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1
Preheat the oven to 200C.
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2
Combine the water, butter, and salt in a pan and heat.
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3
When the butter has melted and the water has come to a boil, take the pan off the heat and add the flour.
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4
Mix rapidly with a wooden spatula.
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5
Keep mixing until the dough comes cleanly off the pan, as shown here.
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6
Keep mixing over low heat, until the dough becomes loose and shiny.
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7
Take the pan off the heat.
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8
Beat 2 eggs and add to the pan in 4 batches, mixing well between additions until the egg is incorporated into the batter.
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9
If the dough is too stiff, beat the remaining egg and add it a little at a time until the dough drops very slowly off the spatula when lifted.
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10
Drop spoonfuls of the dough on a lined baking sheet, about 3 cm dome shapes.
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11
Dip the spoon in water each time.
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12
Brush the remaining beaten eggs on the puffs with a pastry brush.
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13
Preheat the oven at 200C for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180 C and bake until the jagged edges on the surface are golden brown.
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14
Make the pastry cream to fill the puffs,.
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15
Cool the baked puffs.
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16
Slice into each puff 1/3 from the top with a knife.
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17
Spoon in the pastry cream.
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18
Make the icing.
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19
Add water to the powdered sugar drop by drop while mixing from the center, until it reaches a consistency that just slowly drops from a spoon when lifted.
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20
Color with the food coloring of your choice.
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21
Spread the surface of each cream puff with icing and stick together in a tree shape.
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22
Optionally, add cookies as decorations.
