Creme De Menthe Cream Puff Tree Recipes

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream over low heat 2 to 3 minutes or until cream is warm. Remove from heat. Add baking chips and chocolate chips; stir until melted and smooth. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.
• Line cookie sheets with waxed paper. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls, dusting hands with powdered sugar or cocoa, if necessary; place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in deep 1-quart saucepan, melt candy coating over low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth. Remove for heat; cool 10 minutes. In small resealable freezer plastic bag, place 1/4 cup melted coating and the green food color; seal bag. Squeeze bag to mix until uniform color; set aside.
• Using fork, dip 1 truffle at a time into white candy coating to coat. Return to waxed paper-lined cookie sheets. Cut off tiny corner of bag containing green coating. Squeeze bag to drizzle coating over each truffle (if necessary, reheat green coating in microwave on High a few seconds to make coating drizzle). Let truffles stand until coating is set, about 10 minutes, before placing in foil candy cups. Store in refrigerator.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil over medium heat. Add flour and salt; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny., Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2-in. apart onto greased baking sheets. (You will need about 62 puffs to make the tree.) Use a moistened finger to smooth any peaks., Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to wire racks to cool., For filling, in a large bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar and rum extract if desired until stiff peaks form., Insert round tip #7 into a pastry or resealable plastic bag; fill with the whipped cream. With a sharp knife, cut a small slit in the side of each puff. Insert pastry tip into slits; fill each puff with whipped cream. Refrigerate for up to 2 hours., For icing, combine confectioners' sugar and enough cream to achieve desired consistency. Stir in food coloring if desired., To assemble tree: Separate puffs according to size and shape, choosing the flattest ones for the bottom layer and the smallest ones for the top. Spread the bottom of 18 puffs with icing. Place on the serving platter, forming a 9-in.-diameter solid circle. , For the second layer, spread icing on the bottoms of 18 puffs, then position above the space of the base layer of puffs. , Continue building tree in this manner using about 14 puffs in third layer, about seven puffs in fourth layer, about four puffs in fifth layer and one puff on top., To decorate: Insert round tip #7 into a pastry or resealable plastic bag and fill with remaining icing. Drizzle over tree. Trim with cherries if desired., The completed tree may be loosely covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 hours. Just before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.

Steps:

• Combine pecans, butter and creme de menthe. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Refrigerate, covered, until easy to handle, about 1 hour. , With hands lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar, shape mixture into 1-in. balls. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes. , In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Dip balls in chocolate mixture; let excess drip off. Return to waxed paper; refrigerate until set. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.