Here's a really simple pastry that's alot of fun for the kids to help with! Mine love to watch these puff up in the oven and come up with different things to fill them with.

Pate a Choux (Puff Pastry)

Ingredients:

1 C Water

6 TBL Butter

1 TBL Sugar

Sm. Pinch Salt

1 TSP Vanilla

5 3/4 Oz. Bread Flour

1 C Eggs (about 4)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450F.

Bring the water, butter, sugar & salt to a boil. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and flour. Mix dough into a ball let cool for a few minutes. Dump in mixing bowl and incorporate the first egg on lowest setting. Once all eggs are added and mixture is smooth, transfer to a piping bag (or large freezer zip-lock.)

Pipe into about a 2 TBL size ball onto wax or parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325F and bake for an additional 10-15* minutes. Until they are golden brown.

About 2 or 3 minutes before finished baking, cut a slit in the top of each to let steam escape so they don't fall after baking.

Filling Recipe:

While the traditional filling for Pate a Choux is Pastry Cream, my daughters go crazy for homemade chocolate pudding.

Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients:

1/2 C Sugar

3 TBL Unsweet Cocoa

1/4 C Cornstarch

1/8 TSP Salt

2 3/4 C Milk

2 TBL Butter

1 TSP Vanilla

Directions:

In a heavy bottom saucepan stir together the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt.

Heat on Medium while stirring in milk.

Bring to a boil and stir constantly until mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon.

Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.

Cool in refrigerator.

Hollow out pastries if necessary and pipe in pudding.