Imagine a cozy dinner with friends or a special occasion: when it’s time for dessert, you serve these choux filled with homemade vanilla ice cream and topped with warm chocolate sauce. The contrast between hot and cold, crispy and creamy, surprises and delights with every bite. This dessert is perfect for impressing without stress, everything can be prepared in advance, leaving only the final assembly. Simple, elegant, and absolutely irresistible!
Grab your ingredients and let’s dive into making this pastry :
This recipe is for 2 people
Time required : 1h
Baking time : 4h
Baking time : 30min
Vanilla ice cream:
2 egg yolks
20g sugar
½ vanilla bean
165ml milk
65ml liquid cream (30% fat)
20g sugar
a pinch of salt
65ml liquid cream (30% fat)
Choux pastry:
65g milk
62g water
7g honey or sugar
2g salt
55g butter
75g flour
2 eggs
Craquelin:
25g butter
31g flour
31g brown sugar
Toppings (almonds, cashews, pecans, cocoa nibs, etc.)
(or replace craquelin with100g pearl sugar)
Chocolate sauce:
50g 70% dark chocolate
80g whole milk
5g butter
DIRECTIONS
Vanilla Ice Cream
Prepare a crème anglaise using milk, heavy cream, vanilla, sugar, egg yolks, and a pinch of salt. Strain the mixture, then add the remaining 65ml of heavy cream.
Freeze ⅔ of the mixture, keeping the rest in the fridge.
Once frozen, blend everything together to incorporate air. Store in the freezer until ready to use. At this stage, you can add any toppings of your choice.
Choux pastry:
Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan-assisted).
In a saucepan, bring water, milk, butter, and sugar/honey to a boil. Remove from heat, add the flour all at once, and mix well. Return to low heat and dry out the dough, removing as much moisture as possible.
Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and incorporate the eggs one by one, mixing vigorously. The dough should form a "bird's beak" shape when lifted—firm but not too stiff or runny.
Fill a piping bag fitted with a 12mm round tip with the choux dough.
Craquelin :
Mix all ingredients into a dough, roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper. Sprinkle with toppings and gently roll over them to help them stick.
Cut out 14mm discs and freeze.
Baking:
Pipe 12mm diameter choux onto a Silpat or parchment paper. Place a craquelin disc on top of each choux.
Optionally, sprinkle pearl sugar on top.
Bake for 30 minutes without opening the oven.
Let the choux cool completely before cutting them in half.
Chocolate sauce:
Melt the chocolate into the whole milk and butter. Strain or blend for a smooth texture.
Assemble :
Scoop ice cream into the choux halves. Pour the hot chocolate sauce over the top.
You can add extra toppings (such as hazelnuts or almonds, which pair beautifully with chocolate) for extra crunch
Now that you know how to make these beautiful pastry, please tag me on Instagram to show me your creation (@theparisbest). I would be so glad to give you my feedback and share it with the community !
See you soon on The Paris-Best
Lea from The Paris-Best
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