Mary Berry profiteroles
Profiteroles are a delicious dessert. Crispy buns of choux pastry filled with cream and topped with a chocolate sauce. They’re perfect for dinner parties, and much easier than you think to make.
These profiteroles are delicious balls of crispy choux pastry filled with cream and topped with a chocolate sauce. They’re the perfect dessert to share with friends and family, and best of all surprisingly easy to make.
This simple recipe comes from Mary Berry. I always use her recipe for choux pastry when I’m making chocolate eclairs, as it never fails me and this is no different. As long as you follow Mary’s instructions to ‘shoot’ the flour in (add it quickly), you shouldn’t have any problems.
We all know profiteroles are delicious, but you might not realise just how easy they are to make. With only four ingredients, you probably have everything you need in your store cupboard, so there’s nothing stopping you from giving it a go.
What pastry are profiteroles made from?
These profiteroles are a light crispy ball of choux pastry, filled with cream and topped with a chocolate ganache.
Choux pastry is made from only four ingredients: butter, water, eggs and flour. They’re all mixed together then baked where they puff up into these light fluffy, crispy balls ready to be filled.
How can kids help to make profiteroles?
If you’ve never made choux pastry before, don’t assume it’s too difficult. Making profiteroles is a lot simpler than you think, and something kids can definitely help with.
If your kids are old enough to be around a cooker they should be able to help make the choux pastry. From measuring the ingredients, to cracking the eggs and mixing the dough until it comes together, they’re all jobs most young chefs can do.
You can also get your kids to help pip the choux buns. They might need a bit of help with this, especially if they are new to piping.
If your kids find the piping of the choux buns too tricky, you could use a spoon and dollop the dough out onto your baking tray, and perhaps get them to practice their piping skills filling each bun with cream instead.
Can you make profiteroles the day before?
You can make the profiteroles ahead of time. You’re best to keep the components separate until you want to serve them though.
Keep the choux buns in an air tight container, and you can keep the whipped cream separately in the fridge until you want to fill them.
How long do profiteroles keep?
You can keep the unfilled profiteroles in an air tight container for up to three days. Once filled, you can keep them in the fridge for up to 24 hours, although they are best served fresh because they loose their crispiness once filled with cream.
Can you freeze profiteroles?
You can freeze unfilled profiteroles for up to 2-3 months in an air tight container. Before you want to serve them, remove them from the freeze and leave them to defrost for a few hours.
If you want to refresh them a bit, pop them in your oven on a medium heat for 5 minutes.
How do you make or fill profiteroles without a piping bag?
If you don’t have a piping bag you can spoon the choux batter onto your baking tray.
Once baked, to fill your profiteroles, simply cut them in half and spoon the cream inside.
Why did my profiteroles go flat?
If your choux pastry hasn’t puffed up properly, it’s likely either because they haven’t been cooked properly or the batter was too wet. Choux pastry needs the steam from the water to help them puff up, but they’re too wet they’ll remain sloppy.
Choux pastry also won’t puff properly if it’s underbaked. Make sure you put yours in the oven at a high temperature initially, to allow it to puff up then reduce the temperature. Also, don’t forget to poke a hole in the bottom of your choux buns when they’ve finished baking to allow the steam to escape otherwise they’ll end up soggy.
Similar recipes
If you liked these profiteroles you’ll love some of our other pastries and desserts:
Chocolate eclairs
Lemon tartlets
No bake mini chocolate tarts
Millionaires cheesecake
Chocolates Swiss roll
Meringue nests
White chocolate and raspberry cheesecake
Chocolate pots
Mary Berry’s baked chocolate ripple cheesecake
3 ingredient chocolate mousse
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these chocolate profiteroles
Digital scales
Sauce pan
Wooden spoons
Sieve
Freestanding mixer
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Piping bag
Wire rack
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Ingredients
For the choux pastry
50g (¼ cup) butter
150ml water
75g (½ cup) plain flour
2 eggs
For the filling
200ml (1 cup) double cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 table spoons of icing sugar
For the topping
75ml (1/3 cup) double cream
75g (1/3 cup) dark chocolate
How to make Mary Berry’s profiteroles
Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / 425 F, and grease two baking trays or line them with baking or parchment paper.
Heat the butter and water in a pan
Get your kids to measure the butter and pop it in a saucepan with the water. Heat the pan until the butter has melted and the water is boiling.
Add the flour
While the butter is melting, measure the flour out into a small bowl.
Once the butter has melted, and the water is boiling, add the flour. Mary Berry refers to being taught to ‘shoot’ the flour in, so add it quickly and then mix it in with a wooden spoon, keeping it on the heat to cook for a minute or so.
Beat the flour and butter together until the mixture has thickened into a smooth dough, then remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool for five minutes.
Add the eggs
Get your kids to crack the eggs into a small bowl and give them a whisk.
Slowly add the beaten eggs to your dough a little at a time, beating after each addition until the egg has all been incorporated and you have a thick, smooth and glossy dough.
Make the profiteroles
Fit a piping bag with a 1cm – 1.5 cm (½ – ¾ inch) plain nozzle. Spoon the choux pastry batter into the piping bag and pipe 20 or so mounds onto the prepared baking tray. Leave space between then as they’ll spread a bit in the oven.
To make this step a wee bit easier, you can use a bag clip to seal the top end of the piping bag. Help your kids to hold the piping bag in one hand near the top of the mixture and near the nozzle with the other hand, and squeeze to make the mounds.
Get your kids dip their finger in water and flatten down any peaks on top of the profiteroles.
If you don’t have a piping bag or if you find it easier, you can spoon little dollops of choux pastry batter (approximately walnut sized) onto your baking tray.
Bake the profiteroles
Bake the profiteroles in the oven for 10 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 190C / 160C Fan / 375F and bake for a further 15-20 minutes.
They’re ready when they’ve puffed up, are crispy on the outside and have turned a nice golden brown colour.
Remove the choux buns from the oven and pierce the base with a skewer or sharp knife to allow the steam escape. (This probably isn’t a job for younger children).
Pop them back in the oven for another 5-8 minutes until they are nice and crispy and have dried out in the inside.
Remove the buns from the oven and pop them on a wire rack to cool.
Fill the choux buns
Get your kids to add the double cream, icing sugar and vanilla to a large mixing bowl or free-standing mixer. Whisk the cream until it has reached ‘soft peaks’. If you’re not sure what ‘soft peaks’ are, you’re looking for you want the cream to be thick enough to hold very briefly when you lift the whisk up before the flopping back down on itself again.
Add the cream to a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle. Again, add a bag clip to the end of the bag to stop the cream falling out the wrong end when your kids pipe.
Insert the nozzle into each cooled bun and squeeze to fill it with cream.
Make the chocolate sauce
Pour the cream into a saucepan and heat it until it is just about to boil.
While the cream is warming get your kids to break the chocolate into small pieces and pop it in a mixing bowl. Pour the hot cream over the top of the chocolate and stir it until the chocolate has melted and the ganache is nice and smooth and glossy.
Leave the ganache to cool a little.
You can either dip the profiteroles into the chocolate and leave them to set, or arrange them on a serving plate and pour the chocolate over the top.
Serve and enjoy.
Mary Berry profiteroles
Equipment
- Digital scales
- Sauce pan
- Wooden spoons
- Sieve
- Freestanding mixer
- Measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Piping bag
- Wire rack
Ingredients
For the choux pastry
- 50 g (¼ cup) butter
- 150 ml water
- 75 g (½ cup) plain flour
- 2 eggs
For the filling
- 200 ml (1 cup) double cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
For the topping
- 75 ml (⅓ cup) double cream
- 75 g (⅓ cup) dark chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / 425 F, and grease two baking trays or line them with baking or parchment paper.
HEAT THE BUTTER AND WATER IN A PAN
- Measure the butter and pop it in a saucepan with the water. Heat the pan until the butter has melted and the water is boiling.
ADD THE FLOUR
- While the butter is melting, measure the flour out into a small bowl.
- Once the butter has melted, and the water is boiling, add the flour. Mary Berry refers to being taught to 'shoot' the flour in, so add it quickly and then mix it in with a wooden spoon, keeping it on the heat to cook for a minute or so.Beat the flour and butter together until the mixture has thickened into a smooth dough, then remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool for five minutes.
ADD THE EGGS
- Crack the eggs into a small bowl and give them a whisk.
- Slowly add the beaten eggs to your dough a little at a time, beating after each addition until the egg has all been incorporated and you have a thick, smooth and glossy dough.
MAKE THE PROFITEROLES
- Fit a piping bag with a 1cm – 1.5 cm (½ – ¾ inch) plain nozzle. Spoon the choux pastry batter into the piping bag and pipe 20 or so mounds onto the prepared baking tray. Leave space between then as they'll spread a bit in the oven.Dip your finger in water and flatten down any peaks on top of the profiteroles.
- If you don't have a piping bag or if you find it easier, you can spoon little dollops of choux pastry batter (approximately walnut sized) onto your baking tray.
BAKE THE PROFITEROLES
- Bake the profiteroles in the oven for 10 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 190C / 160C Fan / 375F and bake for a further 15-20 minutes.They're ready when they've puffed up, are crispy on the outside and have turned a nice golden brown colour.
- Remove the choux buns from the oven and pierce the base with a skewer or sharp knife to allow the steam escape.
- Pop them back in the oven for another 5-8 minutes until they are nice and crispy and have dried out in the inside.Remove the buns from the oven and pop them on a wire rack to cool.
FILL THE CHOUX BUNS
- Add the double cream and vanilla to a large mixing bowl or free-standing mixer. Whisk the cream until it has reached 'soft peaks'. If you're not sure what 'soft peaks' are, you're looking for you want the cream to be thick enough to hold very briefly when you lift the whisk up before the flopping back down on itself again.
- Add the cream to a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle. Insert the nozzle into each cooled bun and squeeze to fill it with cream.
MAKE THE CHOCOLATE SAUCE
- Pour the cream into a saucepan and heat it until it is just about to boil.
- While the cream is warming break the chocolate into small pieces and pop it in a mixing bowl. Pour the hot cream over the top of the chocolate and stir it until the chocolate has melted and the ganache is nice and smooth and glossy.
- Leave the ganache to cool a little.
- You can either dip the profiteroles into the chocolate and leave them to set, or arrange them on a serving plate and pour the chocolate over the top.
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