In leu of the tropical vacation I’ll be taking in a week (I’m coming for you, Grand Cayman!) I’ve decided to take a scuba diving class, so that’s mostly what I’ve been up to this week. Usually in the restaurant business we don’t typically get to have normal lives and with extracurricular activities. I’m fortunate enough to be with a company that has crazy busy times, along with some slower periods that make it possible for me to get out of the kitchen once in a while. Scuba class was a success! It’s such a cool thing to be able to breathe underwater, I can’t wait to get to the ocean and test it out!
We’re now in the later summer months which is super despressing. I’m not ready for cold weather again! Here in Colorado, it’s been the coolest summer I’ve ever experienced. The past few weeks have been no hotter than 85 degrees with a rainstorm each afternoon, and has cooled down to 50/60 each night. I know in just a matter of weeks we’ll start to feel that fall crisp chill again and I’m just not ready! When I first moved to Colorado I loved the cold weather here. I loved the chill in the air, and the beautiful winter views, but I’m a California girl at heart, and I’m a wimp when it comes to being cold.
This week I wanted to work with one of the most decadent flavor combinations: Chocolate & Peanut Butter. I don’t know a single person that does NOT like this pair. How can you not? It’s practically a match made in heaven. On the off chance that you don’t actually like peanut butter, you can easily sub almond butter, or hazelnut butter and get a great dessert as well.
I like profiteroles because they sound fancy, and they’re quite easy to make. If you have seen (or tried) my Banana Cream Eclairs, then you’re ahead of the game here. Profiteroles are basically cream puffs, which is the same dough as an éclair: Pate A Choux. And although this might sound intimidating, it’s really a lot easier than you’d think. If peanut butter and chocolate sound good to you, I urge you to make this recipe! Travels well, and a hit at any gathering, I promise!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Profiteroles
Pate a choux
Yields 18 large profiteroles
Water 8 oz.
Butter 4 oz.
Salt ¾ tsp
Sugar 4 T
Eggs 4
Flour 6 oz.
PB Filling
Cream cheese, room temp. 4 oz.
Peanut Butter, room temp. 8 oz.
Sugar 4 oz.
Cream 4 oz.
Chocolate Glaze
Powdered Sugar 1 cup
Cocoa Powder 1 T
Corn Syrup 1 T
Milk 2T
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a sauce pan, put the butter, sugar, water, and salt over medium heat.
Once mixture is boiling, add flour and stir with a spatula. This will soon turn into a paste.
Cook this over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. You are trying to cook out the raw flour taste.
Transfer to mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment. Turn on medium.
Add eggs, one at a time until thoroughly combined. At this point the dough should be
really elastic and sticky.
Remove from mixer and scoop into a piping bag fitted with a large flat tip.
On a sheet tray fitted with a silpat, pipe mounds about the size of a half dollar. Space them about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 60 minutes, or until profiteroles look golden brown, and have a hard shell.
Cool before filling.
To make the peanut butter filling:
Use a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, or hand mixer. On medium to high speed, cream the cream cheese and peanut butter together. Scrape down the sides when needed. Slowly pour in sugar until combined. Keep scraping down sides.
Slowly add cream on a low speed. Once incorporated, turn to high to whip together.
Put filling in a piping bag and set aside.
Once the profiteroles are cooled, you can begin to fill.
What I do, is poke a little hole on the side or bottom of each profiterole. Then I cut my filling piping bag at an angle so I can poke through the profiterole with the tip of the pastry bag.
Fill each profiterole as much as you can, more filling = more decadent dessert.
Once all filled, start on the glaze.
Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together. Make sure there are no clumps. Add the corn syrup and then add milk. You may need more milk, so add 1 T at a time until you reach you’re desired consistency.
Spoon or dip the profiteroles in the glaze, and WA-LA! Not so hard right?
Chocolate Peanut Butter Profiterole
Ingredients
Pate a Choux
- 8 oz water
- 4 oz butter, cold
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 4 eggs
- 6 oz flour
PB Filling
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temp
- 8 oz peanut butter, smooth
- 4 oz sugar
- 4 oz cream
Chocolate Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp corn syrup
- 2 Tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a sauce pan, put the butter, sugar, water, and salt over medium heat.
- Once mixture is boiling, add flour and stir with a spatula. This will soon turn into a paste.
- Cook this over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. You are trying to cook out the raw flour taste.
- Transfer to mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment. Turn on medium.
- Add eggs, one at a time until thoroughly combined. At this point the dough should be
really elastic and sticky. - Remove from mixer and scoop into a piping bag fitted with a large flat tip.
- On a sheet tray fitted with a silpat, pipe mounds about the size of a half dollar. Space them about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 60 minutes, or until profiteroles look golden brown, and have a hard shell.- Cool before filling.
- To make the peanut butter filling:Use a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, or hand mixer. On medium to high speed, cream the cream cheese and peanut butter together. Scrape down the sides when needed. Slowly pour in sugar until combined. Keep scraping down sides.
- Slowly add cream on a low speed. Once incorporated, turn to high to whip together.
- Put filling in a piping bag and set aside.
- Once the profiteroles are cooled, you can begin to fill.
What I do, is poke a little hole on the side or bottom of each profiterole. Then I cut my filling piping bag at an angle so I can poke through the profiterole with the tip of the pastry bag. - Fill each profiterole as much as you can, more filling = more decadent dessert.
- Once all filled, start on the glaze.
Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together. Make sure there are no clumps. Add the corn syrup and then add milk. You may need more milk, so add 1 T at a time until you reach you’re desired consistency. - Spoon or dip the profiteroles in the glaze, and WA-LA! Not so hard right?
