Chocolate Peppermint Profiteroles Recipes

PROFITEROLES

Steps:

• Simmer butter & water: Place butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When mostly melted, add water then bring to a rapid simmer.
• Add flour: While liquid is simmering, add flour and pinch of salt, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon (still on stove) until the dough forms sort of a ball and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan (see video). About 1 minute.
• Cool: Remove from heat and let mixture cool for 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 220°C/420°F (200°C fan).
• Prepare trays: Lightly grease 2 large or 3 standard baking trays with butter, then line with paper. (Grease stops paper sliding)
• Add egg into cool dough: Add 1 egg into batter, beat until combined. Add remaining eggs one at a time making sure each is combined before adding the next. Dough should be like a thick paste (see video).
• Transfer to piping bag: Place dough into a piping bag fitted with a 13 - 15mm round tip (1/2 - 3/5").
• Pipe blobs: Pipe 2 tsp blobs 5cm/2" apart (I do 16 on each tray). Makes 40 - 50 blobs.
• Pat down peak: Wet your finger with water and pat down any peaks to form domes (for nice round balls).
• Bake 2 trays at a time for 15 minutes, switching the trays halfway.
• Remove from oven, reduce heat to 180°C/35°0F (160°C fan). They should be crispy enough that when pierced, they will not collapse - if not, return to oven for 3 minutes.
• Pierce balls with knife then return to oven for 5 - 7 minutes until golden and crispy.
• Cool & fill: Transfer to rack, cool fully before filling with custard, cream or split then fill with ice cream. Drizzle with chocolate and serve!

CHOCOLATE-PEPPERMINT PROFITEROLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the profiteroles: Sift together flour, cocoa, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Bring milk, butter, and granulated sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and immediately stir in flour mixture using a wooden spoon. Return saucepan to medium heat; cook, stirring constantly, until dough forms and flour lumps dissolve, about 2 1/2 minutes.
• Transfer dough to the bowl of a mixer, and beat on medium speed until slightly cooled, about 2 minutes. Beat in 2 eggs, 1 at a time. Test dough by touching it with your finger and lifting to form a string. If string does not form, the batter needs more egg. Lightly beat remaining egg, and add to dough, 1 teaspoon at a time, testing after each addition. Beat until batter is smooth and glossy, about 2 minutes more.
• Using a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip, pipe about twenty 1 1/2-inch rounds of batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake until puffed and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the peppermint cream: Bring milk, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. While milk is heating, whisk together yolks and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in cornstarch, 1 tablespoon at a time, until combined. Once milk starts to boil, slowly pour it into yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return entire mixture to saucepan; whisk. Cook over medium-high heat until thick, about 1 1/2 minutes. Immediately remove from heat, and strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Stir in peppermint. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of cream, and refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.
• Whisk peppermint cream until smooth. Whisk heavy cream in a medium bowl until medium-stiff peaks form. Working in 2 batches, fold whipped cream into peppermint cream.
• Make the chocolate sauce: Heat heavy cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until butter melts. Add sugars, whisking until dissolved. Whisk in cocoa and a pinch of salt. Strain chocolate sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl. Let stand until ready to use.
• Assemble the profiteroles: Slice profiteroles in half horizontally. Sandwich about 1 tablespoon peppermint cream between each. Pour warm chocolate sauce over profiteroles just before serving.

PROFITEROLES WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the cream and butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Heat the mixture until bubbles appear around the sides of the pot, but do not allow the cream to boil. Mix in the chocolate and vanilla; remove from the heat and stir until the chocolate melts and the sauce is smooth. May be served warm or chilled.;
• Profiteroles: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• To make the pate a choux: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, stirring to melt the butter completely. Add all the flour and baking powder at once and continue to stir until all the flour is incorporated and the dough becomes a mass that pulls away from the sides of the pot. Remove from the heat and scrape the dough into a mixing bowl. Using a standing or hand-held mixer, beat the dough on medium speed to cool it off a bit. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically. When all eggs have been incorporated, the dough should be a thick, smooth, and glossy paste.
• Form 24 golf ball-size mounds on the lined baking sheet about 2-inches apart allowing room for them to spread; keep the mounds as high and round as possible. You can use a pastry bag fitted with a star tip or a large spoon, your choice. Place the pans in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. and continue to cook for 25 minutes. Do not open the oven door or remove the pans from the oven until the puffs are firm to the touch. The profiteroles should be golden brown and well-risen. Allow the shells to cool before filling.
• Using a serrated knife, slice the pastry puffs almost in 1/2. Place 3 profiteroles on each dessert plate and fill with a scoop of ice cream. Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the top; garnish with powdered sugar and fresh mint if desired.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing 2 inches of paper to hang over the sides.
• Make the shortbread: In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Add butter and process until a smooth dough forms. Press dough evenly into the bottom of prepared baking pan. Bake until firm to the touch, and sides of the crust are beginning to pull away from the pan, about 25 minutes. Cool completely.
• Make the filling: In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine confectioners' sugar, butter, cream and peppermint extract. Beat until mixture forms a thick, smooth paste. Press filling evenly over shortbread. Chill to set the filling for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Use parchment paper overhang to lift the shortbread and peppermint out of the baking pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares (there should be 36 squares). Place squares on a rack placed over a parchment-lined sheet tray, and let them come to room temperature for about 15 minutes.
• In the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt 7 ounces chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat, add remaining 2 ounces chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes.
• Add coconut oil, if using, and stir the chocolate until smooth. Spoon 1 teaspoon chocolate on top of a cut peppermint square, using the back of the spoon to spread chocolate to the edges. Be sure to fully cover the top of the square with chocolate. (Leave the sides exposed, though it's O.K. if some of the chocolate drips down.) Repeat with remaining squares.
• Let squares sit at room temperature until chocolate is set, at least 1 hour.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a mixer beat together the butter with the sugars until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until smooth after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in the vanilla. On a low speed beat in the flour mixture a little at a time. Gently mix in chocolate chips.
• On an ungreased cookie sheet, drop teaspoons of the batter about 2 inches apart. Bake until just cracked on top, about 8 to10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time. Cool completely.
• For the glaze: In a small bowl mix together the sugar; mint extract and water until smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium resealable plastic bag and snip off the corner. Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies. Let cookies stand until set, about 10 minutes.

MILK CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARK

Steps:

• Line a 12x18 inch jelly roll pan with aluminum foil.
• Melt the milk chocolate in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting, for 1 to 5 minutes (depending on your microwave). Do not overheat or chocolate will scorch. Stir in the peppermint extract. Spread the chocolate evenly in the prepared pan; chill until set, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting, for 1 to 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup of the crushed candy canes. Spread the white chocolate mixture evenly over the milk chocolate. Sprinkle the remaining candy cane pieces evenly over the white chocolate layer. Chill until set, about 1 hour. Break into small pieces to serve.