Cream-Filled Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and NYT Cooking.
Crisp choux buns filled with vanilla whipped cream, piled in a bowl and covered in a warm dark chocolate sauce.
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Method
- 1
Get ready. Heat the oven to 220 °C (200 °C fan) and line the tray with baking paper. Beat the eggs and egg white together in the jug; you need about 120 ml, so discard any extra.
- 2
Cook the paste. Bring the butter, water, milk, sugar and salt to a full boil, then take off the heat and stir in the flour until the dough leaves the sides of the pan. Return it to low heat and cook for 3 min, smearing it against the pan, until it looks like shiny wet sand. Cooking dries the paste so it can absorb more egg and puff higher.
- 3
Add the eggs. Tip the paste into the processor and run it for 10 s to let steam escape. With the motor running, pour in the egg in a steady stream, then process for 30 s until smooth, glossy and sticky.
- 4
Pipe and bake. Pipe 24 mounds about 4 cm wide and 3 cm apart, then smooth any points with a wet finger. Bake for 15 min without opening the door, then turn down to 190 °C (170 °C fan) and bake for 8-10 min more, until golden and firm to the touch.
- 5
Dry the puffs. Cut a small slit in the side of each puff to let steam out. Put them back in the switched-off oven with the door propped open with the wooden spoon for 30 min, so the insides dry and the shells stay crisp, then cool on the rack.
- 6
Fill. Whip the cold cream, icing sugar and vanilla to soft peaks that just hold their shape. Pipe the cream into each cooled puff through its slit.
- 7
Make the sauce and serve. Bring the cream, golden syrup, butter and salt to a boil, take off the heat, add the chocolate and cover for 5 min before whisking smooth. Pile the puffs in the bowl and pour over the warm sauce straight away.
Storage
Unfilled puffs keep in an airtight tin for 1 day or frozen for 1 month. Once filled, eat within 2 hours; keep leftover sauce in the fridge for up to 5 days and rewarm gently.
Free sugars
15.7 g per serving
31.4 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 62.8 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- baking tray
- baking paper
- measuring jug
- small saucepan
- silicone spatula
- food processor or electric whisk
- 2 piping bags with 1 cm plain nozzles
- instant-read thermometer
- paring knife
- wooden spoon
- wire rack
- mixing bowl
- whisk
- serving bowl
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 553 kcal |
| Protein | 6.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 29.3 g |
| of which sugars | 17.9 g |
| of which free sugars | 15.7 g |
| Fat | 46 g |
| of which saturates | 28.3 g |
| Fibre | 2.6 g |
| Salt | 0.38 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.2 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
