Coconut Cream Puffs

January 1, 2018

These Coconut Cream Puffs are a decadent treat.

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Coconut Cream Puffs

Yield: 24 cream puffs • Preparation: 35 minutes • Bake: 20 minutes • Cool: 30 minutes

Ingredients

¾ cup water
6 tablespoons salted butter, cut in pieces
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 recipe Vanilla-Coconut Pastry Cream (recipe follows)
Garnish: confectioners’ sugar and toasted coconut

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°.
Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, sugar, and salt. Cook over medium heat until butter melts. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Cook, and stir until dough pulls away from sides of pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and let stand for 2 minutes, stirring a few times to cool dough.
Add eggs one at a time, stirring constantly and vigorously with a wooden spoon until each egg is well incorporated. (Dough should be smooth and shiny.) Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (Ateco #809). Pipe dough onto prepared baking sheets in 1½-inch mounds 2 inches apart. Using a damp finger, pat down dough peaks.
Bake until golden brown, approximately 20 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire cooling rack. Using a skewer or the tip of a pointed knife, poke a small hole in side of each cream puff to allow steam to escape. Let cool completely.
Using the tip of a paring knife, cut a small slit in the side of each cream puff.
Place Vanilla-Coconut Pastry Cream in a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe custard into cream puffs to fill, making sure not to overfill.
Garnish with confectioners’ sugar and toasted coconut before serving, if desired.

Notes

Make-ahead tip: Cream puff shells can be made a week in advance and frozen in a resealable plastic bag. Let thaw completely before filling and garnishing. Fill and garnish just before serving.

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Vanilla-Coconut Pastry Cream

Yield: 2 cups • Preparation: 20 minutes • Cook: 2 to 3 minutes • Refrigerate: 4 to 6 hours

Ingredients

4 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¹⁄8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon salted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon coconut extract
½ cup finely chopped toasted sweetened flaked coconut*

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar, whisking well. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, heat milk over medium heat until very hot but not boiling. Add hot milk, ¼ cup at a time, to egg mixture to temper, whisking constantly. Add cornstarch and salt, whisking until incorporated. Strain mixture though a fine-mesh sieve. Return mixture to saucepan, and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture thickens.
Remove from heat, and add butter and extracts, stirring until incorporated. Transfer custard to a heatproof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, letting plastic wrap touch surface of custard.
Refrigerate custard until very cold, 4 to 6 hours or overnight.
Add toasted coconut to cold custard, stirring well.

Notes

*To achieve a finely chopped texture, pulse coconut in a food processor before toasting. Coconut should be small enough to pass through a large decorating tip.