On hindsight there are things I would do differently to improve the looks of things but I didn't have time to rebake and it is honestly yummy enough. Just the perfectionist in me talking 😂. If I had a next time, I would make all the heads slightly smaller such that the pastry cases need higher temperature baking only for a shorter time, and add white food colouring to the light brown part of the monkey's face as well as to the yellow face of the lion for better colour contrast. These colours tend to brown more.
You may refer to this post for the detailed recipe for the choux pastry case. I will share the detailed filling recipe later in this post that is different from the 5-minute version I shared in this blog post as it is made with proper pastry cream for a yummier taste. What might be of interest to you is how I made the craquelin for the monkey face and the various small parts of the face of the animals. I made use of round and heart shaped cookie cutters to get the shape of the monkey's face.
Recipe for lightened cookies n cream pastry cream
Do note that you may adjust the amount of crushed oreo cookies, as well as the whipped cream according to personal preference. This recipe is for a fairly strong chocolatey oreo flavour with slightly heavier texture so I provided extra whipped cream for those who prefer a lighter texture and less intense chocolate cookie flavour in separate piping bags. I always recommend filling the pastry cases just before or shortly before eating.
Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
30g cornflour, sifted
35g caster sugar
Pinch of salt
300g fresh milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
25g butter, softened
160g Whip topping (non dairy whipping cream. You may use double cream or heavy cream. You may increase amount of cream for lighter texture, up to 1:1 ratio with plain pastry cream)
200g crushed oreo cookies without the cream (use less if you prefer less chocolatey)
Steps:
1. In a heavy mixing bowl, whisk together cornflour and sugar. Add egg yolks and whisk until a smooth paste forms.
2. Place milk, vanilla and salt in a saucepan and heat over medium low heat until steaming or just starting to bubble at the edges.
3. Slowly pour hot milk in a thin stream into egg mixture while whisking the egg mixture continuously. Pour the contents back into saucepan.
4. Heat the egg mixture over medium low heat while whisking continuosly. Keep an eye on the consistency. Once it starts to thicken, remove from heat and whisk vigorously until smooth. Place saucepan back on stove and whisk until pastry cream is cooked to your preferred consistency.
5. Remove saucepan from heat and add butter. Whisk until well combined.
6. Transfer pastry cream into a bowl and press cling wrap on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cool.
7. Whip the whipping cream until firm peaks form. If using full dairy whipping cream, be careful not to overwhip. Adding whipping cream lightens the texture of pastry cream.
8. Loosen the chilled pastry cream with spatula. Fold in the whipped cream in a few batches.
9. Fold in crushed oreo cookies. Transfer into piping bag and keep chilled until ready to fill the cases. Pastry cream can keep in the fridge for a few days. Do not freeze.
Do check out my Deco Choux Pastries book for more techniques and designs of creating cute choux pastries!
With love,
Phay Shing
You may refer to this post for the detailed recipe for the choux pastry case. I will share the detailed filling recipe later in this post that is different from the 5-minute version I shared in this blog post as it is made with proper pastry cream for a yummier taste. What might be of interest to you is how I made the craquelin for the monkey face and the various small parts of the face of the animals. I made use of round and heart shaped cookie cutters to get the shape of the monkey's face.
Cut out rounds and hearts on separate trays. Use the heart cutter to cut out part of the brown circle and fit the heart shape in. Gently press the seams of the different coloured dough together. Use round cutter to cut off excess portion from the uncoloured heart dough
Use coloured choux pastry batter to pipe out the various body parts. Pipe similar sized parts on the same tray. Here is a tray of monkey, lion and leopard ears
I use perforated mat for baking the main body (or head in this case) for a more even expansion in the oven. Try to match the colour of batter to craquelin.
Recipe for lightened cookies n cream pastry cream
Do note that you may adjust the amount of crushed oreo cookies, as well as the whipped cream according to personal preference. This recipe is for a fairly strong chocolatey oreo flavour with slightly heavier texture so I provided extra whipped cream for those who prefer a lighter texture and less intense chocolate cookie flavour in separate piping bags. I always recommend filling the pastry cases just before or shortly before eating.
Lightened cookies n cream pastry cream and plain non dairy whipped cream
Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
30g cornflour, sifted
35g caster sugar
Pinch of salt
300g fresh milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
25g butter, softened
160g Whip topping (non dairy whipping cream. You may use double cream or heavy cream. You may increase amount of cream for lighter texture, up to 1:1 ratio with plain pastry cream)
200g crushed oreo cookies without the cream (use less if you prefer less chocolatey)
Steps:
1. In a heavy mixing bowl, whisk together cornflour and sugar. Add egg yolks and whisk until a smooth paste forms.
2. Place milk, vanilla and salt in a saucepan and heat over medium low heat until steaming or just starting to bubble at the edges.
3. Slowly pour hot milk in a thin stream into egg mixture while whisking the egg mixture continuously. Pour the contents back into saucepan.
4. Heat the egg mixture over medium low heat while whisking continuosly. Keep an eye on the consistency. Once it starts to thicken, remove from heat and whisk vigorously until smooth. Place saucepan back on stove and whisk until pastry cream is cooked to your preferred consistency.
5. Remove saucepan from heat and add butter. Whisk until well combined.
Nice and smooth plain pastry cream!
6. Transfer pastry cream into a bowl and press cling wrap on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cool.
7. Whip the whipping cream until firm peaks form. If using full dairy whipping cream, be careful not to overwhip. Adding whipping cream lightens the texture of pastry cream.
8. Loosen the chilled pastry cream with spatula. Fold in the whipped cream in a few batches.
9. Fold in crushed oreo cookies. Transfer into piping bag and keep chilled until ready to fill the cases. Pastry cream can keep in the fridge for a few days. Do not freeze.
Do check out my Deco Choux Pastries book for more techniques and designs of creating cute choux pastries!
With love,
Phay Shing
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