Profiteroles recipe

1. Preheat the oven to gas 8, 220°C, fan 200°C. 
2. Put the butter, 1½ tsp sugar and 150ml water in a saucepan over a low heat. As soon as the butter has melted, remove from the heat and add the flour and a pinch of salt. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until you have a thick paste that comes away from the side of the pan, about 2 mins. 
3. Spread the paste out on a plate to cool for roughly 5 mins until lukewarm. Return to the pan and beat in the eggs, a little at a time, until the mixture is glossy and slowly falls off a spoon with a tap. Transfer to a piping bag. 
4. Pipe 16 walnut-sized mounds of the mixture onto 2 nonstick baking sheets, spacing them 2-3cm apart. Use a wet finger to gently press down any peaks, then transfer to the oven. Bake for 5 mins, then lower the oven temperature to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C and bake for a further 15-20 mins until the profiteroles are golden, crisp and well risen. Make a small hole in the side of each using a skewer and set on a wire rack to cool completely. 
5. Once the profiteroles have cooled, whip the cream with the remaining 1½ tsp sugar and the vanilla extract until it reaches soft peaks. Pipe the cream into the profiteroles using the hole you made earlier. 
6. To make the sauce, put the chocolate and sugar in a small saucepan with 100ml water. Heat gently to melt the chocolate, then simmer for 3-4 mins, stirring occasionally, until thickened and syrupy. 
7. Pile the profiteroles onto a serving plate and pour over the hot chocolate sauce. As an alternative, dip each profiterole in the sauce and divide between plates to serve. They will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Freezing and defrosting guidelines

Allow the unfilled profiteroles to cool completely before freezing with baking paper between each one for up to 3 months.

Leave to defrost in packaging at room temperature for several hours before serving.

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