Easy Profiteroles

A simple recipe for making profiteroles, which are delightful little French pastries filled with cream and often drizzled with chocolate sauce:

Ingredients:

For the profiteroles:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs

For the cream filling:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the chocolate sauce (optional):

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a saucepan, combine water, butter, and salt. Heat over medium-high heat until the butter has melted and the mixture comes to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to low and add all-purpose flour to the saucepan. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. This step is important to cook out the raw flour taste.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the mixture cool for a few minutes.
5. Add one egg to the mixture and stir well until fully incorporated. Repeat with the remaining three eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is fully mixed in before adding the next. The mixture should become smooth and glossy.
6. Using a spoon or a piping bag, drop mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space between each mound.
7. Bake the profiteroles in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until they are golden brown and puffed up.
8. Remove the profiteroles from the oven and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
9. While the profiteroles are cooling, prepare the cream filling. In a mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
10. Once the profiteroles have cooled, use a sharp knife to carefully cut them in half horizontally.
11. Fill the bottom half of each profiterole with a dollop of the whipped cream.
12. Replace the top half of each profiterole to sandwich the cream filling.
13. If desired, prepare the chocolate sauce by heating the cream in a saucepan until it just begins to simmer. Remove from heat and add the chopped dark chocolate. Let it sit for a minute, then stir until the chocolate is fully melted and the sauce is smooth.
14. Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the filled profiteroles.
15. Serve the easy profiteroles immediately and enjoy!

Note: You can get creative with the fillings and toppings for profiteroles. Instead of whipped cream, you can use pastry cream, ice cream, or even savory fillings like chicken or cheese. Feel free to experiment and customize them to your liking.