Irish Cream Cream Puffs

It’s that time of year again to let the luck of the Irish rub off on us. Every year, I take this as an excuse to whip up a batch of my favorite homemade Irish Cream.

It’s always a fun little self-imposed challenge of mine to figure out what to do with all that Irish Cream. This year, we’re classin’ it up with cream puffs: Irish Cream Cream Puffs. Double the cream. How could you go wrong with that?

Cream puffs are made from a versatile dough called pâte à choux. It’s a lot easier than it seems to make this impressive looking dessert. Here’s how you do it:

Melt a stick of butter with water, a pinch of salt, and a touch of sugar. When it just starts to boil, dump in all the flour at once and stir like crazy.

Soon enough your dough will form a ball and pull away from the sides of the pan. Off the heat and stir more to cool down the mixture. There’s a lot of stirring in pâte à choux, but the arm workout is worth it. Cream puffs and buff arms – a winning combination.

Add your eggs one at a time, each time stirring until smooth before adding the next egg.

Your dough will get slippery and clumpy looking when you first add the egg. Don’t sweat it. Just keep stirring.

It will smooth out. Trust me.

Add your Irish spirit and transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.

Now here’s the fun part. Pipe out your puffs into the shape of a Hershey Kiss (or gnome hat).

Wet your fingers and tap down the tips of the cream puffs so they don’t burn when you bake them up. And into the oven they go!

Meanwhile, whip up your Irish Cream Cream into soft, billowy mounds that you want to ski in. Transfer to a piping bag and keep chilled in the fridge.

When the puffs are done, take the tip of a paring knife and make a little hole in the bottom. Fill those puffs with creamy goodness. And just wait for those sassy leprechauns to shower you with gold.

Irish Cream Cream Puffs
A St. Paddy’s Day treat fit for a classy leprechaun. Green for good luck. Stuffed with Irish Cream Cream for deliciousness.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Cooling and Assembly Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Yield: about 36 cream puffs

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (4 ounces) butter
1 cup water
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup flour
3 eggs
15 drops green food coloring
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup Irish Cream liqueur

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Place the butter, water, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan and heat over low heat until the butter melts and the water just begins to boil.
3. Add the flour all at once and stir like crazy with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth. It should form a ball and pull away from the sides of the pan. You may also see a faint skin form on the bottom of the pan if you don’t stir it for a few seconds.
4. Remove the pan from heat and continue to stir until it is cool enough to touch. It will still feel warm, but won’t be so hot that the mixture cooks the eggs you’re about to add in.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition until the mixture is smooth before adding the next egg. When you add the egg, the mixture will separate and look slippery. Don’t worry, keep mixing, it will smooth out. When you add the last egg, add in the food coloring and mix until smooth and even in color.
6. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag with a round tip (I like to use a size 806 tip). With your piping bag held directly vertical to a parchment-lined baking sheet, squeeze out a mound about 1½-inch in diameter and pull up as you release, forming a Hershey’s kiss shape. Repeat until all the cream puff mixture is gone. Wet your finger and push down the tips of all the puffs so that they don’t burn when they bake.
7. Bake until puffed and firm, about 25 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the puffs in for another 10 minutes to dry out. Take the puffs out of the oven and let cool completely.
8. Meanwhile, whip together the cream and sifted sugar until soft peaks form. Add the Irish Cream and continue whipping until you have the consistency of whipped cream. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round tip (size 804) and keep chilled in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble.
9. When the cream puffs have cooled, take the tip of a paring knife and make a hole on the bottom of the puffs large enough to fit your piping tip. Fill the puffs with the Irish Cream whipped cream. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy immediately!

Make Ahead Note: You can make the dough and cream filling the night before and have them ready to go in your piping bags until the next day. You could even bake off the puffs the day before. If they feel like they’ve gotten a bit too soft, just reheat them a bit in the oven to dry them out again.