Cara’s Cuisine: An Easter Treat

This is a fun and easy recipe perfect for any time of the year, but when marshmallows can be replaced with Peeps around Easter, it makes for a very colorful dessert. Any color or flavor of Peeps can be used, just don’t mix two different colors in the same broiler or those bright yellows, pinks and blues will turn a particularly disgusting shade of brown.

This recipe makes about 30 marshmallow eclairs. When finished, serve on a bed of jellybeans, and put out a dessert your family, friends and most importantly, you, will love!

The Pastry Shells

½ cup butter

⅔ cup water

¾ cup flour

3 eggs

1.       Preheat oven to 375˚ Fahrenheit.
2.       Put a saucepan with the water and butter over medium heat. Stir frequently and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
3.       Add the flour and thoroughly combine, stirring until the dough easily pulls away from the side of the pan (one to three minutes).
4.       Remove the pan from the heat and leave it to cool for five minutes.
5.       Add and mix each egg into the dough individually. Mix each egg in thoroughly before putting in the next one. A smooth dough, more watery than the previous, will form. Keep mixing until the dough seems to lower.
6.       Transfer it to a piping bag (or just use a Ziplock bag with a piece of the tip cut off) and squeeze into one inch mounds on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
7.       Smooth out any peaks caused by the piping with a wet fingertip.
8.       Bake for 20 minutes at 375°, then reduce the heat to 350° WITHOUT opening the oven. Continue baking for 15 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the pastries in the oven for 10 more minutes.
9.       Remove from the oven and use a knife to cut small ‘x’s into the bottom of each pastry and put them on a cooling rack with the ‘x’ facing upwards to allow the insides to cool.

The Fluff

20 Peeps

2 teaspoon water

2 teaspoon white sugar

1.       Take the water and sugar and boil over low heat until the mixture begins to thicken — but don’t let it brown.
2.       Set up a double boiler over low heat and melt the marshmallows. Stir frequently throughout the whole process. The marshmallows will melt slowly, first becoming melty with lumps, then starting to stick.
3.       Once the marshmallows become sticky, pour in the water and sugar mixture. Continue to stir until the mixture is smooth.
4.       While still hot, transfer the fluff into a container.
5.       Use a piping bag (or another Ziplock bag with a small piece of the tip cut off) and fill with the Peeps’ fluff.

6.       Fill each pastry with the fluff through the ‘x’ on the bottom