Homemade Chocolate Profiteroles Recipe

What I love about chocolate profiteroles is how surprisingly easy this classic little bite sized French pastry is to make at home. They’re made from crispy choux pastry that bakes up golden and hollow, ready to be filled with a delightfully creamy custard filling and topped with my one-bowl glossy chocolate sauce. They make a great dinner party dessert option or something for a fancy tea themed get together. Or just share them with family and friends if you have enough left over one you’re through ‘quality control’-ing them! Either way, making them ahead of time is easy and one of the best things about this little ball shaped dessert.

Hey team! If you’ve made my chocolate eclairs before, this recipe will feel familiar. Think of profiteroles as snack-sized versions of the classic French dessert. Same crispy choux pastry, same filling and that glossy one-bowl chocolate glaze on top. They’re perfect if you’re after something sweet, but don’t want to over-indulge. Although, I’ll be honest, stopping at one might be a challenge. I told myself I wouldn’t have sugar today. It’s 9am and I’m down one slice of cake. What can I say, I live fast and hard.

I love French desserts. I went on a Macaron spree a couple years ago. These profiteroles are much easier than macarons through. In todays post I’ll take you through all my tips and tricks of how to get the choux pastry to the perfect consistency and how to get it to bake up nice and hollow. Filling it is easy, you just need to figure out what your flavor is. I like using my French Pastry Cream, but my Chocolate Pastry Cream takes things up a notch for chocolate lovers. If I want a quicker and lighter option I use my Whipped Chantilly Cream. Oh, and before I forget, I have a delicious Cream Puff recipe on the site which you might also love. Same pastry, different filling.

You can make these ahead of time and then just put them together when you’re ready to serve them. The baked choux pastry stays fresh in an airtight container for a couple days. Make your filling a day or two in advance and then put them together, dip them in freshly made glaze and you’re good to go! Once they’ve been put together, they stay fresh for a couple hours until it’s time to dig in! They’re so much simpler to make than they look!

Why I Love Profiteroles and You Will Too

Profiteroles are built around three components you can make in advance to make putting them together a breeze!

• Choux pastry – is a simple dough that puffs up when baked to create a light, crispy shell with a hollow center. You can make this days in advance. It stays fresh inside a container and is easy to fill before you’re ready to serve.
• Fillings – couple options here. I like filling these with my whipped Chantilly Cream which is super light and creamy without being too heavy and rich. Although a classic filling is French Pastry Cream which is thick, smooth and indulgent. Chocolate pastry cream works so great with these too!
• Glaze – I use my one bowl chocolate sauce as the glaze for these. It’s already glossy and sets glossy so it works well!

What’s the difference between Profiteroles and Cream Buns?

Both are made with choux pastry, but they’re filled and finished differently:

• Profiteroles – they’re smaller in size, usually filled with pastry cream and topped with a glossy chocolate glaze.
• Cream puffs – These are larger, sliced in half and filled with whipped cream. They’re finished off with a dusting of powdered sugar. Simpler, still delicious.

The simple ingredients you’ll need.

• Water
• Butter – I used unsalted butter. If using salted butter, leave out the salt. Cut your butter up into cubes for it to melt easier.
• Sugar – regular white granulated sugar works well, but I prefer using caster sugar (superfine sugar).
• Salt – I used fine salt.
• Bread Flour – Bread flour is a high protein flour that is often used for making crusty, chewy breads. I use it in this recipe because it helps the profiteroles rise in a nice ball shape while still being light in texture. Surprisingly, it doesn’t cause them to be chewy. If you don’t have bread flour, you can use all-purpose flour (plain flour) instead.
• Eggs – I used large eggs that measure 55g each out of the shell.. Make sure the eggs are at room temperature.
• Powdered sugar – to dust on top of your profiteroles before baking to give them a nice deep golden color and even rise.

Workflow: I like to fill my profiteroles with French pastry cream, which you’ll want to make the day before. The chocolate glaze can be whipped up fresh on the day you serve. It might seem like a lot of work, but once the pastry cream is done, the choux buns and glaze come together easily. Assembling them is quick and effortless! Let’s begin!

Start with the Pastry Cream Filling

I have a full break down of how to make my One-Pot Pastry Cream on the blog. It’s thicker than most other recipes but just as creamy and packed full of vanilla beans! Here’s a quick run-down of how I make it:

• Add the dry ingredients to a large heavy bottomed pot, then add the egg yolks and whisk until it forms a smooth paste
• Add the milk in 4 increments, whisking each time.
• Once it’s all in there, place on medium heat while you whisk. It will thicken, then bubble. Once it bubbles, whisk for 4 more minutes.
• Add the vanilla and butter and whisk until well combined. Run it through a sieve and place in a bowl. Cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge, ideally overnight or for a minimum of 5 hours so that it has time to set.

Pro Tip: Using a whisk to make to make your pastry cream results in a much smoother result. Trust me, I’ve tested it with and without, whisk wins every time!

How to perfect the choux pastry

You can make these a couple days in advance. Here’s how to bake them to perfection!

• Add water, sugar, salt and butter into a pot and heat until bubbles appear around the sides.
• Turn the heat off, add flour and mix immediately.

• A dough will form. If using an stainless steel pan you’ll notice a film at the bottom, this won’t happen on non-stick pans. Allow to cool for 10-20 minutes.

• Whisk in the eggs. Add about 1 at a time, mixing each time

• It will be sticky to the touch and won’t break when stretched between two fingers.

• Pipe your choux pastry buns using a large round tip. About 2 tbsp in volume. I find baking on a Silpat mat helps these bake up best, but you can line your baking tray with baking paper.
• Dip your finger in a little water and dap the tops slightly flat. That’ll stop the little peaks from burning.

• Dust with powdered sugar.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until they reach a deep golden color. While they’re baking, start making the chocolate sauce!

Pro Tip: Dusting choux pastry with powdered sugar creates a crisp, caramelized surface as it melts and browns in the oven, adding both texture and a golden finish.

All you need is one bowl for the chocolate glaze

It’s all made in one bowl! Easy, right?

• Double boiler method – add the bowl on top of a pot of gently simmering water making sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water. Stir until melted. Use oven mits to take off the pot and allow to cool until warm.
• Microwave method – microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time until smooth.

Putting them together (no fancy equipment!)

No fancy equipment needed here! I love about these. They look fancy but they come together with equipment you already have.

• Use the end of a fork to prick a small hole on the bottom of each choux bun.
• Fill with pastry cream or filling of choice. A piping bag is the easiest way to do this. They will feel heavy when filled.

• Dip in chocolate glaze
• You’re done!

Troubleshooting: How To Avoid Disasters!

Making profiteroles is easier than you think, but knowing what could go wrong will help you avoid disasters. Here’s everything I learned while I tested these to help you avoid disasters!

Choux

My biggest tip for making choux pastry is to have everything measured before you begin.

• Make sure you measure using kitchen scales – for the most accurate and best results. I’ve left out cup measurements to make sure everyone get the same results.
• Choux buns sunk – They weren’t baked long enough or where left to cool in the oven properly. They’ll regain some shape when filled, but they won’t be as crisp.
• No hollow inside – This happens when the ingredients aren’t measured properly, or the oven temperature is too low. Unfortunately, there’s no fixing this.

Pastry Cream

Go slow and steady! You’re cooking eggs, so keep the heat low and gentle.

• Lumpy – This can be completely avoided by using a hand whisk instead of a spatula. Trust me, it’s like magic!
• Split – The butter was added too quickly or wasn’t cold when you added it. You can fix this by continuing to whisk until it all comes together.
• Too runny – This means it wasn’t
• Eggs curdled – there’s no fixing this! This happened because the milk was either too hot or added too quickly to the egg mixture.

Chocolate Sauce

My chocolate sauce is really easy to make. Especially in a microwave. You just want to be patient when melting all the ingredients together and only do it 20 seconds at a time, stirring each time.

• Split – either the mixture was cooked on too high a heat, or the incorrect cream was used. There’s a way to fix this. Place on a double boiler and use a whisk to mix until the mixture is smooth again.
• Grainy – sugar was not melted enough or sauce was overcooked. Start again!
• Chocolate seized and won’t melt – either the chocolate is past its used by date or you burned it! There’s no fixing this.

What is this recipe in grams and not cups?

The short answer is accuracy! It is far easier, more accurate and you get more consistency results when you measure ingredients by weight, especially in dessert and bread baking! I wrote all about this in my post about using digital kitchen scales!

Tried this recipe and loved it? Awesome! Drop me a comment below and tell me about it! Can’t wait to hear how it turned out for you! You can also keep up to date with me during the week by joining me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!

Homemade Chocolate Profiteroles Recipe

These delightfully light French Profiteroles are filled with a creamy vanilla Pastry Cream and covered in glossy chocolate sauce!

Serves 21

5 from 5 votes

Author: Nick Makrides

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Cook: 38 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Calories: 216kcal

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Ingredients

French Pastry Cream

• ▢ 500 g whole milk, not skim
• ▢ 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract, or vanilla bean paste
• ▢ 20 g all-purpose flour, plain flour
• ▢ 30 g corn starch, corn flour
• ▢ 40 g caster sugar, superfine sugar
• ▢ 1/4 tsp salt
• ▢ 6 egg yolks
• ▢ 125 g unsalted butter, cubed and cold

Choux Pastry

• ▢ 185 g water
• ▢ 52 g unsalted butter
• ▢ 8 g granulated sugar, optional
• ▢ 1/4 tsp fine salt
• ▢ 112 g bread flour, spooned and levelled (see notes)
• ▢ 3 large eggs, 55g each, room temperature (see notes)
• ▢ 50 g powdered sugar to dust

Chocolate Sauce

• ▢ 200 g dark cooking chocolate, see notes
• ▢ 30 g unsalted butter
• ▢ 10 g brown sugar, see notes
• ▢ 125 g heavy cream, see notes

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Learn How To Make it! [VIDEO]

https://youtu.be/QtHliGxrvxw

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Instructions

How to prepare a vanilla bean (if using)

• Use a sharp knife to cut the bean in half longways. Then use the sharp end of the knife to scrape away the little vanilla pods inside the bean. You’ll use the vanilla pods and scraped bean.

French Pastry Cream

• Heat milk and vanilla – Add the milk and vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean (pods and bean) in a saucepan and heat on medium heat, stirring continuously until bubbles begin forming around the sides. Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Combine dry ingredients and eggs – To a large heat proof bowl add the flour, corn starch, sugar and salt and whisk to combine. Add the egg yolks and a splash of the warmed milk (about 3 tbsp) and whisk until smooth.
• Add the milk – Slowly add the milk, about 1/4 cup at a time and stir each time until half the milk is in there. Whisk to combine.
• Heat custard – Place back in the saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring continuously until it begins to bubble. When bubbles start making their way through the thickened pastry cream turn the heat off.
• Add butter – Add 1/2 the cold butter. Whisk until well combined. Then add the remaining butter and repeat. You want to do this slowly, so the custard doesn’t split.
• Get rid of lumps – Pour through the sieve into a large bowl to ensure no lumps are in it. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for a couple hours or overnight. Use a whisk to mix until smooth before using. To make a Chocolate version of this, check out my Chocolate Pastry Cream recipe here!

Choux Pastry

• Preheat a fan forced oven to 180C / 355F (200C/400F for no fan). Line two half sheet baking trays with baking paper or (for best results) silicone baking mats. If using baking paper stick some of the choux pastry under the baking paper to help it stick to the baking tray.
• Heat butter in water – Add the water, butter, and sugar to a large saucepan. Place on medium heat and stir until the butter has melted and it begins bubbling around the sides.
• Add flour – Once bubbles appear, turn off the heat and add the flour. Stir immediately using a wooden spoon until a dough forms.
• Cook dough – Turn the heat back on medium high and mix continuously for 2-3 minutes. If using a stainless steal pan you’ll notice a film of dough forming on the bottom. This won’t happen with a non-stick pan.
• Add eggs – Take off the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. In the meantime, whisk the eggs together. Add 1/4 of the eggs into the cooled dough and mix until well combined. Add the next 1/4 and continue until all eggs are in the dough. The dough will be sticky to the touch and when stretched in between two fingers, won’t break. If the dough breaks, add another tbsp of whisked egg and test again. If the dough is runny, there are too many eggs, start again.
• Pipe dough – Add the filling to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe 2 tbsp blobs onto lined baking trays. You’ll get 18 blobs on each tray. These will puff up and spread into decent sized profiteroles.
• Smoothen out profiteroles – Dip your finger into some water and dab the pointy end of the choux pastry to smoothen it out. This will help them rise properly and not burn.
• Dust with sugar – Dust the tops with powdered sugar (this helps them keep their shape and slightly sweetens them).
• Bake – Bake both trays for 40 minutes. Allow to cool in the oven with the door slightly open for 10-15 minutes before taking them out so they hold their shape and don’t deflate.

Chocolate Sauce (Microwave Method)

• Add the dark chocolate, butter, brown sugar and heavy cream to a large, microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high, for 20 seconds at a time, mixing well between each interval until smooth. Allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes, before pouring on top of some desserts. Goes nicely on top of ice-cream when it’s warm.

Chocolate Sauce (Double Boiler Method)

• To make the chocolate sauce over a double boiler, simply add the dark chocolate, butter, brown sugar and heavy cream to a large heatproof bowl. Place the bowl on top of a pot of gently simmering water making the sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Stir until melted. Take off the heat and allow to cool completely.
• To thin the sauce – if your sauce sets you can thin it out before dipping the tops of your profiteroles by popping in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time, stirring between each interval until it’s smooth and pourable.

Let’s Put Them together!

• Use the end of a fork to create a small hole at the bottom of each choux pastry. Add pastry cream to a piping bag and snip a small piece of the end off. Fill each ball with pastry cream until it’s full. Dip the tops in the freshly made chocolate sauce and allow excess to drip off. Repeat this until all profiteroles are finish and allow to set for 10 minutes before serving. Store in the fridge for 3 days.

Notes

Bread Flour – Bread flour is a high protein flour that is often used for making crusty, chewy breads. I use it in this recipe because it helps the profiteroles rise in a nice ball shape while still being light in texture. Surprisingly, it doesn’t cause them to be chewy. If you don’t have bread flour, you can use all-purpose flour (plain flour) instead.

Eggs – make sure you use room temperature eggs. The number of eggs you’ll need will depend on your dough. You’re looking for a stretchy dough that doesn’t break but isn’t too soft. If you need to use more than 4 eggs, whisk another egg and add 1 tbsp at a time until you reach the right texture. A smooth and shiny dough. When stretched between two fingers it shouldn’t break.

Fillings – you can fill these macarons with any number of things. I have a great Chocolate Pastry Cream for a more chocolatey flavor. However I like filling it with Chantilly cream for a much lighter experience!

Chocolate – make sure you use good quality dark chocolate. Something with at least 70% cocoa solids in it. I use the Nestle Bakers’ Choice Dark Choc Melts. A Lindt chocolate bar would also work but it’s much more expensive.

Brown sugar – you can use dark or light in this recipe. Both will work. If you’re making a white chocolate sauce with this recipe using white chocolate, swap the brown sugar out for caster sugar or leave it out. For a white chocolate sauce use the same amount of chocolate but use

Storage – Profiteroles can be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to three days.

Nutrition – is based on per profiterole with filling and sauce.

A note on measurements – This recipe uses weight measurements for the most accurate results. Cup measurements can vary depending on where you are, which affects the precision needed for a recipe like this. Here is where you can learn more about how to measure ingredients using digital kitchen scales.

Nutrition

Calories : 216kcal

Carbonhydrates: 14g

Protein: 4g

Fat: 16g

Saturated Fat: 9g

Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g

Monounsaturated Fat : 5g

Trans Fat : 0.3g

Cholesterol: 112mg

Sodium: 53mg

Potassium : 122mg

Fiber: 1g

Sugar : 7g

Vitamin A: 472IU

Vitamin C: 0.03mg

Calcium: 52mg

Iron: 1mg

Nutrition Disclosure

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