Hawaiian CoCo Puffs

Whenever I go back to Hawaii I always try and stop at Liliha bakery. The chocolate filled cream puffs aka Coco Puffs are to die for. So much more than your average cream puff, its the little dollop of Chantilly frosting on top that makes them irresistible.Since I cant get them over here AND the recipe is secret, I decided to try and make my own. They came out darn close, but I guarantee you nothing is better than the real thing.choux pastry ingredients:1/2 cup water1/2 cup whole milk1/2 cup (1 stick) butterpinch of salt1 cup flour4 eggschocolate pastry cream ingredients:1/2 cup sugar2 Tablespoons flour2 Tablespoons cornstarch5 egg yolks1 cup heavy cream3/4 cup whole milk1 teaspoon vanilla1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chipsChantilly Frosting ingredients:1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk1-1/2 cups sugar4 egg yolks3/4 cup ( 1-1/2 sticks) butterpinch of salt2 teaspoon vanillaIn a pot over high heat, bring the water, milk, butter and salt to a boil.

Carefully add the flour and stir stir stir until the mixture pulls away from the sides. Cook for another minute or so to cook the flour out a bit. Let cool for a minute, then pour into the bowl of an electric mixer.On low speed beat in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Do not overbeat.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

The original cocoa puffs are rather big, but I like to make mine MINI. Using a piping bag, scoop or heck, just a spoon, place about a Tablespoon of the dough onto a silpat lined baking sheet. Leaving space inbetween fit about 12 onto a sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, lower the oven temp to 350 bake for another 10 mins. Turn off the oven and let the puffs dry in the warm oven for yet anotherten..minutes. Itll be worth it, I promise. Let cool on a wire rack.

Now, if you arent filling them immediately, you can keep them in an airtight container, otherwise, lets move onto the chocolate cream.In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch and egg yolks. Beat for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.In a saucepan, add the heavy cream and the milk and bring to a simmer. Pour about 1/3 of the hot milk mixture into the egg/flour mixture in the electric mixer. You are trying to temper it so it doesnt cook. Stir until combined then pourthatBACK into the saucepan with the remaining warm milk.Cook over medium heat while stirring, until thickened.

Pour the mixture into a bowl, and whisk in the vanilla and the chocolate chips until you get a nice smooth custard.

Cover in plastic wrap, placing the wrap right on the surface of the custard to avoid a skin. Keep in the fridge until nice and cold and ready to use.While the choux is resting and the custard filling is chillaxing, start on the Chantilly frosting.

In a saucepan combine the milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter, salt and vanilla. Cook over medium low heat until the frosting thickens about 10 minutes. If you want a thicker frosting, after it is thickened put the frosting into the freezer until you get it to a piping consistency.When you are ready to assemble, place the custard in a piping bag and pipe it into the choux puffs. Top each of the coco puffs with a spoonful of Chantilly frosting. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.Is this a lot of work? Heck yes! But it beats spending $400 for a plane ticket to pick up fresh ones