NOON KHAMEI | PERSIAN CREAM PUFFS
 
 
Preheat oven to 450 F, center rack for 30 minutes
Yields 14 cream puffs
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 15 + 25 minutes
You will need: An electric mixer with a whisk attachment. A small 1-Qt saucepan. A large pastry bag with a plain tube tip. A large cookie sheet lined with silicone mat or parchment paper.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Persian
Ingredients
  • FOR THE PASTRY
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 ounces (6 TBSP) unsalted butter, cubed
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 4 large eggs (room temperature)
  • FOR THE FILLING
  • 2¼ cups heavy cream
  • 5 TBSP granulated sugar (add more if you prefer sweeter)
  • ¼ tsp pure vanilla powder, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp rosewater
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting the pastries (tip: use a clean salt shaker)
Instructions
  1. Add 1 cup water, 3 ounces unsalted butter and ⅛ tsp salt to a small 1-Qt saucepan. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat while stirring to melt the butter.
  2. Remove the saucepan from the heat and place it on a sturdy heatproof surface. Add all of the sifted flour to the hot liquid at once. Use a wooden spoon to mix the flour into the liquid and stir rapidly, until a ball of soft dough forms and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.
  3. Place the pan back on low heat and continue to stir for 2 minutes; this is to remove some of the moisture.
  4. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Place the soft dough in the bowl of a stand mixer, and allow it to cool for 10 minutes so you don't end up with scrambled eggs in the next step.
  5. Attach the whisk attachment and with the mixer on medium speed add eggs one at at time and beat fully until blended before adding the next egg.
  6. After mixing the last egg, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on high for 1 more minute until smooth.
  7. Use a spatula to fill a large pastry bag(about 16-inch) with the batter. You may fit the bag with a plain round tip #1A, or cut the tip of a pastry bag to ¾-inch diameter.
  8. Pipe the batter out in a spiral pattern into fourteen 2-inch circles onto the prepared baking sheet. Leave 1-inch space between each circle.
  9. Bake on the center rack of the 450⁰ preheated oven for 15 minutes.
  10. Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 325⁰ and continue baking for another 25 minutes.
  11. Use your fingertips to transfer the golden brown hollow pastries onto a cooking rack. Immediately use a sharp serrated knife to partially cut the tops, leaving a piece intact to act like a hinge to open and close. This helps release of steam and results in crispier shells. Cool completely.
  12. Add the heavy cream to the chilled bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. Add 5 tablespoons sugar and beat on medium low speed until soft peaks start forming. Add the vanilla and rosewater. Increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.
  13. Fill the cooled shells with the whipped cream using a spoon or a pastry bag fitted with a large star tube (I have used #2D).
  14. Serve the filled pastries within couple of hours. Dust the tops with powdered sugar right before serving.
Notes
*Rosewater may be purchased from Persian and Middle Eastern markets.
*If you would like to save some of the puffs for the next day, you may do so without filling them.
* For fresh crispy puffs the next day, preheat the oven to 300 F and reheat the unfilled puffs directly on the rack for 3-4 minutes. Let them cool before filling them.
Recipe by Persian Mama at https://persianmama.com/persian-cream-puffs/