Round golden choux puffs filled with vanilla custard, drizzled dark chocolate sauce, one cut revealing smooth custard, not whipped cream

Profiteroles

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Profiteroles are small crisp choux puffs filled with vanilla custard and finished with chocolate sauce. The pastry is cooked twice: first in a saucepan, then in the oven, where steam opens a hollow center for the filling.

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Recipe at a Glance

  • Yield: About 20 small puffs
  • Preparation: 40 minutes
  • Cooking: 40 minutes
  • Chilling: At least 2 hours for the custard

Table of Contents

Ingredients

Choux puffs

  • 180 ml water
  • 75 g unsalted butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 100 g all-purpose flour
  • 3 large eggs, beaten

Vanilla custard

  • 400 ml whole milk
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 60 g granulated sugar
  • 30 g cornstarch
  • 15 g unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Chocolate sauce

  • 150 g semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 150 ml heavy cream

Before You Start

Do not open the oven during the first 20 minutes; steam helps lift the puffs.

Read the full method before starting. Measure the ingredients, prepare the pan or baking sheets, and allow time for the cooling and chilling stages. The stated baking times are a guide; use the visual cues in the directions to judge doneness.

Directions

1. Make custard

Heat the milk until steaming. Whisk yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the milk, return to the pan and cook while whisking until thick and bubbling. Cook for 1 minute more, remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Cover the surface and chill for at least 2 hours.

2. Make the dough

Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Bring water, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until the mixture forms a ball. Cook for 2 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring. Put in a bowl and cool for 5 minutes.

3. Add eggs and portion

Beat in the eggs gradually until the dough is smooth and glossy, falling slowly from a spatula in a thick V. Stop before it becomes runny. Pipe or spoon about twenty 3 cm mounds onto lined trays, spacing them well apart. Smooth pointed tops with a damp finger.

4. Bake

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 180°C (355°F) and bake for 15–20 minutes more, until puffed, golden and firm. Pierce each puff with a skewer and leave in the switched-off oven for 10 minutes with the door ajar. Cool completely.

5. Fill and finish

Whisk the chilled custard smooth and pipe into the cooled puffs. Heat the cream just until steaming, pour over the chocolate and stir after 2 minutes until smooth. Arrange filled puffs on plates and spoon over warm, not hot, chocolate sauce just before serving.

Cook’s Tips

  • Do not open the oven during the first 20 minutes; steam helps lift the puffs.
  • Let shells cool completely before adding the cold custard.
  • Pipe evenly sized mounds so they bake at a similar rate.

Storage and Make-Ahead

Refrigerate custard-filled profiteroles and eat within 24 hours. Keep chocolate sauce separately refrigerated for up to 3 days and warm gently before serving. Freeze empty shells for up to 1 month; thaw and refresh briefly in the oven, then cool before filling.

Recipe Questions

Can I use whipped cream instead?

Yes. Use cold softly whipped cream and fill shortly before serving. Keep the filled puffs refrigerated.

Why is my choux dough loose?

Too much egg may have been added. Stop adding egg when the batter reaches the thick V stage rather than using a fixed amount regardless of texture.

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