Heavenly Valentine’s Profiteroles

Profiteroles Are Heaven on Earth

February is the month of love, so why not celebrate with a delicious treat like profiteroles, also known as cream puffs. This is an incredibly delicious dessert that will have your family and friends swooning.

A profiterole is a puff pastry filled with favorites such as jam, ice cream, frozen yogurt, whipped cream, or whatever you love. After the pastry is filled, profiteroles are usually topped with melted dark chocolate or powdered sugar. And what’s especially great about this dessert is portion size. Indulge in the richness, all in a single bite. Will you be able to stop yourself after just one? You will if you share!

Here’s the recipe for these Valentine’s Cream Puffs. Enjoy!

Ingredients (for the pastry)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (you can use half a cup of whole wheat and half a cup of all-purpose flour if you like to give the puffs more color)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup of water

Additional Ingredients (optional)

• Melted chocolate
• Sprinkled powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Bring water to a slow boil. Mix the butter and salt until the better melted.
3. Stir in flour and whisk until there are no lumps.
4. Stir in eggs one at a time.
5. Pipe batter onto the baking sheet (you can use a plastic sandwich bag with a corner opening. Cut the corner to your desired size.
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.
7. Remove the profiteroles, cut them in half, and put your choice of sweet filling on the bottom half.
8. Dip the top half in melted chocolate and sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

Bonus

Sweet fillings. Need more ideas for fillings? This month try adding strawberry soy ice cream. Or, if you like peaches, try this homemade peach ice cream.

Savory fillings. For members of your family that don’t have a big sweet tooth, skip steps seven and eight and try some savory fillings instead. Cut the profiterole in half and fill the pastry with chicken or tuna salad. It will make for a delicious lunch.

Note: You can keep leftovers for almost a week in the refrigerator.