- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup margarine or butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- Cream filling (below) or Sweetened whipped cream
- powdered sugar
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat water and margarine to rolling boil in saucepan. Stir in flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute; remove from heat. Beat in eggs, all at once; continue beating until smooth. Drop dough by scant 1/4 cupfuls about 3 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake until puffed and golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool away from draft. Cut off tops; pull out any filaments of soft dough. Fill puffs with cream filling. Replace tops; dust with powdered sugar. Refrigerate until serving time.
Cream filling
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk
- 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
- 2 Tablespoons margarine or butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in 2-quart saucepan. Stir in milk gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. boil and stir 1 minute. Stir at least half of the hot mixture gradually into egg yolks in a bowl. Once at least half of the mixture is mixed into the eggs pour it into the hot mixture in the pan. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in margarine and vanilla; cool.
Chocolate Eclairs: Drop dough by scant 1/4 cupfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Shape each into finger 4 1/2 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide with spatula. Bake; cool. Fill puffs with cream filling. Frost with chocolate frosting. Refrigerate until serving time.
Quick Cream Puffs: Omit Cream Filling. Fill puffs with ice cream or fruit pie filling. Frost with chocolate frosting or dust with powdered sugar.
Chocolate frosting: Heat 1/2 square (1/2 ounce) unsweetened chocolate and 1/2 teaspoon margarine or butter over low heat until melted. Remove from hear; stir in 1/2 cup powdered sugar and about 1 Tablespoon hot water. Beat until smooth.