Miss Confection

Sweet things from every corner of the world

🇫🇷 Paris, France

Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce

Crisp choux puffs, cold vanilla ice cream and a pour of warm chocolate

Prep
40 min
Cook
40 min
Total
1 hr 50 min
Yield
About 30 profiteroles (8 servings)
Level
Intermediate
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The story

Profiteroles are a fixture of the Parisian bistro, arriving at the table in a little pyramid while a waiter pours warm chocolate sauce over the top. They are built on pâte à choux, the twice-cooked dough that puffs into hollow shells in the oven.

Choux pastry is often credited to Pantarelli (or Popelini), an Italian chef said to have come to France in 1533 with Catherine de' Medici, though the story is more legend than documented history. What is certain is that French pastry cooks refined the dough over the following centuries, and the great 19th-century chef Antonin Carême perfected the formula used for éclairs, cream puffs and croquembouche. The word profiterole itself appears in French as early as the 16th century, from profit, suggesting a small reward or treat.

Choux can sound intimidating, but it is really a matter of cooking the paste properly and adding eggs until the dough falls from the spoon in a thick ribbon. Filled with ice cream, these make a showstopping dessert you can prepare ahead, then assemble in minutes.

Tips for success

  • Underbaked choux collapses as it cools; the puffs should feel light and hollow and be golden all over, including in the cracks.
  • Scoop the ice cream onto a parchment-lined tray and freeze the scoops ahead so assembly is quick.
  • Baked, unfilled puffs freeze for up to a month. Recrisp in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 minutes.
  • Swap the ice cream for pastry cream or whipped cream if you prefer a classic cream puff.

Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce

Learn how to make classic French profiteroles: crisp homemade choux pastry puffs filled with vanilla ice cream and drowned in warm, glossy chocolate sauce. A Paris bistro favorite.

Prep
40 min
Cook
40 min
Total
1 hr 50 min
Yield
About 30 profiteroles (8 servings)
Calories
~450/serving

Ingredients

For the choux pastry

For the chocolate sauce

To fill

Instructions

Make the choux

  1. Heat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment.
  2. Bring the water, milk, butter, sugar and salt to a full boil in a saucepan. Take the pan off the heat, add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth ball forms.
  3. Return the pan to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the dough dries out and a thin film forms on the bottom of the pan.
  4. Transfer the dough to a mixer bowl and beat on low for 1 minute to release steam. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, until the dough is glossy and falls from the paddle in a thick V-shaped ribbon; you may not need the last egg.

Pipe and bake

  1. Pipe 1 1/4-inch (3 cm) mounds about 2 inches apart. Brush lightly with beaten egg and smooth any peaks with a damp fingertip.
  2. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375°F (190°C) and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until deep golden and firm. Do not open the oven during the first 20 minutes.
  3. Pierce the side of each puff with a skewer to release steam and let them cool completely on a rack.

Make the sauce

  1. Heat the cream, syrup and salt until steaming, pour over the chopped chocolate, wait 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth and glossy.

Assemble

  1. Split each puff horizontally, tuck in a small scoop of ice cream and replace the top. Pile on plates and pour the warm chocolate sauce over just before serving.

Tools we use

Recipe from Miss Confection · https://missconfection.com/recipe/profiteroles-with-chocolate-sauce

Questions, answered

What is the difference between profiteroles and cream puffs?

Both use choux pastry. Profiteroles are usually smaller and served with chocolate sauce, often filled with ice cream, while cream puffs are filled with whipped cream or pastry cream.

Why did my choux pastry deflate?

It was underbaked or the oven door was opened too early. Bake until deep golden and firm, and vent the puffs after baking.

Can you make profiteroles ahead of time?

Yes. Bake the shells up to a day ahead or freeze them, recrisp in the oven, then fill and sauce just before serving.

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