My grandmother, my second mother in my heart, used to make us chocolate cream puffs (profiteroles) for special occasions, or rather for every occasion because we loved them so much. Today I think back with regret to the many times she offered to make them with me and to all the times I answered, “Another time, Grandma…” She passed away when I was expecting my first child, and because I was very unhappy at that time, I never even thought about saving her recipe.

Since then, I searched for a cream puff recipe similar to my grandmother’s, and after many attempts I finally found one. It is a choux pastry recipe by Christophe Michalak. It is simple and delicious, and the puffs are wonderfully soft, just like the ones my beloved grandmother used to make. Here is the recipe with either a chocolate or vanilla filling.

Ingredients for the choux pastry

– 4 eggs

– 100 ml milk

– 100 ml water

– 110 g flour

– 90 g butter

– 1 teaspoon sugar

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 250°C (480°F) on pastry mode. In a saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, and sugar to a boil. Sift the flour and add it all at once to the boiling liquid. Stir until the dough forms a ball and no longer sticks to the sides of the pan. Then transfer it to a bowl. Let it cool slightly before adding the eggs.

Then, using a piping bag, pipe your puffs onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The size of the puffs is entirely up to your taste and the mood of the day!

Place the tray halfway up in the oven and turn the oven off. Let the puffs bake for 20 minutes without opening the oven door, then set the oven to 170°C (340°F) and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let your puffs dry in the open air.

Ingredients for the filling

– 2 egg yolks

– 18 cl milk

– 30 g sugar

– 12 g cornstarch

– 1 vanilla bean or 30 g dark chocolate

Preparation

Bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla or chocolate. In a bowl, mix the cornstarch, sugar, and egg yolks, then pour in the boiling milk while stirring. Return everything to the saucepan and cook until it boils and the cream thickens. Pour into a gratin dish, cover directly with plastic wrap touching the cream, and let cool.

You can then fill your puffs by making a small hole underneath and piping in chocolate or vanilla cream with a piping bag.

For the topping on the puffs, you can choose chocolate glaze, craquelin, caramel, or royal icing.

Craquelin

– 50 g soft butter

– 60 g brown sugar

– 60 g flour

Mix everything together until you get a smooth ball of dough. Roll it out thinly (about 1 mm) between two sheets of parchment paper and keep it in the freezer. The craquelin is placed on top of the puffs before baking. Cut out small circles with a cookie cutter and place each disc on top of the puffs.

Royal icing

– 100 g icing sugar

– 1 egg white

– Lemon juice

Mix everything together and it is ready! You can use food coloring if you want colorful cream puffs.

Wet caramel

– 150 g sugar

– 50 g water

Mix in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until you get caramel.

Dry caramel

– 150 g sugar

Cook over medium heat until you get caramel.

 

Today, it is cream puff recipe day with a royal icing topping!