Dessert Table: Cream Puffs

My grandma Anna was famous for her homemade cream puffs. Everyone in my family loved when she made them and they were always a popular request.  Now that she is no longer with us, I am so happy to have this recipe so that I can continue to make the cream puffs for family celebrations.  I think she would have been proud!
Cream puffs are actually very easy to make.   They are a yummy addition to any dessert table!

Some recipes use a pudding-mix based filling, but grandma's recipe is a homemade custard filling.

Cream Puffs

Makes around 20 cream puffs but will vary

Filling:

2 cups milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Shells:

1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup water
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs

Method

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Filling- Mix milk, sugar, flour and salt in a medium bowl with a fork.  Pass mixture through a strainer into a sauce pan.  Cook on medium heat  till mixture thickens (kind of look likes a thick paste).  Once thickened, remove from heat and temper in eggs (each lightly beaten) one at a time.  Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir.  Stir in vanilla.  Cover and refrigerate overnight to set.

Shells- In a saucepan, add butter and water and bring to a rapid bowl.  Stir in flour and salt until it forms a ball.

Remove from heat and transfer dough to a mixing bowl and let it cool slightly.  With a spoon or in a mixer with the paddle attachment, beat in the eggs one at a time making sure to mix well after each addition.  You should have a sticky dough.

Drop dough by the tablespoon onto an un-greased baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden, being careful not to burn.  Remove from oven and using a toothpick, prick a little hole into the side of each shell to let steam escape.  This helps each shell to not collapse.  
Let cool completely before filling with custard.

Gently cut tops and fill using a spoon or a piping bag.  Right before serving, sprinkle powdered sugar on top.