Profiteroles With Chantilly Cream

Profiteroles are an elegant classic dessert, and they’re surprisingly easy to make! Bite-sized French choux pastry balls are filled with delicate chantilly cream and topped with powdered sugar or chocolate sauce. It’s a relatively simple recipe for bakers of all skill levels, and it takes only an hour.

a bowl of Profiteroles drizzled in chocolate - 1

Profiteroles are one of those desserts, along with many other classic French or Italian pastries, that we used to feel intimidated to make. The funny thing is, they’re not complicated or time-consuming at all, which means there’s no reason not to make homemade profiteroles!

There are just two components to making them: the choux pastry and the chantilly cream (a sweetened whipped cream). There’s no fancy equipment required. All you need is a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, along with a pastry bag for piping the choux pastry balls.

It’s a great recipe for practicing baking techniques and building confidence in the kitchen, and your family and friends will love you for making it. Serve as a special treat for any occasion, or as part of a French or Italian-themed dinner menu.

Key ingredients

Unsalted butter: using unsalted butter gives you more control over the amount of salt you include. If salted is all you’ve got on hand you can use it, but omit the added salt.
Eggs – when it comes to baking, it’s best to use eggs at room temperature because they rise more easily. This can make a difference in the loftiness of your pastry puffs (and other desserts).
Other ingredients: Sugar, salt, all-purpose flour, and water.
Chantilly cream ingredients: Heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar.

looking down on cream puffs stuffed with whipping cream - 2

profiteroles filled with whipped cream on a cooling rack. - 3

How to make profiteroles

Who knew that making a fancy-looking dessert like profiteroles could be so easy? No stand mixer is required, just a little bit of elbow grease.

Here’s how to make this profiterole recipe in a few simple steps:

Make the choux pastry dough : Bring a pot of water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil. Then, add some flour and stir vigorously until it forms a ball. Once the dough has cooled for a couple of minutes, stir in the eggs. Then, transfer the dough to a pastry bag and pipe it into balls on a baking sheet.
Spray and bake: Before placing the profiteroles in the oven, lightly spray them with water. When they come out of the oven, prick the tops with a knife. Why ⇢ The water helps them puff up, and pricking them helps them keep their shape. Bake them!
Make the whipping cream: (you can call it chantilly cream to be fancy), simply beat cream and vanilla for a few minutes, then sweeten it with powdered sugar and beat it a few minutes more.
Assemble: Now, take that cream you just made and use it to fill the profiteroles. We like to serve these guys with a dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Yum!

Storage and freezing

Storage : Filled profiteroles can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two hours (any longer could cause the pastry to go soggy).
Freezing: The unfilled pastry balls can be made in advance and stored in the freezer for up to a month. When you’re ready to use them, thaw at room temperature, prepare the Chantilly cream, and fill them just before serving.

Profiteroles Recipe

Ingredients

Choux Pastry

▢ 1 cup water
▢ ½ cup unsalted butter (cut into 16 pieces)
▢ 2 teaspoons sugar
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
▢ 4 large eggs (at room temperature )

Chantilly Cream

▢ 2 cups heavy cream
▢ 2 tablespoons vanilla
▢ ¼ cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Profiteroles

Begin by making the choux pastry. In a medium-sized pot, bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring gently with a wooden spoon. 1 cup water, ½ cup unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons sugar, ½ teaspoon salt
When the mixture begins to boil, add the flour and stir vigorously for about 1 minute, or until the paste begins to pull away from the side of the pan and forms a ball. Let the paste cool for 2 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is well incorporated before adding the next, stirring vigorously until well combined and the paste is smooth. 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 4 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Transfer the dough to a large pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch plain tip (like Wilton 1A). Pipe the paste into 1-inch rounds, about 1 inch in diameter, spacing 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. To prevent the tops from burning, level the peaks with a wet fingertip. Using a small spray bottle filled with water, lightly spritz the profiteroles with water and immediately place them in the oven. The water will help to create steam, which helps give the profiteroles volume.
Bake until the tops and sides are golden, about 15-20 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow them to rest in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove them from the oven then pierce each profiterole in the side with a small paring knife to allow steam to escape. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
When the profiteroles are cool, make the chantilly cream (recipe below). With a serrated knife, cut each profiterole in half crosswise. Transfer the chantilly cream to a large piping bag then pipe the cream into the bottom half of each profiterole then replace the tops. To serve, dust the profiteroles with a little powdered sugar and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

Chantilly Cream

Combine the cream and the vanilla in a large bowl. 2 cups heavy cream, 2 tablespoons vanilla
Add the cream and vanilla to a large bowl and beat at high speed (to immediately incorporate air) until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Increase the speed to high and continue beating to stiff peaks, about 2 minutes longer. If not using it immediately, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerator until ready to use, no longer than 3 hours. ¼ cup powdered sugar

Notes

Nutrition

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here .

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What are profiteroles?

A profiterole, also known as a cream puff, is a puffed choux pastry ball filled with whipped cream, custard, pastry cream, or a scoop of ice cream. They can be left plain or decorated with chocolate or a dusting of powdered sugar.

Profiterole vs. éclair

Apart from their shape, there are a few minor differences between a profiterole and an éclair. While éclairs are always filled with cream, a profiterole can also be filled with ice cream. Éclairs are typically finished with a chocolate glaze, and a chocolate sauce often accompanies profiteroles.

What is choux pastry?

Choux pastry is a delicate French pastry dough used in various pastries, including eclairs and profiteroles. It’s made from a few simple ingredients: butter, water, flour, and eggs. Instead of a rising agent, the high moisture content creates steam as the dough is baked, causing the pastry to puff.

chocolate sauce being poured over Profiteroles - 9

a close up of cream puffs with chocolate sauce - 10

Special dessert recipes

Amaretto Poached Pears

Homemade Chocolate Turtles with Bacon

Homemade Oreo Cookies

Julia Child’s Chocolate Mousse

This recipe has been shared with us by the publisher of Grace Massa Langlois’s cookbook, Grace’s Sweet Life . There are many other tasty recipes in her cookbook that we recommend you check out!