MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06 Title: Cream Puffs Categories: Dessert Yield: 12 Servings MMMMM------------------------CREAM PUFFS----------------------------- 1 c Water 1 c Flour 4 Eggs 1/2 c Shortening or butter 1/4 ts Salt (optional) MMMMM---------------------CREAM PUFF FILLING-------------------------- 2 c Milk 1/2 c Sugar; or to taste 2 Egg yolks 5 tb Flour 1 tb Butter 1 ts Vanilla 1/2 ts Almond extract 1/2 ts Salt (optional) An old recipe for us, I like it because the filling isn't super sweet (or you can even use a bit less sugar if you find it is too sweet for your tastes). Cream Puff Filling: Make this first; you want it to cool off well or even be cold. In sauce pan combine the flour, sugar, salt, and then add a little of the milk to make a paste, and then add the egg yolks and mix completely. After that add the rest of the milk and stir until smooth and then cook stirring constantly until thickens (5-7 minutes over medium heat). Add butter, almond extract, and vanilla, and stir in and then cool. Cream Puffs: Preheat oven to 450°F. Put water and shortening (and salt if used) in a pan or bowl and bring it to a boil. Stir in flour until the dough forms a smooth ball and doesn't stick to the sides. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Stir in eggs one at a time mixing well. Drop by spoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet (should get about a dozen if you use about 3/4 of an ice-cream scoop which makes things like this much easier to do than actually dropping spoonfuls). Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to 400°F and bake for another 25 minutes. Cool off on a rack and cut off tops (put them back on after filling) - they are mostly hollow, but some bits may still be in there. I don't care and leave them alone - some people will take them out. Notes: We top with chocolate frosting (after putting the filling in and then putting the tops of the cream puffs back on) but I also like these with whipped cream and chocolate sauce or just sprinkled with chocolate shavings, nutmeg or cinnamon or ... Really best when the cream puffs have been filled and frosted and then cooled well before putting anything else on top. The cream puffs can be a bit tricky to get right but the main point is that you do not want the dough so hot that it cooks the eggs when you stir them in. They're pretty eggy and I like that. :) Even if they don't turn out perfect they're still edible. Recipe by songbird Recipe FROM: , MMMMM