Grain Free Cream Puffs with Buttercream

Originally a French desert, these cream puffs were a regular on our dinner table when we were expecting guests.  I’m glad I can recreate this using cassava flour to make it entirely grain free.

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Growing up, my Mom would always make this desert for special occasions like birthdays, holidays and when having guests for dinner.  Thankfully for us, that was pretty often as my parents valued hospitality and having guests over was a frequent occurrence in our household.  I would often walk into the kitchen only to find these unfilled cream puffs scattered on our kitchen table.  Without the cream, they are rather bland.  But the luscious buttercream is a total game changer.

The Puffs

Choux à la crème is a filled French choux pastry ball with a delectable filling.  The puffs may be decorated or left plain and garnished with either chocolate ganache, caramel sauce or dusted with powdered sugar.  There are a myriad of ways to deck out these puffs so it really is a matter of preference and tastebuds.

The making of the puffs is actually quite easy with four simple ingredients: water, butter, flour and eggs.  The addition of eggs, one at a time, creates a smooth but thick paste that can easily be spooned or piped through a pasty bag onto the baking sheet.  This paste is commonly referred to as choux paste and when baked in small balls creates largely hollow puffs.

I modified my Mom’s traditional cream puffs to make it completely grain free using cassava flour.  The result is nearly the same as my childhood treats, only better because…grain free., duh! I use only Otto’s brand of cassava flour as they take great care to offer the best quality on the market.  And they offer free shipping too!

The cream

After the puffs are cooled, they are filled with a sweet cream.  The most common fillings are pastry cream, whipped cream, custard, fruit or even ice cream.  My favorite filling is this buttercream that is started with custard but when butter is mixed in well, it creates this smooth, rich cream.  It’s slightly more time consuming that the traditional whipped cream, but because these cream puffs are a special treat, it’s worthwhile doing the extra step of cooking the custard.  The copious amount of pastured butter makes it all the better.  It’s rich, luscious, and oh-so-delicious.

Grain Free Cream Puffs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper and grease the parchment well with coconut oil or butter.  Set aside.

It’s important to actually start with the cream since the custard first needs to be cooked and cooled.  In a small saucepan on medium heat, whisk one egg, milk, cassava flour and cup of sugar together.  Gently bring to a boil and continue to cook another 3-4 minutes on low heat.  Set aside for it to cool and thicken.  

In a small thick-bottomed saucepan, melt butter with water together.  Take off heat and add cassava flour.  Stir vigorously to combine well.  Transfer this mixture into a stand-up mixer with a paddle attachment.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition on low-medium speed.

Spoon about the size of a ping-pong ball onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving enough space between them for a slight rise.  I was able to fit all 24 on one sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to completely cool.

Meanwhile, transfer the custard (it should have cooled and thickened by now) into medium size mixing bowl or the KitchenAid mixer.  Add 1 cup of pastured butter (2 sticks) and beat well.  This usually takes a good 10 minutes.  You want to make sure that the butter has been incorporated well into the custard and you should have no white chunks.

Make slits in the cream puffs with a serrated knife being careful not to go all the way through.  Alternatively, you can cut straight through, fill with cream and assemble back together.  But I like “hiding” the cream inside without cutting through the puffs.

Using a small teaspoon, scoop about two teaspoons of cream and gently slide it in the puff opening, using the top half to help slide the cream off the spoon.  Do this for all 24 cream puffs.  Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with chocolate ganache.  Or just enjoy without any toppings.

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Grain Free Cream Puffs with Buttercream

Grain Free Cream Puffs with Buttercream Prep time: 75 mins Cook time: 35 mins Total time: 1 hour 50 mins Serves: 24

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 24

Ingredients

• Puffs:
• 2/3 cup pastured butter
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup <a href=http://www.idevaffiliate.com/32360/idevaffiliate.php?id=180>cassava flour</a>
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• Cream:
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup <a href="http://amzn.to/1U6Bbz9" target="_blank">organic sugar</a>
• 2 tablespoon <a href=http://www.idevaffiliate.com/32360/idevaffiliate.php?id=180>cassava flour</a>
• 1 cup pastured butter

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and grease the parchment well with coconut oil or butter. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan on medium heat, whisk one egg, milk, <a href=http://www.idevaffiliate.com/32360/idevaffiliate.php?id=180>flour</a> and cup of <a href="http://amzn.to/1U6Bbz9" target="_blank">sugar</a> together. Gently bring to a boil and continue to cook another 3-4 minutes on low heat. Set aside for it to cool and thicken.
• In another saucepan, melt butter with water together. Take off heat and add <a href=http://www.idevaffiliate.com/32360/idevaffiliate.php?id=180>flour</a>. Stir vigorously to combine well.
• Transfer this mixture into a stand-up mixer with a paddle attachment. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition on low-medium speed.
• Spoon about the size of a ping-pong ball onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving enough space between them for a slight rise. I was able to fit all 24 on one sheet.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to completely cool.
• Meanwhile, transfer the custard (it should have thickened by now) into medium size mixing bowl or a Kitchen Aid mixer. Add 1 cup of pastured butter (2 sticks) and beat well. This usually takes about 10 minutes. You want to make sure that the butter has been incorporated well into the custard and you should have no white chunks.
• Make slits in the cream puffs with a serrated knife being careful not to go all the way through. Alternatively, you can cut straight through, fill with cream and assemble back together.
• Using a small teaspoon, scoop about two teaspoons of cream and gently slide it in the puff opening, using the top half to help slide the cream off the spoon.
• Do this for the remaining cream puffs.
• Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with chocolate ganache. Or just enjoy without any toppings.