Choux pastry is baked into round puffs and filled with your favorite ice cream in these decadent profiteroles. Topped with an irresistible chocolate sauce, this recipe will take your cream puff to a whole new level.

A white plate with a tower of profiteroles topped with chocolate and an ice cream scoop in the front.

Since mastering a basic pâte à choux, I have enjoyed making eclairs, cream puffs, churros, gougeres, and more! But of all the pastries I have made, the profiterole holds a special place in my heart.

This French pastry begins just like a cream puff. A round choux pastry puff bakes to a golden and crisp finish with a hollow interior. Instead of filling with pastry cream these puffs are sliced open and filled with a heaping scoop of your favorite ice cream and drizzled with a generous amount of chocolate sauce.

How to Make Them

Making profiteroles comes down to 3 main steps.

  1. Prepare the choux pastry.
  2. Bake the puffs.
  3. Assemble the profiteroles.

Now let’s get get our ingredients and get down to baking.

Just like a traditional pâte à choux this base calls for easy, pantry staple ingredients: Water, butter, salt, sugar, flour, and eggs.

Ingredients for profiteroles on a white grey counter labeled with purple rectangles.

Step #1: Prepare the Choux Pastry

  • Prep for baking: Preheat the oven to 400°F and adjust the racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Heat liquid ingredients: Boil water, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over high heat.
Melting milk and butter in a saucepan.
  • Add flour: Remove from heat and add the flour all at once. Stir until the flour is thoroughly mixed and no lumps remain. Press and smash the dough against the sides of the pan while you mix.
  • Cook the dough: Return the pot to medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently until the dough comes together into one mass and there is a dry film on the bottom and sides of the pan.
  • Check the temperature: If you have an instant-read thermometer, it should register 175°F.
Stirring together choux pastry dough in a saucepan.
  • Cool the dough: Transfer to a mixing bowl on medium speed for about 2 minutes to cool the dough down. It should register 145°F on an instant-read thermometer.
  • Add eggs: Mix in the eggs, one at a time, ensuring each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Once all of the eggs have been added, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix again to ensure everything is fully incorporated, an additional 5 to 10 seconds.
Mixing eggs into pate a choux dough.

🌟 Not sure if your choux pastry is quite right? You can check out my Basic Pate A Choux Recipe for additional tips and troubleshooting.

Step #2: Bake the Puffs

  • Transfer the choux pastry to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round piping tip. I recommend the Ateco #802.
  • Pipe the puffs: Hold the pastry bag at a 90° angle and apply downward pressure to pipe 2-inch wide puffs on the parchment paper-lined baking sheets, ensuring the puffs are 3 inches apart.
  • Pat the tops: Dip a finger in cold water and gently pat down any bumps or swirls sticking up on top.
Side by side photos of the steps to pipe and pat down the cream puff dough.
  • Bake: In a preheated oven, bake the puffs rotating sheets halfway through, until the puffs are golden brown and feel light and hollow, about 22 to 27 minutes.
  • Dry out the pastry: Turn off the oven, prop the door with a wooden spoon and allow the puffs to set in there for 30 minutes.
  • Cool completely: Remove from the oven and use a pairing knife to make a small slit in the side of each puff. Set aside and cool completely.
A rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper with round choux pastry puffs before baking.

Step #3: Assemble the Profiteroles

The first part of assembling the profiteroles begins with making the chocolate sauce.

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  • Melt chocolate: Place chocolate chips and heavy cream in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.
  • Add honey + coffee: This is optional, but really adds a special flavor and dimension to the sauce! Stir until melted and smooth, then remove from heat and stir in the honey and coffee. Set aside until ready to assemble.

You can also use my Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce for a thicker and more decadent topping.

A light brown bowl filled with melted chocolate sauce.

Once the sauce is ready you can assemble and enjoy these filling pastries.

  • Cut each puff in half crosswise.
  • Fill: Add a scoop of ice cream to the bottom half.
  • Top: Replace the top and drizzle with chocolate sauce.

A classic profiterole uses vanilla ice cream but you are more than welcome to fill your pastry with any flavor you fancy! Some of my favorites include:

A stack of vanilla ice cream filled profiteroles with a jar of chocolate sauce pouring over the top.

FAQ and Recipe Tips

What is the difference between a cream puff and a profiterole?

Cream puffs and profiteroles are often used interchangeably to mean the same thing. They are both choux pastry-based puffs filled with a cream filling. The main difference between the two is that profiteroles are filled with ice cream instead of pastry cream.

What does profiterole mean?

In French, the word profiterole translates to mean profit or small profit. I would definitely agree that receiving a homemade profiterole would absolutely be a small profit I would be more than happy to accept.

Should profiteroles be soft or crispy?

You are looking for a combination of both. The exterior of the pastry bakes and dries to a crisp light brown finish while the interior remains soft and chewy.

Storing and Making Ahead

  • Storing profiteroles: Place filled profiteroles in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 6 weeks.
  • Unfilled puffs: Keep the choux pastry puffs up to 2 days in advance and store them in an airtight container until ready to serve.
  • Freezing: To store unfilled puffs longer, freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Making Ahead: Bake the puffs up to two days in advance, freeze baked puffs up to 3 months in advance, or fill profiteroles and store them in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
A dark grey plate with an ice cream filled profiterole topped with chocolate sauce and a spoon to the left.

Pastries to Make Next

Take your cream puffs to the next level with this decadent profiterole recipe! Crisp on the outside, tender and filled with your favorite ice cream on the inside, and topped with a decadent chocolate sauce, these profiteroles are the perfect treat.

If you make this recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give it a 5-star rating - it helps others find the recipe! ❤️️

A white plate with a stack of profiteroles topped with melted chocolate sauce and a jar of milk in the back.

Profiteroles

Yield: 18 profiteroles
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Light as air choux pastry is filled with a scoop of ice cream and topped with a chocolate sauce in this irresistable profiterole recipe.
4.89 (9 ratings)
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Ingredients

For the Choux Pastry

  • 1 cup water
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 4 eggs

For the Chocolate Sauce

  • 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons honey, optional
  • 2 tablespoons brewed coffee, optional

For the Ice Cream

  • Your favorite flavors!

Instructions 

  • Make the Pate a Choux (Choux Pastry): Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Place the water, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Place over high heat and bring to a full rolling boil.
  • Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once. Using a wooden spoon or stiff silicone spatula and stir until the flour is thoroughly mixed in and no lumps remain, pressing and smashing the dough against the sides of the pan.
  • Return the pot to medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the dough comes together into one mass and there is a dry film on the bottom and sides of the pan. If you have an instant-read thermometer, it should register 175 degrees F.
  • Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes to cool the dough down. It should register 145 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
  • Add the eggs one at a time, ensuring each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Once all of the eggs have been added, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix again to ensure everything is fully incorporated, an additional 5 to 10 seconds.
  • Use immediately or keep at room temperature for up to 2 hours in a piping bag or with a piece of plastic wrap pressed against the surface.
  • Bake the Puffs: Transfer the choux pastry to a piping bag fitted with a ¼-inch round piping tip (I recommend the Ateco #10). Hold the pastry bag at a 90-degree angle and apply downward pressure to pipe 2-inch wide puffs onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, ensuring that the puffs are 3 inches apart. Dip a finger in cold water and gently pat down any bumps or swirls sticking up on top.
  • Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the puffs are golden brown and feel light and hollow, about 22 to 27 minutes. Turn off the oven. Prop the door open with a wooden spoon and allow the puffs to set in there for 30 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and use a paring knife to make a small slit in the side of each puff. Set aside to cool completely.
  • Make the Chocolate Sauce: Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth, then remove from the heat and stir in the honey and coffee. Set aside.
  • Serve the Profiteroles: Cut each puff in half crosswise, add a scoop of ice cream to the bottom half, replace the top, and drizzle with chocolate sauce.

Notes

Nutritional information is for 1 puff with chocolate sauce; it does not include ice cream.
Calories: 214kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 57mg, Sodium: 84mg, Potassium: 136mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 276IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!

Author: Michelle Lettrich
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French

Photography by Dee Frances.