A Cream Puff, by any other name...

would be called "profiteroles". Neeldom is sprinkled with these dainty little morsels.

Betty Debbie has been making cream puffs since, well, let's just say - it's been a long time. Decades. I never knew they were basically the same thing as profiteroles. I have usually filled my cream puffs with pudding - chocolate or vanilla, even butterscotch. The recipes for profiteroles that I found all had ice cream in them - and most had a chocolate glaze on top. Okay, I can do that.

Here's the basic cream puff recipe. I like it because it doesn't take any fancy ingredients. The only tricky thing is to make sure to add the eggs one at a time, and to beat thoroughly after each one. NEVER make a double batch - your arms will fall off.

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup boiling water
1 cup sifted flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs

Melt butter in boiling water. Add flour and salt all at once; stir vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball that doesn't separate. Remove from heat; cool slightly (I usually wait 5 minutes...or a little more). Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each until smooth and glossy - NOT shiny.
Drop by heaping teaspoon or tablespoon on greased cookie sheet. (leave a couple of inches between them). Bake at 400' till golden brown and puffy - about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, make a small opening for the steam to escape. Cool on rack. Makes 10 to 20 (depending on size).

For the profiteroles, add a small scoop of ice cream (I used my cookie dough scoop). Dip the top in chocolate frosting (soften a couple of tablespoons at a time in the microwave). Serve.

I made these ahead, then put them back into the freezer until after dinner. The boys gobbled them up. I still prefer pudding in the middle - I don't like biting into ice cream. I would definitely make these again - once you know how to make cream puffs, the rest is easy.

In the words of Alex van der Stevejinck: "tasty."

P.S. these are much better fresh. When you freeze the cream puffs, the butter inside also freezes...they become quite hard.