Chocolate Cream Puffs With Hazelnut Filling (Paula Deen)

SweetsLady's Note:

I picked up a Paula Deen magazine and this was one of the first ones my daughter said we had to try. These are divine using Nutella! We were in chocolate heaven! If you haven't tried Nutella, it is a chocolate hazelnut spread that can usually be found near the peanut butter. I can't keep it in the house long.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 10

Yield: 10.0 cream p ...

• 1 cup water
• ½ cup butter
• 1⁄8; teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 eggs
• 1 (13 ounce) jar nutella
• 2 cups strawberries , sliced fresh
• 1 cup hazelnuts , chopped

Garnish

• fresh mint leaves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Using a wooden spoon, beat in flour, cocoa, and cinnamon, stirring constantly, until mixture forms a ball. Remove pan from heat, and let cool for 5 minutes.
3. Beat in eggs, one at a time, at medium speed with an electric mixer until mixture is smooth.
4. Spoon or pipe dough into 10 (2-inch) mounds onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 33 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Set aside to cool.
5. Cut cream puffs in half horizontally. Remove soft dough from inside. Spoon Nutella into bottoms of cream puffs; top each evenly with strawberries, and sprinkle with hazelnuts. Cover with tops of cream puffs. Garnish with fresh mint leaves, if desired.
6. Note about Cream Puffs (Pate a Choux) - The Pâte à choux dough is baked immediately in a well preheated oven to ensure the greatest expansion and lightness. When baked, the starches in the flour and proteins in the egg coagulate and eventually brown on the outside. During baking, the crust traps steam inside, generated from the moisture in its ingredients and hot air from the oven, plus leavening from the beaten eggs. It is this principle, that causes them to become inflated, hollow and stay puffy. A properly baked choux retains its puffy shape, with a hollow interior with an outside that is crisp and fairly dry, with an all over golden color. When broken apart, it should have a slightly moist crumb on the inside. However, if they are removed from the oven too soon, the structure of the shell has not solidified, and it will collapse. However, when you think they are done take one out of the oven and check it by breaking open and checking the interior walls. If wet and eggy, return to the oven as necessary. Remove when done and cool on a wire rack.

Reviews

[anme]

I LOVE cream puffs so this recipe really stood out to me. I never had chocolate cream puff shells before, let alone make them, so I was really blown away by the amazing taste these had. The 2 tbs of cocoa powder give the puffs just the right amout of chocolate flavor and the cinnamon really kicks this recipe up. I also added some nutmeg to this recipe to give it even more of a flavor boost. Aswesome recipe!