Profiteroles

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Total time: ~1 hour

Servings: 6 (makes about 18 small puffs)

Country of Origin

France

Description

A stunning texture-and-temperature contrast dessert. Light, hollow choux pastry buns are split open, stuffed with cold vanilla ice cream, and finished off with a generous pour of hot, glossy chocolate sauce.

Presentation & How It's Eaten

Arranged on plates in groups of three, assembled right before serving so the ice cream doesn't melt before the hot chocolate sauce is drizzled over the top.

Ingredients

For the Choux Pastry:

• 120ml water

• 120ml whole milk

• 100g unsalted butter

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp sugar

• 130g all-purpose flour

• 4 large eggs

For Assembly & Sauce:

• 1 pint vanilla ice cream

• 150g dark chocolate (chopped)

• 100ml heavy cream

Step-by-Step Directions

1. Make Choux Paste: Bring water, milk, butter, salt, and sugar to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat, stir in all the flour at once until a dough forms. Return to medium heat and stir vigorously for 2 minutes to dry the dough out.

2. Add Eggs: Transfer the dough to a bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition until the dough is smooth, glossy, and falls off a spatula in a V-shape.

3. Pipe and Bake: Pipe 1.5-inch mounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20–25 minutes until puffed and golden. Pierce each puff with a toothpick to let steam escape, then let cool completely.

4. Make Sauce: Heat heavy cream until steaming, pour over chopped chocolate, and stir until smooth and glossy.

5. Assemble: Slice the cooled pastry puffs in half horizontally. Place a small scoop of vanilla ice cream inside each base, replace the pastry tops, and drizzle warm chocolate sauce over everything.

Optional

• Filling Alternative: Fill with traditional pastry cream (crème pâtissière) or sweetened whipped cream instead of ice cream.

Cooking Tips

• Don't Open the Oven: Avoid opening the oven door during the first 15 minutes of baking, or the steam escaping will cause the choux buns to collapse.

Nutrition Facts

(Estimated per serving)

• Calories: ~460 kcal

• Total Fat: 30g

• Saturated Fat: 18g

• Cholesterol: 195mg

• Sodium: ~280mg

• Total Carbohydrates: 40g

• Dietary Fiber: 2g

• Sugars: 22g

• Protein: 9g