Cream Puffs Praline

Total Time: 55 mins Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 1/2 cup butter
• 8 ounces water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup pecan halves
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter or 1 tablespoon margarine
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups vanilla ice cream
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup half-and-half or 1/2 cup light cream
• 3 tablespoons butter or 3 tablespoons margarine
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

Recipe

• 1 cream puffs: place butter in a medium saucepan. add water and salt. bring to boiling, stirring until butter melts. add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. cook and stir till mixture forms a ball that doesn't separate.
• 2 remove from heat; cool 10 minutes. add eggs, one at a time, to flour mixture, beating with a wooden spoon after each addition for about 1 minute, or till smooth.
• 3 scoop up some dough with a tablespoon. use another spoon to push off the dough in a mound onto a lightly greased baking sheet. leave 3-inches between the puffs for expansion. bake in preheated 400f oven for about 30 minutes. or until golden brown. remove puffs from pan. cool on a rack.
• 4 for pecan: line a baking pan with foil. grease foil with a little margarine or butter; set aside. in a heavy skillet combine pecan halves, sugar, margarine or butter and vanilla. cook over medium-high heat, shaking skillet occasionally, till sugar begins to melt. (do not stir). reduce heat to low; cool till sugar is melted and golden brown, stirring frequently. remove from heat. pour into the prepared baking pan. cool completely. break into small pieces. place ice cream in a chilled bowl. use a wooden spoon to stir ice cream to soften slightly. stir in glazed pecans. cover and freeze.
• 5 for sauce: in a heavy saucepan combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, half-and-half or light cream, and margarine or butter. cool over medium-high heat till boiling, stirring constantly. reduce heat. cook and stir for 5 minutes more, or till slightly thickened. stir in pecans. keep warm.
• 6 to assemble: cut off the top fourth of each cream puff. remove any soft dough from inside. spoon about 1/3 cup of the ice cream mixture into each cream puff. replace tops. drizzle each cream puff with warm pecan sauce.