Indulge in these Profiteroles, a classic Dutch pastry that brings together delicate choux pastry puffs, filled with luscious cream and drizzled with rich chocolate sauce. These baked delights are perfect for any occasion, from elegant parties to casual gatherings.
Despite their impressive flavor, Bossche Bollen - Dutch Profiteroles are quite easy to make with simple ingredients and straightforward instructions. It's a perfect dessert for those who want to impress their guests with a stunning dish without spending hours in the kitchen.
Bossche bol are also called chocoladebol in their city of origin in the Netherlands, Hertogenbosch and these can be made rather large, though there are cases, like the ones in this post where they are medium sized, making them easy to serve alongside coffee or dessert.
Table of Contents
Why you'll love these
Light and Airy Choux Pastry
The choux pastry used in our Dutch Profiteroles is incredibly light and airy, creating a delightful texture. Each puff is perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, making it a joy to bite into.
Velvety Vanilla Cream Filling
The profiteroles are generously filled with a fluffy cream that adds a lusciousness to every bite. The creamy filling balances the pastry's lightness, creating a harmonious combination of flavors and textures.
What are profiteroles?
Profiteroles are a classic Dutch pastry that consists of delicate choux pastry puffs filled with a creamy filling, often vanilla-flavored. These delights are typically drizzled with chocolate sauce, adding a touch of decadence to the overall experience.
Ingredients and substitutions for Profiteroles
- Flour: This gives the choux pastry their firm crust as it bakes and helps form the famous crust that we’re aiming for with our pastry.
- Butter: Unsalted butter was used, though salted would work well here, this butter helps create a light dough.
- Eggs: The eggs helps to bind the ingredients and gives the pastry their structure during baking.
- Heavy Cream: The heavy cream creates a thick and whipped center for your cream puffs.
- Chocolate: A mix of dark and milk chocolate compliments the cream puff beautifully without being too sweet. For a better result you’ll want a block of chocolate as opposed to chocolate chips or baking chocolate which tends to be lower quality and have more additives.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Profiteroles:
Prepare the tray: Greaseproof your baking tray with butter and add a little water, tapping to leave water beads.
Sift it: Sift the flour and add the sugar and set that aside!
Heat: The water and butter are heated until melty and simmering.
Beat: Add the flour and sugar to the saucepan and combine swiftly with a wooden spoon.
1
Eggs a do: Add a quarter of the lightly beaten eggs and whip until combined.
Repeat: Continue with those eggs until all combined and smoooooooooth!
2
Pipe: Pipe with a wide nozzle onto your baking tray, allowing 2 inches between each pastry.
3
Bake: Bake until lightly golden and dry to the touch.
4
Cool it: Remove from the oven and set aside to cool fully.
Saucy: Make that chocolate sauce.
Fill: Whip the cream filling and pipe into the center.
5
Coating: Dip the tops of the pastry into the chocolate and allow to drizzle off.
6
Set: Place the profiteroles aside to set.
Serve: Enjoy a cream puff (or two) with your favorite hot beverage.
Equipment needed to make this
Small saucepan: To make the pastry a small saucepan will do the trick. If you’re melting your chocolate in a double boiler, you’ll also need a small saucepan for the small bowl.
Mixing bowl: A medium mixing bowl is needed to whip your cream.
Small bowl: A small bowl is needed to melt the chocolate.
Piping bag: You’ll need a piping bag and large round nozzle to pipe the pastry onto your baking tray. Two tablespoons will also work here, if you don’t have a piping bag. See how to shape with tablespoons at minute 4:36 here.
Baking tray: A flat baking tray is needed to bake a batch of these.
FAQ’s for the best Profiteroles
If you spoon the pastry onto your baking tray (instead of using a piping bag), smooth out the tops as this replicates the effect you would make with a piping bag so it doesn’t burn on top.
Making the choux pastry puffs for profiteroles is easier than you think! The recipe provides detailed instructions on how to make the light and airy choux pastry dough. From preparing the dough to piping and baking the puffs to perfection, we've got you covered.
The most common filling for profiteroles is a fluffy cream. This recipe includes a homemade cream filling that perfectly complements the choux pastry. However, you can get creative and customize the filling to your liking. From flavored creams to custards and even ice cream, there are countless possibilities to explore. Get inspired and experiment with different fillings to create your own unique twist on Dutch profiteroles.
Absolutely! While you can use store-bought chocolate sauce for your profiteroles, our recipe includes instructions for making a homemade chocolate sauce. This rich and decadent sauce elevates the flavor profile of the profiteroles and adds an extra layer of indulgence. With simple ingredients and easy steps, you can make your own delicious chocolate sauce right in your kitchen.
More pastry desserts you'll love
Profiteroles
Ingredients
Choux pastry
- 60 milliliters / ¼ cup milk
- 60 milliliters / ¼ cup water
- 50 grams / 1.75 ounces butter
- 80 grams / ½ cup plain flour
- 110 grams / 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 5 grams / 1 teaspoon superfine/caster sugar
Filling
- 232 grams / 1 cup heavy cream
- 35 grams / ⅓ cup confectioner’s/icing sugar
Topping
- 100 grams / 3.5 ounces dark chocolate roughly chopped
- 50 grams / 1.75 ounces milk chocolate roughly chopped
Instructions
Choux pastry
- Preheat your oven to 180C/350 on traditional bake.
- Place the milk, water and butter into a saucepan on medium high heat, until it comes to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and sift in the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon to combine until smooth.
- Remove from the heat and add in one egg, beating with the wooden spoon until well combined and smooth.
- Add the second egg and combine until smooth.
- Add the salt and sugar and stir until combined.
- Spoon into a piping bag with a wide nozzle and press straight down, pulling upwards as you pipe a portion of the dough onto your baking tray, allowing 2 inches between the dough.
- Bake for 45 minutes until lightly golden and dry to the touch.
- Set aside to cool completely.
Filling
- Place the heavy cream and sugar into a bowl and beat on medium until stiff peaks are reached.
- Spoon into a piping bag and press into the base of your pastry.
- Hold the pastry in your palm and pipe the cream until you can feel it is filled.
- Repeat with the remaining pastries until all are filled with the cream.
Topping
- Place the chocolate into a small bowl and melt in a double boiler or microwave until the chocolate is smooth.
- Set aside to cool for 5 minutes until the chocolate is lightly warm.
- Dip the top ?’s of your pastry into the chocolate and swirl as you list out to lightly drain any excess.
- Repeat with your remaining pastries and set aside for the chocolate to set.
- Chill until ready to serve.
- Serve up and dig in!
Video
Notes
- Chocolate: A mix of dark and milk chocolate compliments the cream puff beautifully without being too sweet. For a better result you’ll want a block of chocolate as opposed to chocolate chips or baking chocolate which tends to be lower quality and have more additives.
- Customizing the filling: You can get creative and customize the filling to your liking. From flavored creams to custards and even ice cream, there are countless possibilities to explore.
- You don’t need a piping bag to create these: Two tablespoons will work here, if you don’t have a piping bag. If you spoon the pastry onto your baking tray, simply smooth out the tops as this replicates the effect you would make with a piping bag so it doesn’t burn on top.
Nutrition
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