Choux Pastry (for Cream Puffs, Eclairs, Etc)

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 2 ounces butter or 2 ounces margarine
• 3/4 cup water, scant
• 1/2 cup flour, heaping
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

Recipe

• 1 chop butter, melt in water and just bring to boiling. immediately add flour, and mix well with wooden spoon, until it forms a dough that leaves the side of the pan (it looks really gross and clumpy at first, but as you keep stirring it fixes itself). remove from heat and cool 2 minutes.
• 2 for a sweet pastry, add the sugar to the beaten eggs. stir in the eggs, mixing until it look like dough again (this is gross at first too).
• 3 now you have many choices: using a pastry bag or spoon, shape the dough as desired (for puffs: use a spoon or pipe a mound, eclairs: pipe a line, rings: pipe a circle, profiteroles: pipe a mound w/star tip) onto a greased cookie sheet. keep in mind that it will grow to aprox 3xs its size when done.
• 4 bake at 425 'til it looks crisp and golden, about 30 mins for half dollar sized puffs. cut in half, or cut a slit in the side to let the steam escape- if you don't do this fairly quickly they get soggy inside.
• 5 they save for a while in tupperware, unless they're filled. you are supposed to fill them with freshly whipped cream that has a touch of powdered sugar and vanilla or almond added in, but i just fill them with buttercream frosting because its cheaper and tastes pretty good too.