Cream Puff Murder (Hannah Swensen, #11)(30)

“But she’s not here, and you are. How much would you charge for a tray of those?”

Hannah shrugged. “I’m not sure. I wasn’t really planning on offering them for sale.”

“Well, what are you going to do with those?” Mike pointed to the array of mini cream puffs arranged on the counter.

“I’ll freeze some so I can see how they thaw. That’s important to know for Mother’s book launch party. And the rest I guess I’ll…”

“Eat,” Mike interrupted her.

“Not on your life! The only thing I’ve tasted is the dough from the first batch, and that was only a crumb.”

Mike looked pleased. “Good for you! So they’re not even tempting you?”

“Oh, they’re tempting me, all right!”

“’Course they are. Tell you what…I need something special for a birthday. I was going to run to the Red Owl and pick up a cake, but those cream puffs would make it a really special party. How about selling me half of what you have there? You can keep the rest for freezing and whatever else you want to do with them.”

“Deal.” Hannah started arranging the cream puffs on a platter. “Bring back the platter, okay?”

“You got it. This is going to make for a really special birthday.”

Hannah placed the last cream puff and covered the platter with plastic wrap. “If you’re not going to serve these right away, refrigerate them. They should be fine for hours. Whose birthday is it anyway?”

“Somebody at the gym.” Mike handed her some folded money and picked up the platter. “Just let me know if that’s not enough. Now I’d better get going or I’ll be late. I’ll call you and tell you how it goes, Hannah. Everybody’s going to just love these.”





HANNAH’S VERY BEST CREAM PUFFS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F., rack in the middle position.



1 cup water

1/2 cup (1 stick, 8 Tablespoons, 1/4 pound) butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon white (granulated) sugar

1 cup flour (pack it down in the measuring cup and level off with a knife)

1? teaspoons baking powder

4 extra large eggs (at room temperature)



Spray a cookie sheet with Pam (or any nonstick cooking spray that doesn’t contain oil or butter), or line it with a sheet of parchment paper. (You’ll need 2 cookie sheets for mini cream puffs.)



Place the water in a heavy saucepan. Cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the water. Sprinkle in the salt and the sugar.



Turn the burner on medium to melt the butter.



While the water is heating and the butter is melting, measure out the flour and place it in a bowl. Add the baking powder and stir it in with a fork.



When the butter has melted, turn up the heat and bring the water to a full rolling boil. Turn the burner to low and dump in the flour mixture all at once, stirring it in quickly with a wooden spoon. After a few moments of vigorous stirring, the dough will clean the sides of the saucepan and begin to “ball up.” (This takes about 30 seconds.) Pull the saucepan from the heat and turn off the burner.



Let the dough sit on a cold burner or on the counter to cool for 20 minutes.



When the dough has cooled, break an egg and add it to your dough. Beat it in with a wooden spoon. Continue to beat vigorously until the egg is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth. Add the remaining eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until each egg is incorporated and the dough is smooth again.



Hannah’s 1st Note: Total time for beating in the eggs by hand is about 5 minutes. A hand mixer also works, but the dough gets caught inside the beaters and you must poke it out with a rubber spatula after each egg has been added to the dough.



Test your dough by lifting out a spoonful and dropping it on top of the rest of the dough. If it stays on top and maintains its shape, it’s ready to bake. If not, beat it some more until it does.



Drop the dough by large spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet. Make 12 mounds of dough, and if they need shaping, do so with damp fingers. Don’t crowd the puffs. They should be at least 3 inches apart. (If you want to make mini puffs, drop small spoonfuls on the sheets, 15 to each sheet.)



Bake at 400 degrees F. for 45 to 50 minutes for the large puffs. (Mini puffs bake 30 to 35 minutes.) DON’T OPEN THE OVEN TO PEEK! Finished cream puffs should feel firm to the touch and be golden brown.



Remove the cream puffs from the oven and pierce the side of each one with the point of a sharp knife. (This isn’t necessary for the mini puffs.) Cool the puffs on the baking sheet, careful to keep them away from drafts.



Cut off the top third of each puff for the lid. Remove any filaments of dough inside the bottoms and fill the puffs with sweetened whipped cream, Emmy’s Vanilla Custard, Great-Grandma’s Chocolate Pudding, ice cream, or any flavor of pie filling. Overfill a bit so the lids sit jauntily on top of the filling. Dust each one with powdered sugar and serve. If you want messy but yummy, you can drizzle a bit of chocolate sauce or icing over the tops. 107



Hannah’s 2nd Note: You can make these puffs a day ahead and store them, tightly covered, in a dry place like a kitchen cupboard. You can also fill them, wrap them tightly, and freeze them. Just thaw frozen cream puffs, dust them with powdered sugar, and serve.