Introduction: Tropical Chili Cream Puffs

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These chili-enhanced, banana-cream-filled, mango-icing-topped cream puffs are a perfect dessert for your next summer cookout or vaguely authentic luau.

Plus, there is nothing not cute about them : )

Step 1: Make Banana Chili Pastry Cream


As for the cream puff shells themselves, there are already great Instructables that include directions for those.  Since I actually used the following Instructable as reference, I will simply direct you to steps 2 - 5 for you cream puff baking needs:

https://www.instructables.com/id/halloween-bleeding-cream-puffs/

Okay, cream puffs all baked now?  Great!  On to the next steps...

This is a simple pastry cream recipe, with the addition of chilies and bananas.  The cream is infused with the peppers during the re-hydrating and heating steps.

Ingredients
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 dried Mexican red chili (seeds removed)
  • 3 - 6 dried cayenne peppers (seeds removed)
  • 6 egg yolks*
  • 2 bananas
  • 3 Tbs flour
  • 3 Tbs butter
  • 1 pinch salt
Tools
  • Saucepan
  • Mixing bowl
  • Spatula
  • Whisk
  • Electric mixer
Directions
  1. Pour cream into saucepan and add dried chilies.  Leave until chilies are re-hydrated, at least 30 - 45 minutes
  2. Heat cream on medium heat until it begins to simmer
  3. Remove peppers
  4. Pour slowly into egg yolks and sugar, whisking continuously
  5. Pour mixture back into saucepan over medium heat
  6. Whisk in flour
  7. Bring up to a boil until thickening begins
  8. Turn off heat and continue to whisk
  9. Pour into mixing bowl
  10. Add butter and bananas
  11. Use an electric mixer until pastry cream is smooth - it won't be quite as smooth as plain pastry cream, but close
  12. Cover with plastic wrap and chill (the pastry cream, I mean, but feel free to relax as well)

* Don't throw out the egg whites!  You can refrigerate them in a closed container for a few days.  Use egg whites to make a light omelet, or some other not-as-heavy-as-a-cream-puff food.

Step 2: Mango Icing


The mango icing is crazy simple:

Ingredients
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 very ripe mango - or mango juice*
Tools/Materials
  • Mixing bowl
  • Electric mixer
  • Plastic wrap
Just slice mango, add to powdered sugar and beat with an electric mixer. 

* I'm speculating that a couple tablespoons of mango juice could be used instead of a fresh mango.



Step 3: Chili Decorations


Another easy icing....

Ingredients
For each color:
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp of water
  • 2 -4 drops of food coloring
Tools/Materials
  • Pastry bag and tips
  • Parchment paper
  • Cake server
Mix with a spoon.  Add more water if it is too hard to pipe, but do not allow icing to become runny.

Pipe chili shapes on parchment paper.

Let sit for at least an hour to harden (time for this will vary).

Lift off paper carefully with a cake server or spatula.

Step 4: Assemble Puffs


When your cream puffs are cooled, your pastry cream chilled and the sugar chilies hardened, you are ready to assemble!
  • Using your pastry bag, fill puffs with chili/banana cream
  • Dip in mango icing (or spoon over top)
  • Allow icing to dry a bit and top each puff with a super-cute chili
A chili on top serves as fair warning that these puffs, while light and puffy, have some kick!