Cream Puff Ring with Almond Cream Filling and Chocolate Glaze
Author: unknown

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

Almond Cream Filling
1 pkg vanilla instant pudding
1 1/4 cup milk
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 tsp almond extract

Chocolate Glaze
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 1/2 tsp milk
1 1/2 tsp corn syrup

In 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, heat water, butter or margarine, and salt until butter melts and mixture boils. Remove saucepan from heat.

With wooden spoon, vigorously stir in flour all at once until mixture forms a ball and leaves sides of saucepan. Add eggs to flour mixture, one at a time, beating after each addition, until mixture is smooth and satiny. Cool mixture slightly.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease and flour large cookie sheet. Using 7-inch plate as guide, trace a circle in flour on cookie sheet.

Drop batter by heaping tablespoons into ten mounds, inside circle to form ring. Bake ring 40 minutes or until golden. Turn off oven; let ring remain in oven 15 minutes. Remove ring from oven; cool on wire rack.

When ring is cool, with long serrated knife, slice horizontally in half. Prepare Almond-Cream Filling; spoon into bottom of ring. Replace top of ring. Refrigerate. Prepare Chocolate Glaze. Spoon Glaze over top of ring.

ALMOND-CREAM FILLING
Prepare one 3-1/2 to 3-3/4 ounce package vanilla-flavor instant pudding and pie filling as label directs but use only 1-1/4 cups milk. Fold in one cup heavy or whipping cream, whipped, and 1 teaspoon almond extract.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE
In double boiler over hot, NOT BOILING, water (or in heavy 1-quart saucepan over low heat), heat 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces with 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, 1-1/2 teaspoons milk, and 1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup, until smooth, stirring occasionally.