Vecrīga Pastries

In a suitably spacious saucepan, bring the water to a boil with the butter, sugar, and salt, then reduce the heat to low.

Add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides, about 2 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, let the mixture cool slightly, and add the eggs one at a time, beating vigorously until smooth after each egg.

Transfer the warm dough into a piping bag. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and optionally grease it with a thin layer of butter.

Pipe 12 large or 25 small pastries onto the baking sheet using a pastry tip.

Bake in a preheated oven at 210°C until golden brown—12 to 18 minutes for small pastries, 20 to 22 minutes for large ones.

Turn off the oven, crack the door open, let them cool slightly in the oven, and then finish cooling them completely on a wire rack.