Profiteroles — Cream Puffs
Delicate, airy cream puffs filled with sweet cream and drizzled with dark chocolate. A classic French dessert that's surprisingly easy to make at home.
90 min total, minimal dishes
Profiteroles — Cream Puffs
Delicate, airy cream puffs filled with sweet cream and drizzled with dark chocolate. A classic French dessert that's surprisingly easy to make at home.
90 min total, minimal dishes
Key move
Cook choux pastry to a full boil with a short ribbon stage, then pipe 60-70 g pieces onto parchment and bake at 425°F (220°C) for 20 minutes, reduce to 375°F (190°C) for 12 minutes so shells dry out. Fill while still warm so interiors stay hollow.
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The Setup
- SaucepanMedium
- Baking SheetLarge
- Parchment Paper
- Mixing BowlLarge
- Piping Bag
The Mise en Place
5 of 9Your prep station before cooking begins
Choux Pastry (0/4)
Cream Filling (0/3)
Puffs are not puffing up.
Oven temperature may be too low. Ensure oven is preheated to the correct temperature and do not open the oven door during baking.
Puffs are collapsing after baking.
Puffs may not have been baked long enough. Ensure they are golden brown and firm before removing from the oven. Cool them completely in the oven with the door slightly ajar.
Chef's Notes
Chill the dough slightly before piping for easier handling and more uniform puffs.
Pierce the baked profiteroles immediately after removing from oven to release steam and prevent sogginess.
Bake shells ahead and freeze. Re-crisp briefly in a low oven before filling.
Dust with powdered sugar, drizzle with chocolate sauce, or serve with fresh berries.
The Method
PREHEAT
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Uneven heating: Ensure the baking sheet is centered to prevent one side of the puffs from browning faster than the other.
Oven is preheated and baking sheet is lined.
COMBINE
In a saucepan, combine water (1 cup) and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Insufficient boil: If the water isn't at a full boil, the flour will not gelatinize properly, leading to flat puffs.
Water and butter are combined and boiling.
ADD
Remove from heat and add the flour all at once. Stir vigorously until a smooth dough forms.
Lumpy dough: Adding flour slowly instead of all at once creates clumps that are impossible to smooth out.
A smooth dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
COOL
Let the dough cool slightly for a few minutes.
Egg curdling: If the dough is too hot when adding eggs, they will scramble rather than emulsify.
Dough has cooled slightly.
ADD
Time-sensitiveAdd the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition until fully incorporated. The dough should be smooth and pipeable.
Egg incorporation: Adding eggs too quickly can cause the emulsion to break, resulting in a greasy, separated dough.
Dough is smooth, shiny, and forms a ribbon when dropped from a spoon.
TRANSFER
Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
Air pockets: Press the dough firmly into the bag to remove air bubbles, which cause puffs to explode or collapse.
Dough is in the piping bag.
PIPE
Pipe 1-inch rounds onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each puff.
Crowding: Puffs expand significantly; ensure they are spaced well to allow hot air circulation.
1-inch rounds of dough are piped onto the baking sheet with adequate spacing.
BAKE
Time-sensitiveBake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed up. Do not open the oven door during baking.
Premature collapse: Opening the oven door before the structure is set will cause the steam to escape and the puffs to deflate permanently.
Puffs are golden brown, firm, and fully puffed.
COOL
Time-sensitiveTurn off the oven, slightly open the oven door, and let the puffs cool completely in the oven to prevent collapsing.
Soggy bottoms: Removing puffs from the heat too quickly traps steam inside, causing them to turn soft and soggy.
Puffs are completely cooled inside the oven with the door ajar.
MAKE
Prep aheadWhile the puffs are cooling, make the cream filling. In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream (1½ cups)heavy cream (½ cups), powdered sugar (¼ cups), and vanilla extract (1 tsp) until stiff peaks form.
Over-whipping: Stop immediately once stiff peaks form; continuing will turn the cream into butter.
Cream filling is whipped to stiff peaks.
MAKE
Prep aheadMake the chocolate ganache. Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the heavy cream (1½ cups)heavy cream (½ cups) in a saucepan until simmering. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute to melt the chocolate.
Seizing chocolate: Ensure no water droplets enter the bowl, as moisture will cause the chocolate to clump.
Chocolate is melting in the hot cream.
STIR
Prep aheadStir until smooth and glossy.
Seized chocolate: Even a drop of cold liquid or steam can cause the ganache to seize and turn grainy.
Ganache is smooth and glossy.
CUT
Once the puffs have cooled, cut a small slit in the side of each puff.
Crushing the shell: Pressing too hard with the knife will collapse the delicate structure of the puff.
Each puff has a small slit on the side.
FILL
Fill each puff with the whipped cream using a piping bag or a spoon.
Soggy pastry: Filling too far in advance will cause the crisp shell to soften and lose its texture.
Each puff is filled with whipped cream.
DRIZZLE
Drizzle the chocolate ganache over the filled puffs.
Ganache temperature: If the ganache is too hot, it will melt the cream filling and run off the puff entirely.
Chocolate ganache has been drizzled over the filled puffs.
SERVE
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Soggy pastry: Avoid letting the filled puffs sit too long, as the moisture from the filling will soften the crisp exterior.
Profiteroles are ready to be served.
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