Gluten Free Cream Puffs-2 ways
I really wanted to make these cream puffs gluten free! I found a great post by The Flavor Blender which had an amazing tutorial with trouble shooting tips. I made a few edits to the recipe to make it gluten free.
I started with the Flippin Delicious flour mix using 1 cup of white rice and 1 cup of brown rice flour. What I often don’t like about gluten free flours is they are grainy and gritty. The only rice flours I can find around the middle of no where are the Bob’s Red Mill brand. They are good but not very finely ground. I attempted to solve this by putting it in my food processor for a bit. This did seem to help!!
In all of the research that I did before hand, I found a number of other GF pastry flours that added in milk powder and corn starch. The other GF cream puff recipes also added in Xanthan Gum.
I filled the cream puffs in two different ways. One I used a chocolate pastry cream from The Flavor Blender. If I did it again, I would maybe change a few things. I found it to be a tad think for my liking as a filling. I would maybe try cooking it a little longer next time or add a little less milk. I also used semi sweet chocolate chips and found it not very sweet as well. I would maybe try milk chocolate next time too.
The other puffs I filled with a cheesecake filling. This was my favorite! It was a creamy texture and just a hint of cheesecake. You could maybe pipe some jam into these or on top to make it a fruity cheesecake too. Or cut them open as I saw some do.
Gluten Free Cream Puffs-2 ways
Two ways to enjoy a gluten free cream puff.
Check out the tips on The Flavor Blender . This will sound very daunting making the pate choux and puff shells but be sure to read the recipe carefully and check out the Blender’s tips. I also found that this video helped me be more confident to try.
Ingredients
Cream Puffs
-4.6 oz Gluten Free Flour (I used this basic recipe from Flippin Delicious )
-1 oz powdered milk
-1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
-1/2 to 3/4 tsp Corn Starch
-8 oz or 1 cup water
-1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter, cut into chunks
-1/2 tsp fine sea salt
-1 Tbsp white sugar
-4 large eggs (beaten) but have 1 more on standby
-1/2 tsp vanilla
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 °F
2. Measure out all flour, milk, corn starch, and xanthan gum into a bowl
3. Place water, butter, salt, and sugar in a saucepan. Stir occasionally over medium heat until water starts to boil (ensure butter has melted).
4. Pull off heat and pour flour mixture into saucepan. Stir vigorously to mix flour in.
5. Put pan back over low/medium heat and stir until it forms a ball and leaves a film on the saucepan.
6. Put into mixer bowl and mix on low to cool.
7. After 2-3 minutes of mixing, check temperature. If dough is between 140 °F and 150 ° F, continue
8. Add approximately 1 egg. Mix. Add the vanilla. Mix
9. Continue to add approximately 1 egg at a time until all 4 are mixed in.
10. I found I had to check consistency here and add about 1/2 of another egg. Each time is different so do you research and know how to check. I found that ‘smooshing’ a small portion of dough between my finger and thumb then parting them and seeing that they formed a ‘string’ then soft peak helped.
12. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and spritz with water (optional)
11. Using a cookie scoop dipped in water, scoop portions onto baking sheet.
12. Smooth with a wet finger then spritz with water.
13. Bake in a preheated oven for 25-40 minutes (depending upon size) but do NOT open oven until at least 25 minute mark.
14. Use skewer to poke holes in puffs and bake another 10 minutes or until well golden browned.
15. Remove from oven and let puffs sit on pan in warmer draft free place (I just left on top of my stove).
16. Fill with filling of choice
Ingredients
Cheesecake Filled
-8 oz cream cheese
-1 3.4 oz pkg of cheesecake pudding mix
-1/4 c milk
-1 Tbsp vanilla
-1 C. heavy whipping cream
-4 Tbsp powdered sugar
-Melted chocolate
Directions
1. Beat cream cheese until creamy (I used my wisk attachment).
2. Add in cheesecake pudding mix and beat.
3. Gradually add milk and vanilla scraping sides as needed.
4. In a separate bowl, whist heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks.
5. Add cream cheese mixture and whip to mix.
6. Using a pastry bag with a small tip pipe into cooled shells (you may need to use a small knife to make a hole) I did this in the tops so the filling wouldn’t ooze out the bottom.
7. Drizzle with melted Chocolate (I used milk)
Ingredients
Chocolate Pastry Cream Filled I(recipe adapted from Flavor Blender)
This is best made the day before
-2 1/4 C milk (I used skim)
-2 tsp vanilla
-2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
-3 egg yolks
-1 whole egg
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 1/2 tsp corn starch
-1/4 tsp salt
-6 oz semi sweet chocolate (I used Chocolate chips)
-2 Tbsp butter, softened
-1/2 C heavy whipping cream
-2 Tbsp powdered sugar
Directions
1. Place milk and vanilla in saucepan. Heat over medium heat and bring to a boil.
2. While milk mixture is heating, put cocoa powder, egg yolks, egg, sugar, corn starch, and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine. (TIP-place the bowl near the stove on a damp towel to prevent slippage in the next steps)
3. As soon as milk begins boiling, remove from heat. Whisking constantly, either stream 1/2 of the milk mixture into chocolate bowl or use a ladle to put about half into the chocolate bowl. Be sure to whist constantly to avoid cooking the eggs, you are tempering them this way.
4. Pour chocolate/egg mixture back into sauce pan.
5. Whist vigorously over medium heat, until mixture begins to thicken.
6. Once mixture has thickened, let the custard release some bubbles (come to a boil gently). When the first bubbles break the surface, lower the heat to low and immediately add the bittersweet chocolate chips. Whisk until the chocolate is completely melted.
7. Remove from heat and add butter; whisk until butter is melted.
8. Pour into a bowl and place plastic wrap on top ensuring the plastic wrap touches the surface of the custard (this prevents a gross film)
9. Cool completely then chill overnight.
10. Remove from fridge the next day. Whisk smooth again.
11. Whip heavy cream and powdered sugar to a stiff peak (you could double the cream and powdered sugar to make more of a mousse if you’d like).
12. Fold into the pudding mixture.
13. Pipe into puffs (again I did this on the top using a small knife to help make a hole)
14. Melt chocolate and spread over the top.
Redheaded baker 