eat make read

Last week we celebrated my husband Aaron’s birthday with a little get-together at our neighborhood bar. I wanted to bring a little something in honor of the occasion, but it needed to fit a few criteria: 1) include cinnamon (it’s one of his favorite flavors) 2) be easy to eat in a bar (no utensils and not messy). So I began thinking and remembered back to one of the first things I ever made after we started dating (we’re talking college days), cream puffs. Back then I made big ones and topped them with chocolate, but I figured there’s no reason why they can’t be mini and perhaps a little more interesting. That’s how the wheels began turning for what ended up being mini cardamom and cinnamon cream puffs, which were a big hit later that evening.

The directions for making these cream puffs look a little intimidating—anything more that 5 steps usually makes me think twice— but I promise, if I could make these in college, anyone can make these. The dough takes less than 10 minutes to make and you get to use a pastry bag, which I think is super fun. I use the term “pastry bag” lightly, because I just put my dough in a Ziploc bag and snipped the corner off it… taadaaa! I piped up a bunch of little coils, making sure that there’s no hole at the bottom of each (the cream will squeeze out of it if there’s a hole). Into the oven they went to get all grown up.

Less than an hour later, my little dough coils were all puffed up and bloated, perfect little vehicles to carry a tasty cream filling. But before the filling went in, I wanted to make sure I got extra cinnamon-goodness, so I dipped the lids of each puff in a little cinnamon and sugar for a little extra pizazz (it was a celebration after all). Next I whipped up the filling, which is basically a sweet and flavored whipped cream. With the cinnamon already a prerequisite, I searched through my spice cabinet and came up with a little cardamom, which seemed like it would be a lovely pairing. I ended up adding a little orange zest to the cream as well because I love the way a little citrus brightens up the flavor of just about everything. With the cream ready, I used my same Ziploc trick and piped the cream into the puffs.

In the end, I had a table full of the cutest—mini anything is automatically cute—little cream puffs. The puffs were nice and crispy, the perfect shell for the creamy, subtly spiced filling. As I unveiled them at the bar, people were soon helping themselves to seconds, the ultimate compliment.

mini cardamom + cinnamon cream puffs
makes about 24 puffs

for the dough:

1 cup water
6 T butter, cut into pieces
1/4 t salt
1 c bread flour
4 large eggs

+
1 t cinnamon mixed with 1/4 cup sugar
2 T butter, melted

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for the cream filling:

2 cups chilled heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners’ cugar
1/4 t vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t cardamom

preheat oven to 400°F

To make the puffs:
1
Combine the water, butter and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a tolling boil over medium-high heat, then immediately remove from the heat.
2
Quickly stir in the flour all at once. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together.
3
Place over low heat and keep stirring for about 1 minute. The goal is to dry out the dough, which should come cleanly away from the sides fo the pan. Scrape the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer.
4
Turn the mixer on low-medium and add eggs, one at a time, allowing each egg to be absorbed before adding the next. The batter should be smooth and golden yellow.
5
Scrap the dough into a pastry bag of a Ziploc with the corner snipped off. Pipe out 1-inch coils about 2-inches apart, making sure that the bottom is completely filled in.
6
Dip your fingers in water and lightly press down the peaks.
7
Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown all over.
8
Reduce heat to 350° and continue to bake for 10 minutes.
9
Insert a sharp knife into the side of each puff to allow steam to escape and continue baking for 10 more minutes. They should be very dry and crisp.
10
Cool completely on a rack.
11
Once cooled, slice each puff in half and if necessary, hollow them out.
12
Dip each top into the melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.

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to make the cream filling:
1
In a chilled bowl, whip the cream until it begins to thicken.
2
Add powdered sugar, orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom. Continue whipping until the cream forms stiff peaks.
3
Scrape into a pastry bag or ziploc with corner snipped off. Pipe the cream into the bottom of each cream puff, making sure to pipe a little extra into each one.
4
Place the sugar coated tops onto the filled bottom and enjoy!