Light as air Profiteroles filled with whipped chestnut cream and topped with chocolate sauce. These delicious cream puffs are an elegant dessert, perfect for sharing on special occasions.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time35 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Keyword: Cream Puffs, Profiteroles, Profiteroles with Chocolate sauce
Preheat the oven to 200C | 400F. Line two heavy trays with baking paper.
Put the water, butter, salt and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil until butter is completely melted.
Take off the heat and add all the flour at once. Stir vigorously until the flour is fully incorporated.
Return to the hob and keep stirring over medium heat until the dough comes away from the edges of the saucepan – 3-4 minutes.
Break the eggs into a measuring jug and lightly combine with a fork. Put the dough in the bowl of your stand mixer and beat using the paddle attachment to release some of the steam for a couple of minutes.
Slowly add the eggs while mixing at medium speed. The batter will separate but come together again as the eggs are incorporated.
Fit a plain nozzle into a large piping bag and fill with the dough. Pipe small blobs of pastry on the trays, spaced a slightly apart. Use a pastry brush to tamp down any peaks with a little beaten egg.
Bake for 20-25 minutes without opening the door of the oven.
Check the choux – they should be puffy, golden and sound hollow when tapped. Pierce holes with a skewer or knife on the bottom to release some steam and return to the oven (leave the door slightly open) for a further 10 minutes or until they they are crisp. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Place the cream, golden syrup, glucose and vanilla in a small saucepan and heat until bubbles appear around the edge of the pot. Take off the heat.
Stir in the chopped chocolate until melted and sauce is smooth. If it sets before you need to use it, reheat in short bursts in the microwave or on the stove.
Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks then add the cream and continue whipping until you have firm peaks. Take care not to over whip or the cream will become grainy.
Make small holes on the bottom of the choux using a chopstick. Transfer the filling into a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip and carefully fill the choux.
Pour a generous amount of the chocolate sauce over the profiteroles and serve (add festive sprinkles if you like but plain is better).