Indulge in a truly delightful dessert experience with these incredible Rocky Road Profiteroles! Imagine a light, airy chocolate puff, perfectly baked to crisp perfection, then sliced open to reveal a generous scoop of rich, creamy rocky road ice cream. But the indulgence doesn’t stop there. Each profiterole is then generously drizzled with a homemade marshmallow topping that’s surprisingly simple to prepare, creating a sweet, gooey finish. A final flourish of crunchy almonds and delectable chocolate morsels completes this irresistible treat, offering a symphony of textures and flavors in every bite. This recipe transforms a classic French pastry into a fun, approachable, and utterly delicious dessert that’s perfect for any occasion.
The Enduring Charm of Cream Puffs and Profiteroles
My lifelong love affair with cream puffs began in my childhood kitchen. I vividly recall the anticipation as my mom prepared her classic version for special family gatherings. There’s something truly magical about the contrast between the delicate, crisp exterior of the puff and its sweet, creamy filling. This unique texture and delightful taste have always held a special place in my heart, making these pastries a nostalgic comfort food.
Imagine my excitement when my dear friend, Barbara Schieving, the culinary mastermind behind the fantastic Barbara Bakes blog, announced she was publishing a cream puff cookbook! An entire book dedicated to these dreamy pastries? I could hardly wait for its release. Her cookbook, aptly titled “Simply Sweet Dream Puffs,” promised a world of delicious possibilities, and it certainly delivered.
A Friendship Forged in Flour: Celebrating Barbara Schieving
My connection with Barbara began a few years ago at a food bloggers conference in Miami, and we instantly hit it off. Our shared passion for baking quickly became the foundation of a wonderful friendship. Barbara is more than just a baker; she’s a true baking virtuoso. Her recipes are meticulously tested and consistently deliver incredible results. Her blog is one of my most trusted resources for exquisite sweet treats and family-friendly meal ideas.
Beyond her baking prowess, Barbara is also a dedicated mother of four children, including twin boys! Her ability to manage a bustling family life while creating such impressive culinary content is truly inspiring. She embodies resilience and grace, and I deeply admire her dedication to both her craft and her family. I often find myself wishing we lived closer so we could share baking adventures and I could glean even more of her invaluable wisdom on navigating the beautiful chaos of family life.
Mastering the Art of Choux Pastry with “Simply Sweet Dream Puffs”
In “Simply Sweet Dream Puffs,” Barbara masterfully demystifies the process of making cream puffs. She showcases just how easy they are to create at home, along with a plethora of delicious flavor combinations and creative serving ideas. Her clear, step-by-step instructions remove any intimidation often associated with choux pastry, empowering home bakers to confidently whip up these elegant treats for any occasion – even as a simple mid-week indulgence.
Barbara’s approach is all about keeping things sweet and simple. She expertly guides readers through the fundamentals of baking beautiful and delectable cream puffs, eclairs, and profiteroles. For those who prefer visual learning, she provides a helpful video tutorial demonstrating the ease of the process. Furthermore, her blog features a comprehensive post with the essential pâte à choux recipe and detailed step-by-step images. To ensure perfect, uniformly sized pastries, she even offers downloadable templates that can be placed under parchment paper on your baking sheet. With her e-book and these invaluable supplementary resources, every aspiring baker has all the tools needed to confidently create stunning cream puffs for any event.
After browsing Barbara’s beautifully crafted e-book, one recipe particularly captivated my imagination: her Rocky Road Profiteroles. I knew immediately I had to make them! The concept of a light, airy chocolate puff embracing a scoop of my favorite ice cream, all adorned with a homemade marshmallow topping, almonds, and chocolate, sounded like pure bliss. It was a culinary adventure I was eager to embark on.
Crafting the Perfect Chocolate Pâte à Choux
The foundation of these magnificent Rocky Road Profiteroles is the chocolate pâte à choux. Despite its fancy French name, this dough is surprisingly straightforward to prepare, much like its classic counterpart. It requires only a handful of common ingredients – flour, cocoa, butter, sugar, salt, water, and eggs – with the optional addition of chocolate extract to deepen the cocoa flavor. Following a few simple steps, you’ll achieve a smooth, glossy, and wonderfully chocolaty dough, ready to be transformed into delicate pastry shells.
When it came to shaping the puffs, I opted for an ice cream scoop rather than a piping bag. While piping often yields a more uniform shape, sometimes convenience calls! Barbara herself confirms that this method is perfectly acceptable, and I found it to be a quick and easy way to achieve beautifully rustic puffs. This approach is a testament to the cookbook’s philosophy: making delicious baking accessible to everyone, regardless of their comfort level with pastry bags.
Once shaped, the dough spheres go into the oven. The magic of baking choux pastry then unfolds. They puff up beautifully, creating hollow interiors perfect for filling. When they emerge from the oven, they boast a wonderfully crisp exterior, giving way to a slightly chewy, airy inside. These golden shells are simply begging to be filled with something incredibly delicious.
Cream Puff vs. Profiterole: The Sweet Distinction
Before diving into the filling, it’s worth noting a common point of confusion: the difference between a cream puff and a profiterole. Both start with the same delicate pâte à choux dough. The distinction lies purely in their filling. A traditional cream puff is typically filled with luscious whipped cream or a rich pastry cream, offering a classic, delicate sweetness. A profiterole, on the other hand, is distinguished by its ice cream filling. Thanks to Barbara’s comprehensive knowledge, I now appreciate this subtle but significant difference, and I’m thoroughly embracing the wonderful world of profiteroles!
Once your pastry shells have cooled completely, the fun truly begins. Carefully slice each profiterole in half horizontally. Then, take a generous scoop of your favorite rocky road ice cream and nestle it onto the bottom half of the puff. The combination of cool, creamy ice cream with the airy chocolate pastry is simply divine.
After you’ve successfully sandwiched the ice cream between the puff halves, it’s time for the crowning touch. Drizzle each profiterole with a super simple, homemade marshmallow ice cream topping. This adds another layer of delightful sweetness and a lovely sticky texture. Just before serving, sprinkle generously with crunchy sliced almonds and a scattering of mini chocolate morsels or finely chopped chocolate. This final step adds textural contrast and enhances the rocky road theme.
Behold: the majestic Rocky Road Profiterole! Whether you prefer to elegantly tackle it with a spoon, knife, and fork, or simply pick it up with your hands for a more casual indulgence, you’re guaranteed to fall in love from the very first bite. The blend of sweet, cool, crunchy, and chewy elements creates a dessert that is truly serious in its deliciousness.
Forget the often-expensive and sometimes elaborate cream puffs from the bakery. Let Barbara Schieving empower you to create these stunning desserts right in your own kitchen. Her “Simply Sweet Dream Puffs” cookbook reveals just how shockingly easy and enjoyable it is to master this classic pastry at home. You can easily download the e-book from popular platforms like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes. It’s an ideal gift, whether for yourself to explore new baking horizons or for a fellow baking enthusiast in your life.
A heartfelt thank you, dear Barbara, for generously sharing your exceptional talents and profound love for cream puffs with all of us. I am incredibly excited that more people will now have the opportunity to discover and fall deeply in love with these delightful pastries, all thanks to your amazing and inspiring cookbook. Enjoy every sweet moment!
xoxo,
Print Recipe
Rocky Road Profiteroles from Simply Sweet Dream Puffs
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- Author: Maegan – The BakerMama
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 14
- Category: Dessert
Description
Rocky road ice cream sandwiched between two halves of a light and airy chocolate puff that’s then drizzled with homemade marshmallow topping for a surprisingly simple and incredibly delicious dessert!
Ingredients
- Chocolate Pâte à Choux:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon chocolate extract, optional
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3-1/4 cups rocky road ice cream
- Marshmallow Ice Cream Topping:
- 1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk
- mini chocolate morsels (or your favorite finely chopped chocolate)
- sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease or line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the profiterole template from Barbara’s blog under the parchment paper, if desired.
- Sift together flour and cocoa, set aside.
- Bring butter, sugar, salt, and 3/4 cup water to a boil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Immediately remove from heat, and quickly stir in flour mixture all at once. Return to heat, and stir with a wooden spoon for 1 to 2 minutes, or until dough is smooth and forms a ball. Transfer dough to the bowl of an electric mixer, and let cool 5 minutes.
- Add chocolate extract, if desired. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until mixture is smooth and glossy. Spoon dough into a pastry bag fitted with a tip or use an ice cream scoop to scoop the dough. Pipe dough onto prepared baking sheets into 2-inch rounds (2-inches high). Smooth out peaks and round tops with a moistened finger.
- Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350°F, and bake 30 minutes. Turn oven off, let shells stand in closed oven 10 minutes. Remove from baking sheets to wire racks, and cool completely.
- Cut profiteroles in half horizontally. Scoop 1/4 cup ice cream onto bottom halves; top with remaining halves. Cover and freeze until ready to serve. Drizzle with marshmallow ice cream topping, and sprinkle with chocolate and almonds just before serving.
- To prepare marshmallow ice cream topping: combine marshmallow creme, butter and heavy cream or milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds or until mixture is smooth and creamy.