These salted caramel profiteroles are made with crisp choux puffs filled with creamy caramel whipped cream and salted caramel on top. Enjoy them as is or freeze them for ice cream profiteroles!
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.