Eclair's for Easter!

I wanted to make something out of the ordinary for Easter this year and thought that Eclair's would be a fancy treat. This was the first time i've made this French dessert and although tasty, I think the French bakeries i've been to taste a little better.

Ingredients for dough:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
chocolate chips
heavy cream

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet.

2.In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring until butter melts completely. Reduce heat to low, and add flour and salt. Stir vigorously until mixture leaves the sides of the pan and begins to form a stiff ball. Remove from heat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to incorporate completely after each addition. With a spoon or a pastry bag fitted with a No. 10, or larger, tip, spoon or pipe dough onto cookie sheet in 1 1/2 x 4 inch strips.

3.Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and bake 20 minutes more, until hollow sounding when lightly tapped on the bottom. Cool completely on a wire rack.

4.For the filling, see pastry cream recipe below. Cut tops off of cooled pastry shells with a sharp knife. Fill shells with pudding mixture and replace tops.

5.For the chocolate ganach icing, boil 2 cups of heavy cream. Pour cream into a bowl and add chocolate chips.  Let chocolate chips soak in hot cream for 2 minutes and then using a whisk, stir vigorously until chocolate thickens. Drizzle over filled eclairs. Refrigerate until serving.

Ingredients for pastry cream:
2 cups milk
1/4 cup white sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1.In a heavy saucepan, stir together the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

2.In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg. Stir together the remaining sugar and cornstarch; then stir them into the egg until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle it into the bowl in a thin stream while mixing so that you do not cook the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the eggs don' t curdle or scorch on the bottom.

3.When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla, mixing until the butter is completely blended in. Pour into a heat-proof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled before using.

Caramel Apple Turnovers

Birthday desserts are hard when your husband doesn't really "care" for chocolate! This apple turnover recipe was exactly what the doctor ordered. It is a perfect mixture of fruit to sweetness.

Caramel Apple Turnovers

(Recipe from ComfortofCooking)


Makes 8 turnovers

Ingredients:

For caramelized apples:
2 apples (any kind)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
2 tablespoons brown sugar

For turnovers:
1 can (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent roll dough or seamless dough sheet
1 large egg
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

For caramel:
8 tablespoons white sugar
4 tablespoons water

Directions:
To caramelize apples:

Core and slice the apples into ¼-inch thick slices. In a large skillet, heat butter until it is bubbling. Add the apple slices to the skillet and continue to cook over medium-high heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until apples soften and begin to brown. Turn several times to brown evenly. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar, and continue to cook until sugar has melted and started to caramelize. Apple slices should be tender. Set pan aside.

To assemble turnovers:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Separate the crescent roll dough into 4 rectangles, then press the perforations together to seal. Cut each rectangle in half to make squares (8 squares in total). If the pieces are not quite square, gently stretch them into shape. If using a seamless dough sheet, cut into 8 squares.
Beat together the egg and water, and brush each square with the mixture.

If using, place 3-4 caramelized apples on one corner-half of each square. Fold the other half of the dough over the filling to form a triangle. Use your fingers or a fork to seal the edges together. Brush the tops with the egg mixture and sprinkle a pinch of nutmeg over each turnover.

Place on an ungreased baking sheet, or a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat, and bake for 16 to 19 minutes until golden brown.

To make caramel:

Warm a large saucepan over medium heat. Pour sugar into the saucepan. Wait for it to melt (This will take about 5 minutes).

Stir the melting sugar with a wooden spoon until it is completely melted. Stir again for 5 minutes until the melted sugar has turned brown. It should look somewhat like honey. Do not burn it.

Remove the pan from the heat and VERY slowly pour in the water while stirring.

Let the caramel cool down a little. Drizzle over the baked turnovers and serve

Vegan Pina Colada Cookies

Piña Colada Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 24 cookies

8 tablespoons Earth Balance non-hydrogenated butter substitute (sticks)

1/2 cup unbleached (raw) sugar (or regular)

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

4 tablespoons rice milk (or sub soy or almond)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1&1/2 cup rolled oats

1&1/2 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut (when i only had sweetened, cut down on sugar)

8 dried pineapple rings (or 3/4 cup chunks) unsweetened

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 350˚

In a bowl (I use a stand mixer) beat together the Earth Balance and sugars together until light.

Add the vanilla and non dairy milk and beat until blended.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, coconut and salt.

Cut the pineapple into little pieces and mix in by hand to break up the pieces.

Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture.

Roll the dough into golf ball size balls and flatten slightly.

Bake for 11 minutes. Bake them for 12-13 minutes if you want a crispier cookie.