These salted caramel profiteroles are made with crisp choux puffs filled with creamy caramel whipped cream and salted caramel on top!
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These salted caramel profiteroles have crisp choux shells with that subtle but distinctive eggy aroma of choux pastry. The salted caramel whipped cream filling is airy and creamy with just a touch of salted caramel flavour. The salted caramel on top adds another texture, a strong caramelized flavour, and a beautiful shiny finish.
Tiny profiteroles filled with ice cream are my favourite kind of profiteroles. These salted caramel profiteroles are an ode to those!
You can have these in two different ways: as they are with the creamy and airy whipped cream filling or freeze them to transform the cream filling into an ice cream texture. They're delicious both ways and I always like to freeze half the batch to have variety.
What is choux pastry?
Choux pastry or pâte à choux is the type of dough used to make profiteroles, cream puffs, eclairs, churros, beignets, and various other pastries.
It's made by cooking butter, water, milk, and flour to make a moisture-rich dough and then trapping air pockets in the dough by adding eggs. No other leavening or raising agents are needed. When baked, the moisture in the choux dough evaporates and causes it to puff up to create firm, crisp walls with a hollow centre.
What are profiteroles?
Profiteroles are small choux puffs filled with cream, pastry cream, custard, or ice cream. They are made using the same choux dough as cream puffs but they're distinguished by their typically smaller size and different fillings.
Why you'll love this recipe
- These salted caramel profiteroles are creamy and delicious!
- Profiteroles are easier to make than you probably think.
- You can fill profiteroles with just about anything - whipped cream, pastry cream, curd, or ice cream! There are so many flavour variations you can make.
- You can serve these profiteroles cold like cream puffs or you can freeze them to make ice cream profiteroles.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter - You'll need this for the choux dough and the caramel. The butter for the choux dough can be cold straight from the fridge but the butter for the caramel should be roughly cut into cubes and left at room temperature before use.
- Water
- Milk - Use any dairy or non-dairy milk. You can also replace the milk with more water if you want crisper choux.
- All-purpose flour - Measure this out beforehand so that you can add it all at once. The dough needs to be stirred immediately after adding all the flour.
- Eggs - You'll need to use about 2.5 large eggs. Since you can't split half an egg, whisk together 3 eggs and weigh out 125g of the beaten eggs. You can discard the rest or save it in case you need to add a bit more to your dough.
- Granulated sugar - To make the caramel, you'll be caramelizing the sugar until it's an amber colour.
- Heavy cream - Use a cream with a fat content of at least 36%. You can also use whipping cream with a fat content of 30-36% for a lighter texture.
- Salt - Add this to your caramel according to your taste preferences.
- Vanilla extract - This gives the whipped cream more flavour.
How to make salted caramel profiteroles
For the choux dough
Prep - Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Mix dough - In a small pot, add butter, water, and milk. Heat on medium heat until the butter has melted and the mixture just begins to simmer. Add in all the flour at once and stir immediately until it forms a soft dough.
Cook dough - Cook the dough on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, pushing it around with a spatula occasionally. It should resemble dry mashed potato. Transfer the dough to a bowl to cool for 5-10 minutes until just warm to the touch.
Stir in eggs - In a small bowl, whisk together 3 eggs. You can either weigh out 125g of the eggs now or weigh it as you add it to the dough. Add the eggs to the dough ⅓ at a time, stirring well after each addition. It will look like it's curdling at first but just keep stirring until the egg is all absorbed.
Once all the egg has been combined, it should be shiny and when you let a dollop drop off the spatula, it should leave a triangle-shaped piece of batter dangling from the spatula.
Scoop dough - Use a small tablespoon-sized cookie scooper to scoop out dough onto your lined baking sheet, leaving about 2" in between each.
Bake - Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes, then turn it down to 350°F and bake for another 25-30 minutes until the choux puffs are golden brown. Let them cool completely before filling.
For the salted caramel
Caramelize sugar - In a small pot, heat granulated sugar on medium heat until it's completely melted and amber-brown in colour.
Add cream - Slowly pour in heavy cream while stirring constantly. If the cream was too cold and the sugar hardens, leave it at medium heat and keep stirring until it melts again.
Mix in butter - When the caramel starts to bubble up, dip a spoon into it. The caramel should be runny but coats the back of the spoon with a thin layer. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter, one cube at a time, until all melted and combined. Finally, stir in the salt to taste.
Let caramel cool - Transfer the caramel to a bowl to cool and thicken up before dipping your profiteroles in it.
For the caramel whipped cream filling
Whip cream - In a large mixing bowl, add heavy cream, cooled salted caramel that you just made, and vanilla extract. Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to whip cream until it reaches soft peaks. Transfer this is a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip.
Assemble the profiteroles
Poke holes - Use a small piping tip to poke holes in the bottom of each profiterole.
Fill profiteroles - Insert the piping bag tip into the hole and gently squeeze to fill the profiterole. Release pressure when you feel the profiterole stop expanding. Wipe away any excess that comes back out.
Dip in caramel - Dip the tops of each profiterole in the salted caramel. Add gold flakes on top, if desired. Enjoy immediately or freeze them for ice cream profiteroles. If freezing, thaw for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Storage
These salted caramel profiteroles can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing
These profiteroles freeze very well and it's recommended to freeze them to make ice cream profiteroles.
Place your profiteroles in an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Tips & tricks
Add the flour only when the liquids are simmering.
You should be cooking the liquid for the choux dough on medium heat. You're ready to add the flour only when it begins simmering and small bubbles are forming at the edges of the pot.
If you add the flour too early, it won't cook fast enough and the dough won't form. It will be a wet sludge instead.
Add the eggs ⅓ at a time.
Adding a small amount of egg at a time ensures you don't add too much. It's also easier to mix. You can always add more but you can't take it back out if you add too much.
Adding too much egg will cause the dough to be too runny and it won't puff up when baked.
Test the consistency of the dough by scooping some up and letting it drop off the spatula. It's at the correct consistency if it takes a few seconds to drop off slowly and it leaves a triangle-shaped flap of dough hanging off the spatula.
Caramelize the sugar before adding heavy cream.
Leave the sugar in the pot on medium heat until it completely melts and caramelizes to a brown colour. It will seem like nothing is happening at first but don't turn up the heat, which will cause it to burn. Slowly, the sugar will start to dissolve around the edges of the pot first.
The caramel will thicken considerably as it cools.
You might think the consistency of the caramel is too runny and thin when cooking it but it will thicken once you remove it from the heat. As it cools, it thickens even more. If it becomes too hard to dip your profiteroles into, heat it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to warm it up.
Frequently asked questions
Cream puffs and profiteroles are made from the exact same choux pastry dough but what makes them different is the filling. Cream puffs are usually filled with whipped cream or pastry cream while profiteroles can be filled with any sweet or savoury filling and most notably with ice cream.
The outside of the profiteroles should be crisp right after baking. They become softer the next day or after they're filled with cream but they should never be soggy. To keep them crisp, you can bake them again for 5-10 minutes before adding the filling.
You can make both the choux dough and the baked profiteroles in advance. Keep the choux dough in an airtight container in the fridge and portion it out to be baked the next day. Baked profiteroles can be stored covered at room temperature after they've cooled completely to be filled the next day.
If your cream puffs didn't puff up, you may have added too much egg to the choux dough.
If your profiterole dough is runny, you probably added too much egg to the dough. To fix this, make another half portion of the dough (with butter, water, and milk) as you did before and mix it into the runny dough. You can then adjust again as needed - add a bit more egg if it's too stiff or add more dough if it's still too runny.
More choux pastry recipes to try
- Matcha Cream Puffs (Choux au Craquelin)
- Cinnamon Apple Cream Puffs
- Mini Egg Cream Puffs (Choux au Craquelin)
Recipe
Salted Caramel Profiteroles
Ingredients
Choux Dough
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 60 g water
- 60 g milk
- 70 g all-purpose flour
- 125 g whole eggs, about 2.5 large eggs
Salted Caramel
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 150 g heavy cream, room temperature
- 60 g unsalted butter, cubed & room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
Caramel Whipped Cream Filling
- 300 g heavy cream
- 45 g salted caramel, cooled to room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Choux Dough
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small pot, add butter, water, and milk. Heat on medium heat until the butter has melted and the mixture just begins to simmer. Add in all the flour at once and stir immediately until it forms a soft dough.
- Cook the dough on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, pushing it around with a spatula occasionally. It should resemble dry mashed potato. Transfer the dough to a bowl to cool for 5-10 minutes until just warm to the touch.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 3 eggs. You can either weigh out 125g of the eggs now or weigh it as you add it to the dough. Add the eggs to the dough ⅓ at a time, stirring well after each addition. It will look like it's curdling at first but just keep stirring until the egg is all absorbed.
- Once all the egg has been combined, it should be shiny and when you let a dollop drop off the spatula, it should leave a triangle-shaped piece of batter dangling from the spatula.
- Use a small tablespoon-sized cookie scooper to scoop out dough onto your lined baking sheet, leaving about 2" in between each.
- Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes, then turn it down to 350°F and bake for another 25-30 minutes until the choux puffs are golden brown. Let them cool completely before filling.
Salted Caramel
- In a small pot, heat granulated sugar on medium heat until it's completely melted and amber-brown in colour.
- Slowly pour in heavy cream while stirring constantly. If the cream was too cold and the sugar hardens, leave it at medium heat and keep stirring until it melts again.
- When the caramel starts to bubble up, dip a spoon into it. The caramel should be runny but coats the back of the spoon with a thin layer. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter, one cube at a time, until all melted and combined. Finally, stir in the salt to taste.
- Transfer the caramel to a bowl to cool and thicken up before dipping your profiteroles in it.
Caramel Whipped Cream Filling
- In a large mixing bowl, add heavy cream, cooled salted caramel that you just made, and vanilla extract. Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to whip cream until it reaches soft peaks. Transfer this is a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip.
- Use a small piping tip to poke holes in the bottom of each profiterole.
- Insert the piping bag tip into the hole and gently squeeze to fill the profiterole. Release pressure when you feel the profiterole stop expanding. Wipe away any excess that comes back out.
- Dip the tops of each profiterole in the salted caramel. Add gold flakes on top, if desired. Enjoy immediately or freeze them for ice cream profiteroles. Thaw for about 10-15 minutes before serving.
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