Preheat oven to 425° F. with rack in centre of oven, and prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine hot water, butter, and salt.

Bring to a boil. Add flour all at once and whisk vigourously and constantly to get out any lumps.

Using a wooden spoon, cook until mixture clears the sides of the pan and forms a ball around your spoon in the middle, as you stir (2-3 minutes).

Remove from heat. Add a little whisked egg and stir quickly and vigourously using a wooden spoon, until the egg is combined (it will start out as a slimy mess, but just keep stirring and it will come together). Repeat adding egg. Once all eggs are added, stir a bit more until smooth and shiny.

Add batter to piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle (alternately, drop balls of batter onto prepared pans and roughly shape with the back of a spoon). Pipe batter onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches between each one. Mine were 1 ½ inches wide.

Wet your finger and push down any peaks that are on the puffs so this doesn't burn while cooking. Sprinkle drops of water on your tray also to create steam in the oven, this helps the puffs rise and grow.

Bake for 15 minutes at 425°, then reduce heat to 350° F. and cook for about another 10-15 minutes. Do not open oven while they're cooking.

The cream puffs should be golden brown all over and hollow-sounding when tapped. If they are pale in color they can sink and loose shape so make sure to bake for longer to get that color.

Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Fill with freshly whipped cream and serve with chocolate ganache or sprinkle generously with icing sugar. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 6 hours. If you are not ready to serve then store the puffs for 24 hours in an airtight container or freeze.