Classic Profiteroles Recipe

It's not hard to see what makes profiteroles so appealing. Light and airy cream puffs stuffed with ice cream and topped with a drizzle of chocolate cream sauce always sounds like a good idea for dessert. While this treat undoubtedly ticks the fancy pastry box, there's nothing unfamiliar about the ingredients that go into profiteroles. Indeed, the simple flavors blend together to create a heavenly melt-in-your-mouth effect. If you're already salivating, you'll be glad to know that we've sourced a classic profiteroles recipe for you to test out in the comfort of your own home.

Brought to you by pastry chef, recipe developer, and food photographer Eric Ngo of FrenchietheToast, this recipe is sure to please even the pickiest of eaters. Through Ngo's recipes and baking tips, his aim is "bringing pro baking to your home kitchen." Although he classifies this classic profiteroles recipe as intermediate, his carefully detailed recipe makes the task quite approachable. This is definitely a pastry to make if you're looking to enhance your baking game or have a special event you need a crowd-pleasing dessert for. It's also adaptable, so you'll have options to switch around the filling depending on your desires.

There are a few components to this classic profiteroles recipe that are assembled together. For starters, you'll make cream puffs, which serve as the foundation for the pastry. You'll also need water, melted butter, white sugar, and salt. Water helps lighten up the dough, whereas butter adds plenty of richness to the dessert, and a touch of sugar incorporates some sweetness. Salt helps balance out all of the flavors in the cream puff dough. 

Next, you'll add flour to create a weightier texture that can stand. Finally, you'll add whisked eggs to the mixture — they'll provide plenty of leavening so that the puffs rise. They'll infuse rich flavors into the cream puff dough as well. It's important for the eggs to be at room temperature so that they blend well with the other ingredients. 

As far as the chocolate sauce is concerned, heavy whipping cream and dark chocolate do the trick. Pick a high-quality chocolate so that the taste and aromas are rich and complex. If you're in the mood to try something else, Ngo says, "Caramel or a fruit coulis are good options, in my opinion." Finally, you'll stuff the cream puff with vanilla ice cream if you're taking the classic approach. Otherwise, Ngo notes, "You can substitute the vanilla ice cream with the ice cream of your choice."

Set a medium pan on the stovetop at medium heat, and add the water, melted butter, sugar, and salt. Cook the contents on medium heat until they reach boiling point. The moment you reach a rolling boil, turn the stovetop heat off. Add all of the flour directly into the pan, and begin to mix it into the liquid mixture with a stiff spatula. Ngo explains, "The finished texture will eventually look like 'mashed potatoes.'" Not to worry, because the taste will be significantly distinct! Turn the heat back on to medium, and mix the contents for an additional minute. 

Crack the two eggs into a small bowl, and mix them thoroughly with a fork until they are all yellow. Slowly add the eggs to the flour, butter, sugar mixture in three parts to prevent over-mixing. Ngo recommends adding a third of the egg mixture, and stirring until it is no longer visible, then repeating the process twice more until all of the eggs are mixed in. Ngo notes, "Your dough (pâte à choux) is ready when it is smooth and shiny."

Preheat the oven to 360 F, then set out a large nonstick baking tray or a silicone mat to hold the cream puffs. Now comes the step that Ngo says requires the most attention, "I think the trickiest part is piping out the cream puffs. It's going to take practice to get them perfectly round." Once you pipe out the large cream puffs onto your tray or mat, you may need to flatten the tops if they have small peaks. Ngo recommends, "Smooth them out by applying water on your fingers and patting them down a bit." You should be able to make six to eight cream puffs with the mixture.

Once the oven has reached the right temperature, bake the cream puffs for 30 to 40 minutes. To prevent any cream puffs from collapsing, do not open the oven while the puffs are baking! The exact temperature will vary depending on the size of your puffs. Ngo notes, "The puffs are baked when they are golden brown in color, the bottom should also be crispy."

In case you want to make this classic profiterole recipe in two parts, Ngo says, "Once the puffs are piped, you can freeze them raw and bake them another day." Alternatively, Ngo notes you can "bake them, let them cool down, and then freeze them."

Once you remove the cream puffs from the oven, allow them to cool for 20 minutes. If you fill them with ice cream immediately, it will just melt! Meanwhile, bring the heavy whipping cream to a boil in a small pan on the stovetop. Add the chopped dark chocolate to the hot cream, and stir the mixture together with a spatula until it is smooth.

Once the cream puffs have cooled, you can cut them in half. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to the bottom half of the cream puff, then top the ice cream with the remaining half. Continue until you have filled all of your cream puffs with ice cream. Make sure to be efficient as you work on this step, or else the ice cream will begin to melt all over the place.

Top each profiterole with a drizzle of the creamy chocolate sauce, and serve immediately. If you're looking to incorporate an extra decadent touch, Ngo says, "I added whipped cream." If you want to mix it up, keep in mind that Ngo suggested trying different ice cream flavors, caramel, or fruit coulis as alternatives. And if you want to go all-out, Ngo says, "Feel free to top with fresh fruit and/or nuts such as almonds and hazelnuts." 

Why not have a profiterole party with an assortment of toppings so everyone can customize their dessert? That sounds like a pretty sweet plan to us!