Windbeutels: Strawberry Cream Puffs

I finally got back into baking over the long weekend and made windbeutels (cream puffs)!  It was an impulsive act – I was lurking around on foodgawker and couldn’t help it – but I’m glad I acted on it.  I made my cream puffs using two recipes and a lot of improvisation with the strawberry cream.  You could easily switch out the strawberry cream and make your own.  For instance, caramel cream, cream cheese, or good old vanilla cream.  Enjoy!

The Pastry

This recipe makes 18 small cream puffs.  

Adapted from Two Boys One Girl and Crazy Mom

Ingredients

• 140 ml of water
• 60 g of unsalted butter
• pinch of salt
• 100 g flour
• 2 eggs

Instructions

1. In a pot bring water to a boil, add butter and melt. Add a pinch of salt.
2. Remove from heat and add the flour all at once. Stir briskly using a wooden spoon.
3. Beat one egg and add to mixture.  Stir until incorporated.
4. Add the second beaten egg and stir until a sleek dough result.
5. Preheat the oven to 430 F.
6. Spoon batter onto baking sheets, approximately the size of a small golf ball.  You can make them look pretty by piping them out instead.
7. To make the cream puffs rise and become fluffy sprinkle a little water on the tray and load into oven.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.
8. Cool and pierce each cream puff on the side with a knife so that the hot air can exhaust.

 

 

Strawberry Cream Filling

Adapted from The Cupcake Project.

Ingredients

• one box of fresh strawberries
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream (I replaced this with whipping cream 35%)

Instructions

1. Wash and slice half a box of fresh strawberries and throw into a small pot.  Add a tiny bit of water and set to boil.  When boiling, adjust the heat to medium.  Add a bit of sugar – just enough so it won’t be sour.  Remember to stir so your strawberries don’t burn.
2. While your strawberries are boiling away, wash and slice the other half of your strawberries.  You can use these to add onto the cream when assembling.
3. Remove your pot of strawberries from the heat when it starts to look like jam.  Put these through the strainer to separate the syrup from the small chunks of strawberries.  Let it sit so it is properly strained.
4. Once your syrup is cool, add the whipping cream to a medium sized bowl and whip.  Add the sugar in and whip until it becomes creamy (about 5 minutes).
5. When the cream looks like it could stick to the bowl when you turn it upside down, add your strawberry syrup.
6.  Lightly beat the syrup in – it takes about 5 seconds – until it becomes a consistent pink cream.

Assemble your cream puffs and serve!