You can use any recipe for cream puffs or this one.  I make mine small and fill them with a Mascarpone Cheese Whipped Cream Filling – so sweet and yummy. The recipe sounds daunting but really very easy once you get into it.

CREAM PUFF RECIPE

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter (4 ounces)
•  1 cup all-purpose flour
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
•  4 large eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

3. Bring the water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the butter.  When the butter has melted, add the flour mixture all at once and stir vigorously.  Cook and stir until the mixture forms a ball that doesn’t separate.

4. Remove from the heat and cool slightly (about 1 minute).  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each one until the dough is smooth.

5. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough about 2-inches apart onto a greased baking sheet.  Or transfer the batter to a pastry bag with a round tip and pipe circles about 2-inches in diameter and about 1-inch apart onto greased baking sheets.

6. Bake the puffs for about 30 minutes until they are golden brown and puffy.  If the puffs are medium-size, bake for about 22 — 25 minutes, and if the puffs are mini-size, bake for about 17 — 20 minutes.  Remove the cream puffs from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.

MASCARPONE CHEESE WHIPPED CREAM FILLING

MASCARPONE CHEESE WHIPPED CREAM FILLING
• 2/3 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2/3 cup heavy whip cream
• 4 tablespoons powder sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
•
1. In a chilled bowl beat the Mascarpone cheese and vanilla until creamy
2. Add the powdered sugar and whipping cream
3. Beat on high speed until thick and fluffy
4. Cut cooled puffs in half
5. Divide the cream mixture between halves and put the top back on.
6. Drizzle with melted bittersweet chocolate or dust with powdered sugar