Making Raspberry Rose Profiteroles is back-breaking work.
Wait, no, I’m totally kidding!
These profiteroles are my first book-inspired recipe since my back surgery, so let’s just say that easing back into food blogger life is…interesting.
I actually picked Raspberry Rose Profiteroles to launch my comeback because they are so super easy to make.
My long-standing love for profiteroles
There was a time I made profiteroles on the regular because they were one of the few fancy-looking desserts I could produce with ease.
Much like the gingerbread cakes of my baking youth, profiteroles were pushed aside to make way for bigger bakes, and it’s actually been years since I’ve made choux pastry.
Let me tell you — it’s just as easy as I remember it being!
The trick is prepping everything for the choux pastry in advance. Follow my notes below and you can’t go wrong.
Why are Raspberry Rose Profiteroles the book-inspired recipe for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue?
I needed something suitably French for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which begins in 1700s France.
Raspberry Rose Profiteroles sounds très chic, if I do say so myself, (and it rhymes!) and “profiteroles” are the French equivalent of cream puffs. They’re a classic dessert found in bistros and brasseries all over France.
Traditional profiteroles are filled with custard or caramel or even ice cream.
Raspberry Rose Profiteroles retain their humble pâte à choux base, but are then elevated with a raspberry rose whipped cream and a sweet pink glaze.
An easier version of profiteroles — no pastry bag required!
If you’re an avid watcher of baking competition shows, profiteroles will be pretty familiar to you… and might seem incredibly daunting.
DO NOT BE FOOLED. Making pâte à choux is way easier than those chefs would have you believe.
TV bakers make cream puffs look unnecessarily complicated – they force the wet dough into a pastry bag, pipe out lil’ rosettes with a certain flick of their wrist, and their profiteroles bake up into these wonderful, perfectly domed little poofs.
Um, PASTRY BAG?!? That’s way too much work. (Especially for someone recovering from back surgery.)
When I make cream puffs, I want simple and I want rustic. So, I use an ice cream scoop. Or a cookie scoop. Works just fine.
Made this way, Raspberry Rose Profiteroles bake up with pointy edges that catch the heat, making for a little added crunch and texture. I LOVE IT. It’s how my grandmother used to make profiteroles, and I think it’s the best way.
What I love about Raspberry Rose Profiteroles
And trust me, these Raspberry Rose Profiteroles are SO good. A little bit of fruity, a little bit of floral, and lots of decadent cream splooshing out with every bite.
Raspberry jam tints the whipped cream pink and adds just the right amount of flavor and sweetness. Dropping in a hint of rose water highlights those fruity notes.
About that rose water— use only a teeny, weeny drop. A soupçon, if you will.
Like, do you have an eye dropper handy? Because that’s the amount of “drop” you should use. Otherwise, holy florals, these Raspberry Rose Profiteroles will taste like your grandmother’s perfume.
Unlike a lot of my dessert recipes, Raspberry Rose Profiteroles are not a make-ahead marvel. The puffs are best served immediately after you stuff them, so plan accordingly.
However, if you fill more puffs than you can eat, see my notes below about freezing.
What do you serve with Raspberry Rose Profiteroles?
Make a full French meal by starting with a simple salad of Arugula, Watermelon, Feta, and Balsamic Dressing, or some decadently creamy Baked Brie Bites. Your main course could be Coq au Vin or Pan-Seared Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce, or maybe some Ratatouille Pasta. Finish your meal off with the Raspberry Rose Profiteroles and maybe a Chocolate Orange Truffle or two.
Raspberry Rose Profiteroles
Ingredients
CHOUX PASTRY INGREDIENTS
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
RASPBERRY ROSE WHIPPED CREAM
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
- 6 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam (or more to taste)
- 1 very small drop rosewater
ICING INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp seedless raspberry jam
- 1 very small drop rosewater
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHOUX PASTRY
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Bring your eggs up to room temperature. If cold, place them in a bowl filled with warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- Cut the butter into small cubes and set aside.
- Measure out your flour and set aside.
- Crack the room-temperature eggs into a small pitcher/small bowl and set aside.
- Set up your stand mixer with a mixing bowl and paddle attachment. If you’re using a hand-mixer, attach your beaters and have a large mixing bowl ready.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHOUX PASTRY
- Bring the water and the cubed butter to a rolling boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, 3-5 minutes. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon to make sure the butter melts before the mixture begins to boil.
- Dump the flour into the saucepan and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until clumps of flour have disappeared and a small ball of dough has formed. Turn off stove and remove saucepan from heat.
- Immediately turn out the hot dough ball into the mixing bowl. Let rest 1-2 minutes, then beat in eggs, one at a time, until the dough is shiny and smooth.
- Scoop the choux pastry onto the prepared baking sheets using an ice cream/cookie scoop. You should get 5-6 puffs per baking sheet.
- Bake profiteroles for 30-40 minutes, until the profiteroles are deep golden brown and make a hollow sound when you tap them. (Careful! Hot!)
- Remove profiteroles and immediately poke a slit in each with a sharp knife to release steam. Transfer profiteroles to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once profiteroles are completely cooled, slice the tops off each puff and carefully pull out the soft inner dough. Discard inner dough (or eat it, no judgement), then fill the hollow profiteroles with whipped cream — see below.
RASPBERRY ROSE WHIPPED CREAM
- Beat heavy whipping cream in a large bowl using a standmixer or a hand-mixer until it’s just starting to thicken, 1-2 minutes.
- Add the 6 tablespoons raspberry jam and VERY TINY DROP of rose water, then beat to incorporate all ingredients until raspberry rose whipped cream is thick and stiff, 1-2 minutes. Do not overbeat!
- Chill raspberry rose whipped cream until ready to fill your profiteroles.
ICING INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, 1 tbsp raspberry jam, and a VERY TINY DROP of rose water until icing is thick but still pourable. Set aside until ready to ice profiteroles.
TO SERVE RASPBERRY ROSE PROFITEROLES
- Carefully stuff your hollow profiteroles with raspberry rose whipped cream. Dip the cut-off tops in the icing, then place iced tops back on the stuffed profiteroles. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar if desired, and serve immediately.**
