Candy Cane Cream Puffs

Ingredients

• For the Pastry
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into 1-inch slices
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flour
• 4 large eggs
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• For the Pastry Cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, cut into chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
• 1/4 cup crushed candy cane pieces – about 8 large candy canes
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. For the pastry, set 2 oven racks near the center and heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set a large round tip in a pastry bag; if that is not in your kitchen, grab a zipper-lock bag and snip off a corner.
2. Put the butter, water, sugar, and salt in a pot and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Add the flour in a shower and stir fast with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring while it cooks, until the dough gathers into a ball, releases from the pot sides, and no water is sitting on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and leave it for 2 minutes, giving the dough 4 or 5 stirs so it does not glue itself to the warm pot.
3. Move the dough into a large bowl. With an electric mixer, work in the eggs 1 at a time. After every egg has been added, continue beating until the dough looks even throughout; it should be sticky and lift into soft peaks.
4. Scoop the dough into the pastry bag, or into a large zip-top bag with a generous corner snipped away. Pipe 3-inch round mounds on the prepared baking sheet, building them about 2 inches tall. Leave 2 inches between the pastries. The dough should make 6 to 8 puffs.
5. Bake for 15 minutes after you put the baking sheet in the oven; then lower the temperature to 375 degrees F and continue baking for about 30 minutes longer, until the pastries have risen and turned golden brown. Take them out and allow them to cool all the way on the baking sheet. When they are completely cool, use a serrated bread knife to cut each puff length-wise into 2 halves.
6. For the pastry cream, whisk together the milk and egg yolks in a heavy-bottomed 3-quart pot, then set it aside. In a small bowl, sift the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt together.
7. Place the milk and egg mixture over medium heat and stir the whole time, stopping when you see bubbles at the perimeter and steam rising from the top. Sprinkle in the flour mixture, whisking quickly to smooth out any lumps. Let the pastry cream come only to a boil, and keep stirring while you scrape along the bottom so it does not scorch. Turn the heat down to low. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the cream is thick and clings heavily to the back of a spoon. Pull the pot from the burner.
8. Add the butter, vanilla, and mint extract, stirring until they are fully worked in. Wait for the pastry cream to cool completely before you move on.
9. To assemble the cream puffs, lift off the top half of each pastry and add pastry cream to the bottom piece, filling it as generously as you can without letting it spill over the sides. You can also fit a pastry bag with a very large star tip and pipe the cream upward in a tall spiral. Scatter candy cane bits over the cream, covering the top and sides. Set the top back on each cream puff and shake powdered sugar over it. Serve right away, or keep them covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 hours.