Cream Puffs with Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce (Profiteroles)

Known in French as “Profiteroles”, these Cream Puffs with Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce are a classic retro dessert at French brasseries, and I will inevitably go for them whenever I see them on the menu. Made of light-as-air cream puffs (“choux”) filled with cold ice cream and topped with velvety warm chocolate sauce, Profiteroles are traditionally served three on a plate – but you always wish you had a few more.  This is a heavenly dessert with a serious wow factor, but you’ll be amazed how simple they are to make at home! 

About Pâte à Choux 

The making of Profiteroles starts with the making of a Pâte à Choux, to be piped into little mounds and baked to create the cream puffs. And if you’re interested in French baking, Pâte à Choux is a great recipe to add to your repertoire. 

Pâte à Choux is used to make cream puffs, but that’s just the start! It is the base batter for making Chouquettes, Nun’s farts, Eclairs and even savory Gougères (cheese puffs – a recipe you can find in my cookbook). 

A Pâte à Choux does have a reputation for being an advanced technique, but I assure you it is not. My tip: you want to make sure you have all your ingredients prepared and measured out in front of you before you start. Once the saucepan is hot and the milk starts to simmer, it’s all about moving quickly.

If you’ve never made a Pâte à Choux before, make sure you read the recipe twice before you start to get  familiar with the steps. Then, prepare all your equipment (saucepan, bowl, wooden spoon, piping bag, etc.) and ingredients measured out in front of you. 

Cooking notes:

• The chocolate sauce for this profiteroles recipe is what we call a classic “ganache”, which consists of milk, cream and chocolate – and no sugar. This makes for a deeply chocolatey flavor with no sweetness at all. Because this sauce is used to top off puffs and vanilla ice cream (which is sweet enough), I prefer it unsweetened. I think it makes for a dessert that is perfectly balanced in flavour.
• For this recipe, I include store-bought ice-cream for convenience. If you want to make your own homemade French-style vanilla ice cream, I recommend David Lebovitz’s recipe. 
• For assembling the Profiteroles, be very quick and serve them immediately. You can prepare the cream puffs (choux) ahead but the assembling needs to be done seconds before serving. Warm chocolate sauce poured atop cold vanilla ice-cream isn’t a dessert that can wait!

I hope you’ll love this Cream Puffs with Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce (Profiteroles) recipe as much as I do!

Any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment.  

You may also like:

• Classic French Chocolate Pots de Crème
• Classic Crème Caramel
• Thick Double Chocolate Pudding
• Classic French Crème Brûlée
• French Antilles Coconut Flan (Flan Coco) 

Profiteroles

Print Recipe

Serves: Makes 10-12 profiteroles Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 35 Minutes 35 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

For the cream puffs:
2 ½ tbsp (35g) unsalted butter, cubed up
½ cup (120ml) milk (2% or whole)
½ cup (64g) all-purpose flour, sifted
½ tsp salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
For the chocolate sauce:
4 oz (115g) bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa)
2/3 cup (160ml) milk (2% or whole)
¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream (35%)
For assembling:
Vanilla ice-cream
¼ cup (15-20g) sliced almonds

Instructions

Make sure you read the cooking notes before you start.

For the cream puffs:

Step 1 - In a medium sized saucepan, over medium-low heat, combine the butter and milk. Bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and immediately add in the flour and salt (previously sifted together), all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms; return the saucepan to low heat and keep stirring until dough ‘dries out’ – meaning it pulls away from the pan and takes on a clean, glossy look (about 30 sec to 1 minute).

Step 2 - Remove from the heat again and let cool for 5 minutes. Beat the eggs thoroughly into the dough, one at a time. It is important each egg is fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next. If the dough separates, keep beating and it will come together again. In the end, you should have a semi-thick, slightly sticky batter. Transfer the batter to a piping bag (or a large freezer bag) and chill for at least 1 hour.

Step 3 - Pre-heat your oven to 400F (200C) with a rack in the middle. Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Pipe the choux batter into small mounds (1 ½ inches – 3.5cm), leaving at least 1 inch (2.5cm) space in between each one. Bake for 25 minutes, or until puffed and lightly browned, rotating the baking sheet front to back after 12 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely

For the Chocolate Sauce:

In a medium sauce pan, over medium-low heat, melt the chocolate, milk and cream. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and the sauce is shiny and smooth (it shouldn’t reach a simmering temperature). Set aside.

To assemble:

To assemble, make sure first you have everything (baked choux, ice cream, chocolate sauce and almond slices) in front of you, as you will need to act fast. Use a serrated knife to slice the choux horizontally. Fill each choux base with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and close them with their top parts. Place three profiteroles on each serving plate, drizzle with chocolate sauce and sprinkle with almond slices.

Serve immediately.

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench  and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench.  Bon Appetit! 

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Privacy Policy & Disclosure page for more details.