Irish Cream Puffs

This was my first-ever attempt to make cream puffs. I have to start off by thanking my friend Kate for her help making the puffs, and for switching off on whipping the cream. It's a bit of an arm workout of a recipe, but fairly worth it. It is a delicious way to use up more of the car-bomb ingredients! :)

I followed this recipe: http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/2078057-Vics-Bailey-s-Irish-Cream-Puffs, but was initially inspired when a friend sent me a recipe which included vanilla pudding mix in the Bailey's filling. Seeing as this is a baking blog, I'm trying bake things from scratch as much as possible, so I searched for an alternative recipe.

I will admit that I don't love everything in this recipe. The chocolate topping did not work out very well. As I was mixing the ingredients over heat I found that the oil was separating from the rest of the mixture and had to be spooned out. My years of chemistry classes were not in vain; I remembered that heat tends to break chemical bonds, making solids more liquid, and that cold tends to reform bonds. So, in a state of panic and science-geek experimentation, I threw the mixture in the fridge. It helped a bit, but I think a poor ingredients list could not be completely saved through technique. If I were to re-do this I would replace the water with milk. I think that the oil (from chocolate) and water combination was a match made in hell (and I'm not even referring to my occasionally uncooperative oven this time).

Cream Puff Close-Up
Photo Credit: Violet Martin

Here are the ingredients:

Cream Puffs
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs

Bailey's Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar
1-1 1/2 tablespoons Bailey's

Chocolate Topping
2 3.5 oz dark chocolate
2 oz. butter
1/4 cup water
Bailey's to taste

Oven Settings: Preheat to 450°F
In freezer: Bowl and metal whisk for at least 20 minutes prior to making whipped cream

Cream Puff Directions:


On the stove top, melt butter in 1 cup boiling water. Add flour and salt all at once; stir vigorously. Cook, stirring mixture vigorously, until mixture is smooth and forms a soft ball that doesn’t separate. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Add eggs, one at a time, beating very well after each until smooth.

Drop by teaspoons 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 450°F for 15 minutes, then at 325°F for 25 minutes. I only left the pastries in the oven on 325°F for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, split. Turn oven off; put cream puffs back in to dry about 20 minutes (optional). This step was necessary for me. Cool on rack.

This recipe makes about 10 cream puffs. It is a little time consuming if you are only using 1 baking pan, and should count on making the whipped cream while waiting for the cream puffs to dry in the oven and cool.

Cream Puff Dough

Bailey's Whipped Cream Directions:

Chill bowl and metal whisk in freezer for 20 minutes. In chilled bowl whip the cream until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and Bailey’s. Whip to fluffy peaks, about 2 minutes. Fill pastry bag with whipped cream and pipe into cooled cream puffs. I skipped the pastry bag and just cut into the cream puffs and spooned the whipped cream into each of them.


Chocolate Topping Directions:


Melt chocolate with water in a small pot over a low flame. Once melted add butter, whisking the whole time. Should look shiny and creamy! Remove from heat. Spread a thin layer on each cream, using a spatula. Wait until icing hardens a bit to serve it. I had to spoon out the excess oil and chill the mixture for a few minutes in order to get a decent consistency. 

Finished Product!
Photo Credit: Violet Martin

I hope you all enjoy this recipe! I'm not sure I'll have anything new up this upcoming weekend, as St. Patrick's Day is just begging for Irish Car-Bomb cupcakes to be made. :)