When I was in college, I worked at a bakery called the Upper Crust. They made the most beautiful desserts, cookies, cakes and breads – most from scratch. One of their most popular items were these small bite-size cream puffs with chocolate fudge buttercream. Ladies would come in a buy trays full for parties, then have a couple boxed up for the car ride home. People were addicted! The real secret was… the cream puffs were frozen! That’s right. They bought them from Costco, then added their own delicious buttercream on top. When I started catering, these cream puffs were my secret weapon. I could turn out 100 in 10 minutes for $15… and my clients loved them – always at the top of the request list. Chocolate Fudge Topped Petite Cream Puffs the easiest sweet treat Frozen Mini Cream Puffs Chocolate Fudge Buttercream (store-bought or homemade – recipe below) Thaw the cream puffs for about an hour at room temperature or a couple of hours in the refrigerator. Put the chocolate butter cream in a plastic pastry bag. Cut the tip off, leaving about a 1/2 inch opening. Pipe the buttercream on the puffs. Chocolate Fudge Buttercream Recipe 4 sticks of salted butter, soften 6 cups of powdered sugar 1 1/2 cup of chocolate chips 1/2 cup of heavy cream Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and pour over heavy cream. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir. Repeat until the chocolate ganache (yes, that is ganache!) is smooth. Be careful not to over heat. Refrigerate for 15 minutes until cool. In your kitchen aid fitted with a paddle attachment, whip butter and 4 cups sugar for 3 minutes until fluffy and smooth. Pour in chocolate ganache and 2 more cups of powdered sugar. Whip until smooth. Add more powdered sugar, if necessary to create the thickness. Put the buttercream in a pastry bag (or ziploc bag) and cut 1 inch opening at the bottom of the bag. Pipe in a swirl on top of the cupcake – be very generous with frosting. 
