Cream Puffs with Filling

For the dough: Prepare baking sheet(s) with parchment paper and preheat oven to 375°F.

Add water, butter, and salt into a small saucepan on medium-high heat. When the liquid starts to simmer, lower the heat, add the flour, and quickly mix with a wooden spoon for about a minute. It should turn into a soft mass of dough.

Take pan away from the heat and transfer the dough into the bowl of your mixer. Let it cool off for a few minutes. Turn on mixer to medium speed and crack the eggs in one at a time while mixing. Stop when thoroughly combined.

Add the dough into your pastry bag with a star tip (I used a 1M tip). Moving your hand in a circular motion, pipe dough onto the prepared pans in a mound that’s about 1 inch x 1 inch. These will give you the right size puffs. Make sure the point at the top is sticking upward, or else they will be lopsided when they come out of the oven.

Bake for 18-19 minutes on the top rack. If you are doing this on 2 baking sheets, make sure to switch them around halfway into baking. Then remove the pan(s) from the oven. Poke each puff with a knife so that the steam can escape, and put them back into the oven for 4-5 minutes. This will enable the insides to get fully cooked. Remove pans from oven and set on a rack.

For the chocolate drizzle:
Melt the chocolate chips in a saucepan over very low heat then remove from heat, add oil and mix well. Drizzle chocolate over the puffs.

For the custard:
Add 1.5 cups of milk and the heavy cream into a saucepan. Set over medium heat.

Meanwhile, add yolks, the remaining 1/4 cup milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Mix until combined. Add cornstarch and flour to the egg yolk mixture and whisk until combined.

When milk starts to simmer, remove from heat (not turning off the heat yet) and very, very slowly add the yolk mixture into the hot milk while whisking rapidly. Make sure you whisk at the same time, or else you will end up with scrambled eggs.

Bring saucepan back over heat stirring continuously until thickened. It will take about 10 minutes.

Pour into a large bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes, then place plastic wrap right on top of the custard. This will prevent a skin from forming.

For the whipping cream:
Place mixing bowl and whisk in freezer for at least 15 minutes prior to making.

Add water and gelatin into a small bowl, mix, and let it sit for a minute. Add mixture into the top of a double boiler (with simmering water in the bottom) and stir constantly over low heat until gelatin dissolves and liquifies. Or place it in the microwave for 20 seconds or until it liquifies.

Take off heat and let it cool for a minute. Don’t allow it to set up, though. Set aside.

Add heavy cream into the slightly frozen mixing bowl and whisk on high speed for a minute. Add vanilla and sugar and whisk for another minute. Add gelatin mixture slowly while whisking. Whisk for another minute, until cream holds its shape.

To assemble:
Let the puffs cool for 10 minutes before cutting them in half. Add about 1/2 teaspoon custard on the bottom half of the puffs. Add whipped cream into a piping bag, and using the same star tip, pipe the cream over the custard.