This stunning giant ice cream profiterole recipe comes from Laura Beckwith, Good Housekeeping's Group Picture Director.
‘One of my fondest childhood memories is perching on a stool watching mum make her huge, fluffy profiteroles. I would help stir the choux pastry in the pan, then spoon the mixture into neat mounds. Then over to the oven to watch the magic as they grew enormous! Later, my mum would furiously whisk cream for the filling.
If I was lucky, I got to help squeeze it into the pastries (and if even luckier, I got to lick the whisk!). Truth be told, when she went upstairs to transform into her finery, a few finished profiteroles might have gone missing, they were just too good to resist.'
If you've never made profiteroles before, learn how to make choux pastry with our how-to guide.
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Yields:
6 serving(s)
Prep Time:
30 mins
Cook Time:
45 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 15 mins
Cal/Serv:
522
Ingredients
For the choux pastry
60g
butter, chilled and cubed
75g
strong white flour
1tsp.
caster sugar
2
medium eggs, beaten
To serve
100g
dark chocolate, chopped
125ml
double cream
2Tbsp.
golden syrup
6 large scoops vanilla ice cream
Directions
Step 1For the choux pastry, in a medium pan gently heat the butter and 125ml cold water just until the butter melts. Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix the flour, sugar and a pinch of fine salt.
Step 2Increase the heat under the pan to high and, as soon as the mixture comes to the boil, remove pan from the heat, add the flour mixture in 1 go and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. Beat hard for 30sec, or until the mixture is glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan. Empty into a large bowl; cool completely.
Step 3Meanwhile, line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Draw 6 x 6cm circles on the parchment, spacing well apart, then flip so the ink is underneath. Next, fill a small roasting tin with freshly boiled water so it’s about 2cm deep. Carefully place in the bottom of the oven (see GH TIP). Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6.
Step 4Using a handheld electric whisk, gradually beat the eggs into the cooled flour mixture. Scrape into a piping bag and snip off the end to give a 2cm wide hole (or use a 2cm plain nozzle). Holding the piping bag vertically, pipe neat mounds, about 2.5cm high, to fill the circle templates. Using a damp finger, gently pat down any peaks.
Step 5Bake the buns for 30min, or until well risen and deep golden. Working quickly but carefully, remove baking tray from oven and, using a skewer, pierce a couple of steam holes into the bases of all the buns. Return to oven (hole-side up) for 10min, or until crisp. Set aside to cool completely.
Step 6To serve, in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate, cream and golden syrup. Remove bowl from heat and pour sauce into a serving jug and set aside to cool slightly (about 10min).
Step 7Using a serrated knife, slice each choux bun in 1/2 horizontally. Sandwich the halves back together with a scoop of ice cream, and place on plates. Serve with the warm sauce for pouring over.
GET AHEAD: Prepare to end of step 5 up to a day ahead. Once cool, store the choux buns in an airtight container at room temperature (they will soften). To assemble, re-crisp the buns in a single layer on a baking tray in an oven preheated to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6 for 5min. Cool. Complete recipe to serve.
GH TIP: Steam from the roasting tin helps these giant choux buns puff up; but be careful when opening the oven door!
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
