Whether you call them cream puffs or profiteroles, these airy ice cream-stuffed pastries make for a truly special treat.
Aa is the case with a number of my recipes, the name came well before the recipe itself, this one a clever play on words sort of like one of those “Before & After” puzzles on Wheel of Fortune. Cookies ‘n Cream + Cream Puffs = Cookies ‘n Cream Puffs. Get it?!? So I knew what I was going to call them. Now I just had to figure out how to make it happen. I first set out to make these Cookies ‘n Cream Puffs with a cookie-infused pastry cream filling. At least that was the original idea. While my craquelin-topped cream puffs turned out great the first time (surprising as it was my first time making craquelin!) my pastry cream didn’t quite set up as firmly as I would’ve liked. And when I tried to pipe it into the center of the puffs, the chunks of cookies kept clogging up piping tip. I’d squeeze harder to dislodge the clog, and the pasty cream would start oozing out the backside of my piping bag. And when I finally got one filled, the molten pasty cream would come oozing right back out of the hole in which I piped it. Needless to say, it was a big ol’ mess. At one point as I was trying to force this too-soft pastry cream into a cream puff, I got frustrated to the point where I just wanted to smash something. And as it turns out, a cream-filled pastry is awfully fun to hulk smash (oh yes I did).
But don’t worry, other than the one that got demolished with my fist, none of that first batch went to waste. I filled the rest with plain (cookie free) whipped cream and brought them to my ceramics class where they were readily devoured. I also froze a handful of unfilled puffs, planning to attempt the filling again the next day. But I didn’t feel like trying (and failing) again, so I ended up just cutting the puffs in half and filling them with a scoop of ice cream. Which turned out to be such a good solution that I did a complete 180 on this recipe, nixing the cream filling entirely in lieu of cookies ‘n cream ice cream. And ok ok I admit, usually when they’re filled with ice cream they’re actually called profiteroles, but then I couldn’t use my clever name anymore. Ice cream is still technically cream, so cream puffs still works in my opinion. So there you have it. Cookies ‘n Cream Puffs. Not quite how I originally imagined them, but delicious nonetheless.
You can certainly use a homemade cookies ‘n cream ice cream (this salted caramel version would be divine), or use your favorite grocery store brand (spoiler: Tillamook is now available nationwide and it is FABULOUS).
I’ll admit that choux dough is not the easiest thing to master. It’s a bit tricky knowing how long to cook the dough after adding the flour (too long and too much water will evaporate, affecting your puff’s ability to, well, puff). Also, and perhaps the trickiest for me, was knowing how much egg to add. I made the mistake the first time of assuming the amount of egg listed in the recipe was a fixed quantity; but found out rather quickly when I tried to pipe mounds of soft, slumping dough that this was not the case. For me personally, in my humid Nashville kitchen, about 3 1/2 eggs was just about right. If you live in a drier climate or if you use bread flour (which can absorb more moisture than all-purpose), you might need the full 4 eggs. Just add the last bit of egg slowly, a tablespoon at time, and stop as soon as the dough develops a nice sheen to it. With practice, you’ll definitely have an easier time telling when the dough is ready, so keep at it. If you’ve never heard of craquelin before, it’s basically a round of cookie dough that gets baked on top of the choux pastry, resulting in a beautiful crackled appearance and delightful crunchy texture. The craquelin also helps the puffs puff more evenly, resulting in perfectly round and visually appealing cream puffs. Chocolate craquelin tastes awfully like an Oreo cookie too, which ties in perfectly with my cookies ‘n cream concept.
This recipe is for a basic sweet choux, which can be used for cream puffs, profiteroles, or eclairs. Scrap the sugar and you have yourself a more savory choux. Fold in some cheese once the dough has cooked and voila! Gougères. It’s a very versatile recipe once you get the hang of it! The puffs themselves can also be filled with just about anything, from pastry cream (assuming you get a nice firm set) to whipped cream to ice cream. I put all my puffs in a zip-top bag and store them in the freezer, where they’ll keep quite well for up to a month. You do lose some of the delightful crunch from the craquelin in the freezer, but it’s easy enough to restore by baking the (unfilled, obviously) puffs for a few minutes – they’ll crisp right up. Total Time: 2 hours
