Whole Wheat S’mores Cream Puffs

We all know what a cream puff is, right?  But where did they come from?  The origins of the cream puff are unclear.  Some say they originated in Italy and Renaissance France.  It is possible that they were created in many different places at various times.  Some say they originated in the 17th century and others say the 1960’s.

All that aside, what we do know is that they’re delicious.  And that’s all that really matters, right?

Cream puffs are made with a choux pastry dough and a sweet (or sometimes savory) filling.  Usually whipped cream.  Cream puff dough is unique in that it’s cooked before it’s baked.

Many believe that cream puffs are tricky to make.  And they can be.  But if you follow the directions, you’re in business for some perfectly hollow little puffs.

We’ve taken the traditional cream puff, made it with whole wheat flour, filled it with marshmallow creme and graham crackers, and topped it with a chocolate ganache for a fun summertime s’mores treat.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat S’mores Cream Puffs

6048719

Ingredients

For the Cream Puffs

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter
• Dash salt
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 eggs

For the Filling

• 1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme
• 3 whole graham crackers

For the Ganache

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3.5 oz. good quality chocolate

 

Instructions

 

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a baking sheet. In a medium saucepan combine the water, butter, and salt. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Cool for exactly 10 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.

 

Drop heaping teaspoons of dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Cool.

 

For the filling, finely crush the graham crackers. In a small bowl, mix crackers into marshmallow creme. Microwave for 30 seconds to thin it out enough to pipe it into the cream puffs.

 

Fill a pastry bag or a zip top bag with a corner cut off with the filling and squeeze into each cream puff. You may also cut the tops off of the cream puffs and spoon the filling in.

 

For the ganache, measure chocolate into a small bowl. In a small pan, bring the cream nearly to a boil, but do not boil. Pour hot cream over chocolate and stir until smooth.

 

Dip the tops of the cream puffs into the ganache and place back on the baking sheet. You may also drizzle the ganache over the tops. Place in the refrigerator to set the ganache for 30 to 60 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Save

Rhubarb Dowdy

A dowdy (or pandowdy) is essentially a spoon pie with fruit on the bottom and a thick crust on top.  It is basically an upside-down deep-dish pie and resembles a cobbler or buckle.

Its origins are not exactly known, but some traditions suggest that European settlers in the Americas created it.  Any food created in that era has to be good, right?

While traditionally pandowdy is made with apples, we’ve discovered this dowdy made with rhubarb.  And since it’s still rhubarb season, we thought it would make for a delicious summer dessert.

While it looks rather plain, it really is a very yummy treat.  Not too sweet and not too rich.  Try it with a little milk or cream poured over the top.

Rhubarb Dowdy

6048306

Ingredients (Serves 6-8)

• 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1 T cornstarch
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
• 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 T butter
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup bran flakes

 

Instructions

 

Mix 1 1/4 cups of the sugar and cornstarch together; add rhubarb and 1/3 cup water. Bring to a full rolling boil quickly, stirring constantly. Pour into a 9 x 6 x 2-inch baking dish.

 

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add butter to 1/4 cup hot water, stirring until melted.

 

Beat egg until thick. Add butter mixture, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla, beating until blended.

 

Crush bran flakes slightly. Add bran flakes and flour mixture to the egg and butter mixture, stirring lightly until combined.

 

Drop batter by spoonfuls over rhubarb.

 

Bake in a 375-degree oven for 25 minutes. Serve warm.

 

Save

Blue Rose Ultrasonic Humidifier

We are proud to introduce to you the Blue Rose Ultrasonic Humidifier.  You can find your humidifier here.

Most people use humidifiers in the winter with the dry heated air that our furnaces blow into our homes. However, humidifiers actually improve air quality in the home year-round, especially in hot dry areas.

The Blue Rose Humidifier from Kitchen Kneads Marketing is a great addition to your home. It can go in any room with its Anion Ultrasonic design that does not put out the hot mist from boiling and huge water particles that get all over everything in the room. Specially designed for a cool mist through ultrasonic vibration that is quiet and puts out a finer water particle mist that is safe in any room. The eye catching design of a budding rose makes it aesthetically pleasing. In addition, the Blue Rose Humidifier can be used as a night light which kids love to have going in their room.

Between the cool mist and the comforting color pulses of the mood light, it can bring some serenity to the home especially for those under the weather. The Blue Rose humidifier’s mood light can be used with or without water in the unit and is simply turned on or off by the touch of the button. With the Anion Ultrasonic design it is even quieter than other preceding humidifiers.

As for power consumption, it uses less than an average light bulb and can cover about 100 square feet for up to 10 hours. You can use plain tap water, distilled, or reverse osmosis water. However, we prefer to use distilled water to help eliminate hard water buildup and reduce putting other contaminants in the air.

Great Features Not Found in Most Humidifiers:

Wide Range Humidity Settings: Turn the dial for more or less humidity with a wide range of settings.

See-Through Water Tank: See-through tank allows you to plainly see the water level

Auto Shut-Off: Will automatically shut off when the water is out. 

NO Filters: Uses no filters, saving you the expense of buying replacements. Filters are often creators of mold that then gets blown into the air. 

Cool Mist: Creates a cool mist using ultrasonic vibration that is quiet and puts out a finer water particle mist that is safe in any room.

Mood Light: Mood light can be used with or without water in the unit or left off if wanted. 

Fragrance Bottle Receptacle: Fill the bottle with your favorite fragrance or essential oil by simply unlocking the bottle, removing the wick and filling the bottle. Then you simply replace the wick and put the bottle in the receptacle and twist to lock. Now you can enjoy whatever fragrance or essential oil along with the use of your humidifier. No messy drawer and you get a stronger scent without mixing of smells. Extra bottles with wicks are available. 

Low Power Consumption: Uses less energy than the average light bulb.

We at Kitchen Kneads have enjoyed the benefits of a humidifier and essential oils for improved sinus and breathing ability at home and at work. We wanted to find a humidifier that was quieter, more pleasing to the eye, one that would promote better wellness, and had the ability to better use real non-synthetic essential oils- all at a lower price. We found that many others were noisy, geared for children, or just were not aesthetically pleasing. The Blue Rose Humidifier does what we wanted and it has no messy trays with constant changing of pads.  Just a quick change of the bottle underneath.

This wonderful humidifier is a great benefit to any home or office to help you achieve better wellness. It’s not only good for the winter, but a benefit year-round- and all for a lower price of $59.99.

Save