If you’re a fan of desserts, then you’ve likely heard of chocolate profiteroles. These elegant French pastries are a classic dessert that can be found on menus in restaurants. Did you know that you can make them at home too? The base of the recipe is choux pastry, it has a few steps you need to follow but I guarantee that once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to make them with a blindfold on.
The History of Chocolate Profiteroles
Profiteroles were created in 16th-century France. They were originally known as “choux à la crème” (the name of its dough is “choux pastry”) or cream puffs. They were filled with a variety of creams, including pastry cream, whipped cream, and ice cream. In the 19th century, chocolate was added to the mix, making them the beloved chocolate profiteroles we know today.
How to Make Chocolate Profiteroles
While chocolate profiteroles seem daunting to make, they are actually quite simple with a little bit of practice. To start, you’ll need to make the choux pastry dough, which is made from flour, butter, water, eggs, sugar and salt. The dough is first cooked without the eggs and once cold, the eggs are added. The choux pastry is then piped into small rounds, egg washed and baked until they’re golden brown.
The amount of egg is key
Good choux buns have an empty interior making space for lots of filling. To achieve this you have to add the correct amount of egg to the dough. The downside of this is that I cannot tell you the exact amount of egg that you need to add. You need to do it little by little. This is because the amount of egg depends on how long the water boiled or how long the dough was cooking in the pot.
To achieve the perfect result, add the first egg with confidence. When it has completely incorporated into the dough then whisk the next egg in a small bowl. You add it little by little, about 1/4 each time. Stop adding egg when you can lift a bit of the dough and it falls on its own leaving behind a “V” shape hanging from the spatula like in the photo below. If you add more or less of that amount you won’t get a nice cavity.
Tips for making profiteroles
I have many tips for making chocolate profiteroles up my sleeve. I’m happy to share with you so that you get a perfect result every time:
- Piping: when piping them, make them about half the size you want them to be when baked. That also means they need quite a bit of space between them as they will spread out.
- Shaping: when you pipe them, you want to keep your piping tip at the same height all the time. Let the dough flow out, about 1.5 cm/1/2 an inch from the surface. When you’re good with the amount, give the piping tip a little flick at the top to cut the dough off.
- Get rid of a tip: Sometimes when you pipe them they will have a small tip at the top. You can tap it away with a wet finger. This is the best tip ever for perfectly round profiteroles!
- Baking: profiteroles are very sensitive, avoid opening the oven while baking them or they could deflate. They can also deflate if removed from the oven ahead of time.
- Plan ahead: profiteroles take time to make. You have to make them, and also make the filling and the chocolate sauce. If you’re filling them with pastry cream or creme diplomat (pastry cream + whipped cream) make it well ahead and keep it cool in the fridge already in the piping bag with a small piping tip. You can also have the chocolate sauce ready and heat it just before serving. If you’re filling them with whipped cream, fill them a couple of hours before serving and keep them refrigerated.
- Freezing: you can freeze profiteroles ready without filling, and then reheat them in the oven at 140C/280F until crispy again.
Fillings
Possibilities when filling chocolate profiteroles are infinite. The classics would be pastry cream, whipping cream, diplomat cream and ice cream. Here are the options:
- Diplomat cream: this is the one I used in this recipe. It’s my favourite filling and it’s made by mixing pastry cream and whipped cream.
- Whipped cream: this would be the most classical for me and is absolutely delicious and pillowy.
- Pastry cream: again, a classic that everyone loves.
- Chocolate pastry cream: I made this filling for my Chocolate-Filled Choux au Craquelin and the result is incredible.
- Ice cream: for this option, you have to open the profiteroles in half first. Then, fill them with a scoop of ice cream.
Variations of Chocolate Profiteroles
Classic chocolate profiteroles are definitely a beloved dessert. There are also many variations that you can try. For example, you can add a bit of espresso or liqueur to the ganache sauce for a rich and more sophisticated flavour. You can also swap the chocolate sauce for raspberry sauce or salted caramel sauce. Also, if you want to avoid the chocolate sauce, you can just dust them with icing sugar instead! The possibilities are endless, so don’t be afraid to experiment with different flavours and combinations.
Chocolate profiteroles are a delicious and indulgent dessert. They are perfect for special occasions or simply as a treat to enjoy on a cosy night. With a bit of practice and creativity, you can make your own version of this classic French pastry and impress your friends and family with your culinary skills. So go ahead and indulge in the decadent taste of chocolate profiteroles!
Chocolate Profiteroles
Ingredients
For the choux pastry
- 95 ml milk any kind
- 31 ml water
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 75 g all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1-3 eggs
To paint the profiteroles
- 1 egg + 1tbsp water. You can use the leftover egg from the dough
Opt 1: For the pastry cream
- 250 ml milk any kind
- 50 g granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 12 g all purpose flour
- 12 g cornflour
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or seeds from 1 vanilla pod, 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp vanilla essence
Opt 1: For the diplomat cream
- 200 ml whipping cream cold
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
Opt 2: For the whipped cream
- 400 ml whipping cream cold
- 6 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or seeds from 1 vanilla pod, 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp vanilla essence
For the chocolate sauce
- 150 g dark choclate 60-70% cacao
- 300 ml whipping cream warm
Instructions
For the choux pastry
- In a pot over medium-high heat, add the water, milk, butter, salt and sugar.
- As soon as you see it it's on a rolling boil add the flour and quickly mix with a spatula. When the dough comes together as one large ball transfer it to a bowl where you're later going to mix using an electric mixer or a spatula. It's important to remove the dough from the pot at this point to prevent it from cooking further.
- The dough needs to cool down completely before adding the eggs or the choux pastry won't expand in the oven. You can let it cool on its own or use an electric mixer with the paddle attachment to help it cool down faster.
- Once the dough is cool add an egg and mix. If you're doing this by hand, use a spatula. First, it will look like it's not coming together but it will after a while. If you're using an electric mixer make sure to scrape down the sides every once in a while to help the dough incorporate.
- At this point, make the test we talked about in the post: lift a bit of dough with a spatula and let it drop on its own. If it falls on its own and leaves behind a "V" of dough hanging from the spatula then you don't need to add more egg.
- If you're still not there then whisk an egg in a small bowl. Add about ¼ of it and make the "V" test again. Repeat until the test comes out correctly and remember to always scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Fill a piping bag with the dough and make small 3cm diameter buns on a baking tray lined with baking paper or a silicone mat. Leave about 4-5cm between each; they expand a lot in the oven!
- Take the choux buns to a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F for 15-20min, they should be slightly golden.
- Lower the temperature to 150°C/300°F and leave them in there for 10 more minutes. In all of this time don't open the oven because they're really sensitiv and will deflate.
- Remove them from the oven and place them on a cooling rack. Don't fill them while still warm because the filling will melt and the choux buns will become soggy.
- Now that they're cooked you can freeze them for up to 3 months and then before serving, you place them in the oven at 140C until they're back to normal.
Opt 1: For the pastry cream
- Place half the sugar in a bowl. Add the egg yolks. After adding each egg yolk, mix them using a whisk to prevent them from generating a crust that doesn't dissolve later.
- Add the flour and cornstarch/cornflour and whisk together with the yolks.
- In a small saucepan, place the milk and mix it with the other half of the sugar, salt and vanilla. Heat it up until it steams; don't let it boil.
- While whisking the yolks, add about ¼ of the milk to them. Whisk vigorously.
- Add the rest of the milk and mix. You can now do it more calmly.
- Return the mix to the saucepan and heat it up over medium-low heat, mixing all the time. Once it starts to boil, leave it in for a couple of seconds and then remove it from the heat and saucepan to stop the cooking process. If you leave it on the heat or in the saucepan for longer, it could split.
- Place it in a bowl and cover it with plastic or silicone, making sure that it touches the surface of the pastry cream to prevent it from forming a crust where it meets the air. Refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours.
Opt 1: For the diplomat cream
- Whip the cream with the icing sugar until it's stiff.
- At this point, it's imperative that the pastry cream is cold or it will melt the whipped cream. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream to the pastry cream and mix.
- Add the rest and mix using folding motions.
Filling
- Whether you chose to make a diplomat cream or whipped cream, fill a piping bag with it and use a small tip to fill them. When you’re done they should feel heavy. If not serving immediately or if it's very hot in the kitchen, refrigerate until serving time.
For the chocolate sauce
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals, mixing in between.
- Add half the cream and use a spatula to mix at the centre in a small motion until it starts coming together on its own.
- Once it comes together, add the rest of the cream and mix once again until it comes together.
- Serve the profiteroles with a warm chocolate sauce.
