Recipe: Chocolate-Filled Cream Puffs (custard filling)

Chocolate-Filled Cream Puffs
rec.food.baking/Luke & Alane Tentoni (1998)
From the Hershey's Chocolate Lover's Cookbook

This cream puff recipe is pretty basic, and I guess you could fill them with whatever you like. I will include the chocolate filling, since it's in the book.

I recommend using a nonstick airbake cookie sheet to bake these. They stick like crazy, and you can't grease the pan -- it does something to them. I tried it one time, and they flopped. :-P And I always make the cream first so it can cool while I make the puffs. It takes the cream a long time to cool!

1 cup water
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 eggs
Chocolate Cream Filling
Chocolate Glaze

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. In medium saucepan, heat water, butter and salt to rolling boil. Add flour all at once; stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture leaves side of pan and forms a ball.

Remove from heat; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until smooth and velvety. Drop batter by spoonfuls into 12 balls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. While puff is warm, horizontally slice off small portion of top; reserve tops. Remove any soft piece of dough from inside of puff; cool completely on wire rack.

Fill puffs with chocolate cream filling, replace tops, drizzle with chocolate glaze, refrigerate until serving time. Cover, refrigerate leftover puffs. Makes about 12 servings

Chocolate Cream

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In medium saucepan, stir together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt; stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils; boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; gradually stir about 1 cup hot mixture into beaten egg yolks. Return all egg mixture to saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, just until mixture comes to a boil.

Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into bowl; press plastic wrap directly onto surface. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until cold. Do *not* stir. About 3 cups filling

Chocolate Glaze

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening (do not use butter, margarine, or oil)

In small bowl, place chocolate chips and shortening. Microwave at high 30 seconds, stir. If necessary, microwave at high additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, just until chips are melted when stirred.