Mini Chocolate Eclairs

Yummy cream filled Chocolate Eclairs....super yummy for a summer BBQ....

My French born sister-in-law Danielle makes these TO DIE FOR ECLAIRS every year at 4th of July. Everyone has come to expect and love her chocolate eclairs. She actually can't make a different dessert because everybody looks forward to these 4th of July Eclairs so much! Or they'd be great for a Summer BBQ too! These little cream puffs are so yummy I want one NOW!

My sis-in-law made the easy chocolate eclairs/cream puffs.....I made the fruity, chocolate cupcakes....both look great on our 4th of July table don't they? They are great for any summer BBQ too. 

Easy Eclairs or Cream Puffs Recipe:  
1 cup water
1/2  cube butter
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Heat oven to 400. Heat water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour untilmixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Let cool a bit till batter is not hot. Beat in eggs one at a time. Drop dough 1 Tbsp size onto baking sheet using a pastry bag. Mine were about 1 3/4 inches oval x 1 1/2 and I got about 30 little eclairs.

Cook until puffy and golden. I did 14 minutes at 400 and then turned oven down to 350 for 5 minutes. I think from posts I read on other blogs 20 minutes is perfect for smaller eclairs. Larger ones about 20 minutes at 400 and 4 minutes at 350 but watch them the last 3 minutes. Your oven might be different as I am at high altitude.

Directions

Heat water and butter till boiling. Add flour and stir constantly until mixture is smooth.

The ingredients for cream eclairs are only 4....so easy! 

Water, butter, flour and eggs....

Batter before adding the eggs.....I let it beat a little to let off some of the steam....

Then I added 1 egg at a time and beat for a minute in between eggs.....

The eclair batter is  like pudding...

I piped the batter onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper....

I added a blob of eclair batter to each of the 4 corners...then pressed the parchment paper on top. It helps
"glue" the paper down to the cookie sheets. 

Here are my finished Eclairs....just out of the oven! 

Now they are ready to fill with the creamy, rich pudding filling....each one was a half a handful ! 

Cool. Cut a slit in the side of puff with a knife. Fill eclairs with a pastry bag filled with the french vanilla pudding mixture.  Make chocolate icing and spread over top.  Keep refrigerated. Makes 12 large or 24 eclairs (mine made 30 little round ones- bigger than the Costco size) I think this is a perfect dessert to bring to a party because if you have other desserts, this can be a side garnish and they are so cute and yummy too.

French Vanilla Cream Filling
1/2 pint whipping cream (smallest carton)
1 small box instant French vanilla instant pudding
1/2 cup milk
Whip until thick.

HERE is a link to a yummy eclair recipe from Annie's Eats if you like mocha flavor.

1/2 cup milk, pint of cream and small box of french vanilla instant pudding....

The filling is really rich and creamy too...I had to pop an eclair in my mouth to taste test it! 

Squeeze inside of your little puffs....so easy! 

 Chocolate Fudgy Glaze
1/2 slick butter
2 Tbsp. cocoa
2 Tbsp. milk
2 cups powdered sugar ( I used a little less, just add it till desired consistency)

Heat until melted, stirring constantly-add 2 cups powdered sugar until melted. Shake a fork
back & forth and then the other way to ice tops of eclairs if you want a cool design. Or just frost with a knife.

This was the most delicious chocolate glaze!  

It was easy and quick....

And it tastes like the most divine fudge!  Really!

Chocolate Eclairs....oh my yum! Wouldn't these eclairs be cute with at little flag sticking out on a toothpick? I saw some at Hobby Lobby the other day....shoulda bought them now that I think about it.....

Wouldn't you love a creamy, chocolaty, eclair bite?  That's what I'm talkin' about!  

Christmas Cupcakes & Gingerbread Cake

I loved the ideas I read on Crystal and Company's website. She makes cupcakes toppers out of candy. Her link is HERE for cute pirate cupcakes tutorial. I do a pirate party every year so I am copying her idea for sure.

There are so many cute things to put on top using candy, toothpick toppers, sprinkles, designing an animal face with candy, and making stripes and polka dot designs with candy and edible things.


Here are a few that I loved.

Cute Cupcake Toppers from Current Catalog

                      

This cute Christmas set of toppers is from Currentcatalog.com, a stationery store online. It is only 99cents! My classroom Christmas party will be more fun with the kids being able to choose their own cute toppers for the cupcakes they decorate. And look how easy! The link for these cute toppers is HERE at Current.

Free Cupcake Topper Printables

      

Another cute topper with some FREE PRINTABLES I found at Bake it Pretty blog HERE. She occasionally has a free printable for all kinds of holiday stuff. All you need here is a color printer to make some really cute cupcakes!

Cute Reindeer Cupcakes for Christmas Day!

The Amateur Gourmet has a tutorial on making these cute reindeer cupcakes with curly pretzels and M &Ms. I think kids could totally do these and have a great time at a winter party. All you need is chocolate cupcakes and frosting and vanilla wafers and some little candies.  The rest is so easy!  Katy's tutorial is HERE at Amateur Gourmet.

Tips for Melting Candy Wafers for Decorating Cupcakes......

1.Use a double boiler.
2. Use low heat.
3. Don't boil it too fast or it turns to a ball.
4. Stir pretty regularly.
5. If you use a piping bag, let the melted candy cool for 10 minutes so it doesn't burn your hands as you pipe
6. Once molds are filled put them in the fridge to harden, or between color layers.

Have fun making Christmas cupcakes..... Here's my latest yummy obsession...Gingerbread men and Gingerbread Cake!

Gingerbread Cake with YUMMY ICING! 

Finished gingerbread cake....

Finished cake with cream cheese icing....

I got this DIVINE recipe from Jaime Cooks it Up. She is a true master in the kitchen. I loved these decadent and easy bars so check it out if you want the recipe. It's easy and it is HERE at her website.

Cut up and added some cute picks...

The icing is my favorite....cream cheese mixed with butter and powdered sugar. It makes anything taste better I think.

Delicious! 

 It was soooo rich and yummy. It would make a great addition to any Holiday dessert bar.

EASY No Bake Raspberry Cheesecake

I remember making this NO BAKE cheesecake for a boy I thought I was in love with as a teenager. I was trying to win his heart through his stomach.  EEK.....

Easy Raspberry Cheesecake recipe

When he proposed a year later, I decided he wasn't really who I wanted after all...snicker....Typical fickled 19 year old, right?  Yeah.  But he wasn't wrong to love my cheesecake.  No Way. 

I buy the graham cracker crust for the Raspberry Cheesecake....It's just EASIER! 

I like to take shortcuts where I can so I bought the graham cracker crust pie crust. You could easily make one too with butter, sugar and graham crackers, but why bother? Make life easier on yourself! Plus the clear plastic top makes a great pie carrier.  


Easy No Bake Cheesecake Recipe:

• 10 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup heavy cream
• fruit toppings of your choice
• Directions:

Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth.Then whip up the cream, and then add it into the cream cheese mixture.  Spread the cheesecake  into your graham cracker pie crust and put in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight to set up. 

I LOVE this raspberry topping for a cheesecake...It is the most popular too!

I helped serve at my niece's wedding reception. They had cheesecake with multiple toppings for dessert. There was a choice of blueberry, raspberry, strawberry and cherry.  The first one to go was the raspberry. Everybody loved it. It is rich and dark and syrupy and tart. Love, love, love it! It is above on the left.

Cut 1/4th off a 2nd block of cream cheese for your cheesecake..

The other thing I like about a store bought graham cracker crust is the built in lid that you flip over and it makes a great pie taker. So your cheesecake doesn't get smashed up in the car ride. Yeah! How easy is that? Easy peasy!

1 1/4 blocks of cream cheese in this cheesecake recipe...super easy and quick! 

Heavy Whipping cream, some vanilla and some lemon juice....

A little powdered sugar and mix it up! So quick and yummy too! 

Here is my finished cheesecake all set up and ready to take to the family party! 

Raspberry topping...or cherry or blueberry,  and a dollop of whip cream....yummy~!

Grandpa made this cranberry relish with nuts...I was thinking of trying it out on the cheesecake too...Doesn't THAT sound delicious?  

When you serve it, top each piece with 2 spoonfuls of a good, canned, cherry, blueberry or raspberry pie filling, or fresh strawberries and a dollop of Cool Whip.  Easiest and yummiest cheesecake pie you will ever make.  It isn't as "cheesy and hard" as some kinds of cheesecake. It is more light and creamy and lemony.  And every crumb will be licked off of the plates, I promise!  

CHERRY DUMP CAKE

I've been so busy doing report cards this week. Then for my class, I'm planning a  fun Halloween Party on Monday. The rest of the week I'll be  having kids on candy highs for a few days and then Parent Teacher conferences on Wednesday and Thursday. EEK! Fun week ahead! Anyhoo.....

My finished cherry dump cake Cherry Crisp

I can't face cooking today. So My nice hubs went and got takeout at Goodwood Barbeque in Draper, my favorite BBQ place.

EasyIngredients for Cherry Crisp.....minus the crushed pineapple..

And I'm making a cherry dump cake to go with it.  It is soooooo easy but yummy.

Just use a can of cherries for the Cherry Dump Cake

Spray the pan, line with the canned cherries for Cherry Crisp....

Then add the pineapple and pecans...just dump them in! 

Dump the cake mix on top and dot with butter pieces....THAT'S IT! 

Here is the recipe.

CHERRY DUMP CAKE

1 can cherry pie filling
1 can crushed pineapple, including juice
1 butter cake mix
1 stick butter
chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350, Spray 9 x 13 pan with Pam. spread cherry pie filling, top with crushed pineapple. Sprinkle cake mix on top and dot with sliced butter and nuts. Bake for 45 min. to an hour.

Cherry Dump Cake (kind of a cherry crisp) all finished and half eaten!!

And like some desserts, it is actually better the next day when the crispiness has hardened a little and isn't soft and mushy. Here it is after we ate half of it. Yum.

John's brisket....

My ribs....Thanks GOODWOOD BARBEQUE! 

And here is my Goodwood Barbeque take-out on my new square, white dinner plates from TARGET. My husband loves the brisket, I love the ribs...the potato salad is pretty great there too. Now if only Goodwood was next door and not all the way in DRAPER!  Thanks hubs. You rock!