Chocolate Cream Puff Trees
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Serves: 3 trees or about 45 puffs
 
Chocolate Cream Puff Trees are made with chocolate cream puffs, french pastry filling, chocolate sauce and peppermint bits.
Ingredients
  • Chocolate Cream Puffs
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 cup + 1 tablespoon flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 Eggland's Best Eggs
  • Cream Puff Filling
  • 1 3.4 oz. box French Vanilla Instant Pudding or Vanilla
  • 1 ½ cups milk
  • ½ carton (4 oz.) frozen whipped topping
  • Chocolate Sauce
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup corn syrup
  • 4 – 5 small candy canes - crushed
Instructions
  1. Cream Puffs:
  2. Add a stick of butter and the water to a small saucepan. Melt the butter in the water over medium heat. Add the salt, cocoa and sugar. When blended add the flour all at once. Stir the mixture until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Cover loosely and remove from heat. Let set for 15 minutes to cool down slightly. Add the eggs one a time and combine it with the flour mixture. When the first egg is thoroughly combined add the second egg, repeat 2 more times.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 x 15 pan with parchment paper. Put the batter into a pastry bag with a large tip. Pipe the mixture onto the cookie sheets in a circle about 1 ¼ inches across. You can also use a spoon to make the puffs. Have ready a small bowl of water. Dip your fingers into the water and press down lightly any tops that have a point on them.
  4. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes. Puffs will double in size during baking. Turn oven off, leave door open for 5 minutes and leave the cream puffs in the oven to dry out further.
  5. To make the French Vanilla Filling
  6. Empty the pudding mix into a bowl. Use a whisk and add the milk. When thoroughly combined set aside for 5 minutes. Fold in the whipped topping. Place filling in a pastry bag and fill the cream puffs.
  7. To make the Chocolate Sauce
  8. Add all of the ingredients to a micro-wave safe container. Heat for 1 minute. Stir until combined. If all the chocolate isn't melted micro-wave again in 30 second intervals.
  9. Fill the cream puffs with the filling. I used Wilton's tip #230 to fill them.
  10. To make the trees, place 5 of the cream puffs in a circle on a small plate. Stack 4 more on top of them, off setting them slightly. Stack 3 on top of those and then 1 for the top.
  11. Lightly drizzle the chocolate sauce over the puffs and sprinkle with the crushed candy canes. Put in refrigerator until ready to serve.
  12. Yield 3 trees – or about 45 small puffs
Recipe by Recipes Food and Cooking at https://recipesfoodandcooking.com/2014/11/15/chocolate-cream-puff-trees/