I have a confession to make, I forgot I had this box mix. I bought it at the same time as the scone mix we tried but then shortly after, I began moving into a new house. It ended up in the back of the pantry and was slowly but surely forgotten about. Funnily enough, I rediscovered it a week before the best by date. The unfortunate news is that I’m pretty sure you can’t buy this mix anymore. I didn’t think it was a limited time product but when I looked for it online the only place you can get this mix now is eBay so this post is just for fun.
I was really surprised to see creme puffs become a box mix because they are one of the more difficult pastries to make. This mix does however have a lot of steps and includes all of the tools you need to make these that are not common household items. And although it includes everything you need, this box is super lightweight. I picked it up and didn’t believe there was anything inside, it’s only 5.6 ounces and still has all the items you need such as the mix, frosting mix, piping bag, and parchment paper.
To start with creme puffs, you have to make the dough and it starts on the stove. Melt the butter, add the water, and then add in the mix. This comes together into a dough which you let cool for a few minutes before adding in the two eggs and mixing until it is smooth.
Next you pipe the dough with the provided piping bag into 1.5 inch rounds. There is an optional step here to use an egg wash which will make the pastries brown and shiney so I did include this step in mine. Once that’s done they go into the oven for about 30 minutes.
While those cook, we move on to the filling. Combining milk and the filling and whisking it until it resembles whipped cream. At this point it’s clear to me that this is not easier than a homemade creme puff recipe. They provide the dry ingredients but the steps are still tedious compared to any other box mix.
Once the puffs are baked and cooled, you cut each one in half so you can fill them. Place some filling on the bottom half and then put the top back in place and oddly enough they tell you to add a small dollop on top of the finished pastry as well.
Finally after slaving away for about 2 hours, I have 20 tiny creme puffs. They are tasty, I’ll give them that but the quantity and amount of effort for a box mix left me a little disappointed. I wouldn’t buy it again but that’s because it’s no longer for sale. Just about any homemade creme puff recipe will give you the same results, if not better so you are definitely not missing out by not buying this mix.
Leave a Reply