Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Melt the butter in a large pan, then add 225ml (8fl oz) water. Bring to the boil then, as soon as the mixture is bubbling rapidly, take the pan off the heat and stir in the flour. Continue stirring until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan.
Step 2
Transfer to a large bowl and start beating with a handheld electric whisk. Gradually add the eggs, whisking all the time. The pastry should be thick and smooth.
Step 3
Dollop heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture on to non-stick baking sheets, spacing them well apart (you should have about 28). Use a damp finger to smooth the mounds as much as possible. Bake for 25-30min until deep golden. Carefully pierce a rough 5mm (¼in) hole in the base of each bun to allow the steam to escape, then lay the buns on their sides and return to the oven for 3-5min to dry out. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 4
Put cream, icing sugar, vanilla and brandy, if using, into a large bowl and whisk until cream is thick and holds its shape. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a 5mm (¼in) nozzle and fill each profiterole through its hole.
Step 5
Arrange the profiteroles in a pyramid on a serving plate, using a little of the cream to fix the buns in place.
Step 6
Put the caster sugar into a large frying pan and heat gently, swirling occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and cooks to a deep caramel colour. Using a metal spoon, drizzle the caramel over the profiteroles. Allow to harden for a few minutes before serving.
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”!).
