Chocolate Profiteroles

Delightful small chocolate cream puffs ready for your choice of fillings. Some suggestions are ice cream and hot fudge (my personal favorite), or any of the cream puff fillings found here; recipes 43356, 39522, 66996, 54151. If you've never made cream puffs, don't be intimidated, they're easy and fun.

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 18

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup bread flour
• 1  tablespoon  Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1⁄8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 cup water
• 4  tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1  tablespoon sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 2  large eggs
• 1  large  egg yolk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°; combine flour, cocoa powder and baking soda; set aside; in a saucepan over medium-high heat bring to a boil the water, butter,sugar and salt.
2. Add the flour mixture and continue cooking and stirring until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and a film forms on the bottom.
3. Scrape dough into a bowl and beat in eggs and yolk, one at a time, incorporating each thoroughly before adding the next.
4. Using a plastic bag with a corner snipped off or a pastry bag with a 3/4" plain round tip, pipe 1 1/2" rounds about 3/4" high onto a parchment lined baking sheet; flatten any pointed tops with a moist finger.
5. Bake 15 minutes; reduce heat to 325° and bake until no wet dough remains in center, about 30 minutes; cut into one of the puffs to test, there should be a slight dampness.
6. Cool on a wire rack; cut in half horizontally with a serrated knife and fill with choice of filling.