Best Profiteroles Recipe UK: Crisp Choux and Cream

Profiteroles are small French choux pastry buns filled with whipped cream and finished with warm chocolate sauce. This UK-friendly recipe uses straightforward ingredients and a two-stage bake to help the shells rise, dry out and stay crisp before filling.

Ingredients

125 ml (½ cup) water
125 ml (½ cup) whole milk
100 g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 tsp caster sugar
¼ tsp fine salt
150 g (1¼ cups) plain flour, sifted
4 large eggs, about 200 g without shells, beaten; you may not need every drop
300 ml (1¼ cups) double cream, cold
1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
½ tsp vanilla extract
150 g (5¼ oz) dark chocolate, finely chopped
150 ml (⅔ cup) double cream, for the chocolate sauce
1 tsp golden syrup or honey, optional, for a glossier sauce

Instructions

Prepare the oven and trays. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F), or 180°C (350°F) fan. Line two baking trays with baking parchment. If useful, draw 4 cm (1½-inch) circles on the reverse as a piping guide, leaving space between them.
Make the choux panade. Put the water, milk, butter, caster sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the butter has melted and the liquid comes to a full boil. Take the pan off the heat, add all the flour at once and beat firmly with a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains.
Dry the dough. Return the pan to low heat and stir continuously for 1–2 minutes. The dough should form a smooth ball and leave a light film on the base of the pan. Transfer it to a bowl and spread it slightly up the sides. Leave for about 5 minutes, until no longer steaming; adding eggs while it is very hot can scramble them.
Add the eggs gradually. Beat the eggs in a jug. Add them to the dough a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Stop when the paste is smooth, glossy and thick enough to fall from the spoon in a slow V-shaped ribbon. You may not need all the egg: overly loose paste spreads and produces flat buns.
Pipe the buns. Spoon the paste into a piping bag fitted with a plain 1 cm (½-inch) nozzle, or use a sturdy freezer bag with one corner snipped. Pipe 16 mounds, about 4 cm (1½ inches) wide, onto the trays. Leave room for expansion. Dip a finger in water and gently press down any pointed peaks.
Bake until crisp. Bake for 20 minutes without opening the door. Reduce the oven to 180°C (350°F), or 160°C (320°F) fan, and bake for another 10–15 minutes, until well risen and a deep golden brown. Avoid opening the oven early: a sudden drop in heat can make choux collapse.
Dry the shells. Remove the trays and make a small slit in the side or base of each bun to let steam escape. Return them to the oven for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. This drying step helps prevent soggy interiors.
Whip and fill. Just before serving, whip 300 ml (1¼ cups) cold double cream with the icing sugar and vanilla until it holds soft-to-medium peaks. Split each cooled bun with a small serrated knife and spoon or pipe in the cream. Alternatively, make a small hole in the base and pipe the filling inside.
Make the sauce and serve. Heat 150 ml (⅔ cup) double cream in a small pan until steaming but not boiling. Pour it over the chopped chocolate and leave for 2 minutes. Stir gently until smooth, adding the syrup or honey if using. Spoon the warm sauce over the filled profiteroles and serve promptly.

Tips

Let the dough guide the egg quantity. Egg size and how much moisture evaporates vary. Add beaten egg gradually and stop at the glossy, V-ribbon stage rather than adding it all automatically.
Keep the oven closed at first. Choux needs steady heat to set its shape. If the buns are pale, give them a few more minutes; colour and a dry shell are better guides than the timer alone.
Use a simple substitute if needed. Whole milk can be replaced with the same amount of water, though the shells may be a little less rich. If double cream is unavailable, whipping cream can fill the buns, but it is generally softer and may not hold as long.
Fill near serving time. Moisture from the cream softens the pastry. For the crispest result, keep shells and filling separate until shortly before serving.

Serving Suggestions

Arrange the filled profiteroles in a single layer on a platter and pour over the chocolate sauce at the table, or serve them individually with sauce on the side. A light dusting of icing sugar is optional. For a dessert course, add fresh berries or a few slices of pear; their tartness balances the rich cream and chocolate. If preparing for a gathering, keep the shells, cream and sauce separate and assemble just before serving so the pastry remains crisp.

Variations

Vanilla crème pâtissière: Use chilled thick custard in place of whipped cream for a more substantial filling. Pipe it through a small hole in each shell; keep the filled pastries refrigerated.
Coffee chocolate sauce: Stir 1 tsp instant espresso powder into the hot cream before pouring it over the chocolate.
White chocolate topping: Replace the dark chocolate with 150 g (5¼ oz) white chocolate. Heat the cream gently and use a little less if needed, as white chocolate can make a softer sauce.
Smaller profiteroles: Pipe 3 cm (1¼-inch) mounds and begin checking them a few minutes earlier. Smaller shells are handy for party portions, but still bake until deeply golden and dry.

Storage and Reheating

Unfilled, cooled shells keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours. If they soften, refresh them in an oven at 160°C (320°F) for 5–8 minutes, then cool completely before filling. You can freeze unfilled shells in a sealed container for up to 1 month; thaw at room temperature and crisp them in the oven as above. Store whipped cream and chocolate sauce separately in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Refrigerate filled profiteroles within 2 hours and eat within 24 hours for the best texture; they are safe to keep refrigerated for up to 3–4 days, but the pastry will become soft. Do not leave cream-filled pastries at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Reheating assembled profiteroles is not recommended, as it melts the filling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my profiteroles collapse?
They may have been underbaked, the oven door may have opened too early, or the paste may have contained too much egg. Bake until the shells are well browned and dry, then pierce them to release steam and dry them briefly in the switched-off baking stage described above.

Can I make the choux pastry ahead?
For the most reliable rise, pipe and bake the paste soon after mixing. You can make the shells a day ahead and store them unfilled in an airtight container, then refresh and cool them before filling.

Can I fill profiteroles in advance?
Yes, but only shortly before serving if you want crisp pastry. Filled buns can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours for better quality, though the shells will gradually soften. Keep them chilled and do not leave them out for more than 2 hours.

How can I tell when choux paste has enough egg?
It should look smooth and shiny and fall from a spoon in a thick, slow ribbon that forms a V. If it is stiff and breaks off in clumps, beat in a little more egg; if it pours or spreads, it is too loose to pipe into neat mounds.

Can I make profiteroles without a piping bag?
Yes. Use two teaspoons to place rounded mounds on the tray, or put the paste in a sturdy freezer bag and snip off a corner. Wet a fingertip to smooth any peaks, which can otherwise bake into pointed tips.

Can I freeze filled profiteroles?
Freezing is best for the unfilled shells. Cream filling can change texture as it thaws, and the pastry may become soggy. Freeze the shells separately, then thaw, refresh in the oven and fill shortly before serving.

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Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes

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