Salted Caramel-Apple Profiteroles

With three out of four of us feeling not so well, it's been a lazy weekend. Not exactly what I envisioned...maybe we'll get those pumpkins carved this week. But, today since we were all laying around, and I had a couple of Honeycrisp apples that I didn't want to let go bad, I decided to try this recipe. Delicious. And dressed up enough for company. I found it on the King Arthur Flour and pinned it to Pinterest...but I don't like that I had to refer to 3 different web pages and then sift through them to make this. So, I decided to post here. It is certainly not my recipe, all credit is given to King Arthur Flour!
(This iPad picture doesn't do it justice, but it really was delicious)!

Salted Caramel-Apple Profiteroles

Whole Grain Cream Puff 

I made a half recipe, which made about 12. Double this to make the original size batch of 24.

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons white whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat - it got darker, so next time I'll bake for a little less time)
• 1/4 cup flour (bread flour if you have it)
• 2 large eggs

1) Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line 1 baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

2) Place the water, butter and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium high heat. Remove from the heat and add the flours all at once. Stir vigorously until well combined. Return to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the dough forms a rough ball, about 15 to 30 seconds.

4) Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the contents to a mixing bowl. Let the mixture cool for 5 to 10 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the center reads 140°F. Beat in the eggs one at a time. The first egg should be fully incorporated before the second is added. Beat for 2 minutes after adding the last egg.

5) Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons (a cookie scoop is perfect). The mounds of dough will be approximately golf-ball sized. Leave a couple of inches between the balls of dough, as they'll expand quite a bit in the oven.

6) Bake the puffs for 8 minutes at 425°F. Don't open the oven door during the bake. After 8 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 375°, and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until the puffs are golden brown. Remove the puffs from the oven and, using a sharp paring knife, make a small slice near the top of each, to let the steam out. Return the puffs to the oven. Turn the oven off, prop the oven door open slightly, and let the puffs cool inside for 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Apple Cider Caramel Sauce

I made 1/4th of a recipe which yields 7/8ths cup of caramel sauce.
(Follow the link for the original recipe and variations).

• 1/2 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cups sugar
• 1.5 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted
• 2 T boiled apple cider
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Apple Pie Spice*
• *No Apple Pie Spice? Substitute 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, pinch ginger, and pinch nutmeg or allspice

1) Combine the cream, corn syrup, sugar, butter, and boiled cider in a heavy-bottom, deep saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce to medium-high heat and cook until the mixture reaches 226-230°F on a candy thermometer, 8-10 minutes, depending on your particular stove. 

3) Remove the pan from the heat; stir in the salt and spice. Pour into a glass jar to cool. Store at room temperature for a few days. Refrigerate for longer storage.

Apple Filling

For every two profiteroles you want to serve, core, peel, and slice 1 large apple. Sauté the apple slices in enough butter to cover the bottom of the pan, with brown sugar and cinnamon to taste.

When I did this, I used 1 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 teaspoons boiled cider, a pinch of cinnamon, and a few drops of brandy for each apple.

The filling kind of caramelizes on the apple and it is delicious.

Assemble and serve!
Puff pastry (bottom half), ice cream, apple filling, puff pastry (top half), and a drizzle of caramel. Enjoy!