use the same amounts of ingredients for white chocolate whipped cream. If you wish to make dark chocolate whipped cream, use 6 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (not more than 62% cacao), chopped medium-fine, and 2 C. heavy cream, but no water.
• Want to go triple-chocolate? Make these into ice-cream profiteroles! Fill choux puffs with rounded spoonfuls of your favorite chocolate ice cream, then drizzle the tops with ganache.