Crispy choux pastry filled with a Banana Cream and topped with chocolate and crushed Nilla Wafers, these banana pudding inspired cream puffs are simply delicious and fully impressive.
Yields: 30-40 small cream puffs
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large saucepan, melt together the butter and water until boiling. Add the flour and salt, and using a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula, stir to cook out the flour, making sure to scrape along the edges of the pan.
Remove the pan from the heat and begin to add in the eggs, one at a time, stirring until the egg is completely beaten into the dough. The number of eggs needed is dependent on how big your eggs are, so check the consistency as you go. The dough should be shiny and thick and should drop from the spoon or the spatula.
Using an overflowing teaspoon or a piping bag, drop rounds of dough on to the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes. Lower the oven to 375°F and continue to bake an additional 15 minutes. Do NOT open the oven as the choux pastry bakes.
Turn off the oven. Using a knife, prick the cream puffs to allow steam to escape so that the insides will dry out. Leave the puffs in the oven for an additional 20 minutes and then remove.
Banana Cream Filling
In a medium to large saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, and salt. Stir in the milk and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens and boils, about 10 minutes. Allow to boil for 1 minute.
In a separate, small bowl. Beat together the egg yolks with a fork. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the milk/flour/sugar mixture to the bowl with the eggs and stir to temper the eggs. Slowly pour the egg mixture back into the milk, stirring. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens and coats a spoon or spatula well (about 8 minutes) and just a few small bubbles form. Do NOT boil. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Transfer the cream to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap should touch the cream so that it doesn’t form a skin while chilling. Chill well. Once chilled, fold in the mashed banana.
Using a hand mixer, with a stand mixer, or with a wire whisk, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled banana cream.
Topping & Assembly
In a small microwavable bowl, melt the dark or bittersweet chocolate chips and the butter. Stir until fully melted and combined.
Cut the tops off of the puffs. Dip the tops into the melted chocolate and sprinkle with crushed Nilla Wafers. Allow to dry/firm up.
Using a small spoon or a piping bag, fill the cream puffs with the banana cream and top with the dipped pastry tops. If there is some pastry in the center because it didn’t dry out enough in the oven, remove so that the puff is hollow prior to filling.
Keep the cream puffs chilled in an airtight container. These are best when filled before needed as the cream helps soften the pastry.