Filled Chocolate Choux Buns Recipes

CHOCOLATE CHOUX BUNS

Steps:

• Melt the butter with the water and caster sugar in a heavy-based pan.
• Bring to the boil, turn off the heat and immediately tip in all the flour.
• Beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth ball in the centre of the pan.
• Turn the ball into a bowl and cool for 15min. Preheat the oven to 220°C (190°C fan) mark 7.
• Gradually whisk in the eggs a little at a time until the mixture is shiny.
• Sprinkle water over a non-stick baking sheet. Put eight large spoonfuls of the mixture on to the baking sheet.
• Bake for 30min until risen and golden brown. Turn off the oven.
• Pierce each bun. Leave in the oven for 10-15min. Cool on a wire rack.
• Halve buns and fill with cream. Top with warm melted chocolate.

CHOCOLATE CHOUX BUNS WITH VANILLA CREAM FILLING

Steps:

• Place the butter in a pan of water and melt it over a low heat until it starts to boil. As soon as it boils take it out of the heat and immediately add the flour into the pan.
• Once it starts to boil, remove from the heat and immediately add the flour, stirring rapidly until the mixture forms a ball and does not stick to the side.
• Mix with a whisk until all the flour is fully incorporated with the liquid and there are no lumps in the mixture.
• When it looks silky, place it back in the heat, adjust it accordingly so that your dough does not burn. Keep mixing until it starts to separate from the pan and forms a ball.
• Take it out of the heat, and leave for a couple of minutes or so before adding the eggs.
• Once it's cooled add the eggs one at a time and keep mixing with a wooden spoon or a plastic spatula.
• Put the mixture in a piping bag and pipe a spiral shape on the prepared baking tray. Ensure that there is a gap in between each bun.
• Bake the buns in the centre of the oven for around 10-15 minutes at 180°C and then reduce the temperature to 170°c.
• It's important that the pastry cooks for around 20 minutes or until it turns golden brown. Remove the buns out of the oven and turn the oven off.
• Poke small holes into each bun. You can use a toothpick or a BBQ stick. This allows the steam to escape. Return your choux buns in the oven and allow to dry for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

FILLED CHOCOLATE CHOUX BUNS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200°C (180° fan) 400F gas 6.
• To make the choux pastry, bring 250 ml (approximately 1 cup) of water to a boil with the butter, sugar and salt.
• Pour in all the flour in one go, add the cocoa powder and stir vigorously over a low heat until the dough forms a ball and leaves the sides of the pan clean.
• Tip the dough into a bowl and beat in the eggs one at a time. Finally, beat in the baking powder.
• Fill a piping bag with the choux pastry and pipe 20 walnut-size heaps onto a cookie tray lined with baking parchment.
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and slice each profiterole through horizontally. Replace the pastry lids and let cool.
• To make the filling, slit the vanilla bean and place in a pan with the cream. Bring the cream to a boil, remove from the heat and leave to steep.
• Beat the egg yolk and sugar until thick and creamy and stir in the hot cream.
• Pour back into the pan and cook over a medium heat stirring with a spatula. Do not allow to boil.
• Push the sauce through a sieve and let cool down to room temperature.
• Beat the butter with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy then whisk the vanilla cream into the butter little by little.
• Melt the chocolate over simmering water, let cool and mix into the cream.
• Spoon the filing into a piping bag with a large star nozzle. Pipe a portion onto the bottom half of each profiterole and replace the top.

STRAWBERRY & WHITE CHOCOLATE CHOUX BUNS

Steps:

• Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Heat oven to 200C, 180C fan gas 6. Heat the butter in a nonstick pan with 125ml water until melted. Increase the heat until boiling then remove from the heat and quickly beat in the flour until the mixture comes together as a ball. Cool 5 mins then beat the eggs with 1 tbsp water then beat into the pastry a little as a time to make a thick glossy mix.
• Spoon onto the baking tray in 8 equal size blobs then add the almonds if using poking them into the mixture. Bake for 25-30 mins until well risen and golden. Take from the oven make a slash in the sides and return to the oven for 5 mins more to dry out.
• While baking make the filling. Mix the custard powder with a little of the milk then, with the remaining milk and vanilla put in a non stick pan and cook, stirring over the heat until thickened. Stand for 5 mins then beat in the yogurt and set aside to cool, stirring frequently to make sure a skin doesn't form. When cold, stir in the grated chocolate.
• Reserve 1 tbsp of the custard mix then use the rest to fill the buns. Distribute all but 8 halves of strawberries between the buns, then blob a little of the remaining custard filling on top and add the reserved strawberries. Lightly dust with the icing sugar before serving if you like.

FRUIT-FILLED CHOUX BUNS WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Have a set of electric beaters ready to go. Put the butter and 200ml cold water into a medium saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Take off the heat and immediately tip in the flour and salt. Beat for 30 secs or until you have a smooth paste that leaves the sides of the pan. Tip onto a dinner plate, spread out and leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking paper. Once the paste has cooled, return to the pan. Add the eggs a little at a time and, using the beaters, totally incorporate the egg before adding the next batch. Keep going until you have a smooth, glossy paste that drops easily from a spoon.
• Using two dessertspoons, spoon the mix onto the sheet in 6 large even, round-ish blobs. Bake for 20-25 mins, until dark golden and risen. When cool enough to handle, poke a small hole in the bottom of each using a knife or teaspoon handle (this lets the steam out, preventing them from getting soggy). Return to the oven for 5 more mins, then cool on a wire rack. At this point, the buns can be cooled and kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to a month. Refresh in a hot oven for 5 mins and cool before using.
• To make the sauce, heat all the ingredients together in a small pan for 5 mins, stirring now and again until silky and smooth.
• For the cream filling, softly whip the cream, sugar and wine together in a large bowl - stop before it's completely whipped, as it will continue to firm up as you fill the buns.
• Split the buns along the middle. Spoon in the cream, tuck in slices of peach and a few blueberries and serve straight away with a drizzle of the caramel sauce.