S'mores Profiteroles

August 10, 2020

Today is #nationalsmoresday! Did I know that when I made these s’mores profiteroles? Nope. But these profiteroles are the perfect way to celebrate, especially in the high heat of summer.

Step one is an easy, no churn toasted marshmallow ice cream. Toasting the marshmallows took some trial-and-error and ended up being a bit of a sticky mess - but well worth it! Nothing beats the flavor of a toasted, slightly charred marshmallow.

The ice cream gets sandwiched between crispy layers of a graham cracker puff pastry. The puff pastry is made with choux, which is one of my favorite doughs. Once you’ve discovered how easy it is, you’ll want to make it all the time. It’s such a versatile dough.

The choux puffs are topped with a simple two-ingredient chocolate glaze that is shiny and perfect, then finished off with a sprinkling of itty bitty marshmallows, crushed graham crackers and chocolate sprinkles.

These are a satisfying summer treat that is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

recipe

Graham Cracker Choux Puffs adapted from Joy the Baker Raspberry Rose Cream Puffs

Toasted Marshmallow No Churn Ice Cream adapted from Queenslee Appetit’s no churn toasted marshmallow ice cream

Chocolate Glaze adapted from Baker Bettie’s ganache process

Time: ~2.5 hours, plus 6-8 hours for freezing

Quantity: 10-12 profiteroles

Ingredients

Toasted Marshmallow No Churn Ice Cream

454 g (2 cups) heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla 

78 g (1/4 cup) sweetened condensed milk 

128g (1 cup) marshmallow fluff

1/2 bag mini marshmallows

Graham Cracker Choux Puffs 

113 g (1/2 cup) water

1/2 stick (57 g or 1/4 cup) butter

Pinch of salt

30 g (1/4 cup) all purpose flour

35 g (1/4 cup) graham cracker crumbs (approx. 3-4 crackers)

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 large eggs

Chocolate Glaze

56 g (2 oz) dark chocolate

56 g (2 oz or 1/4 cup) heavy cream

Pinch of salt

Sprinkle Mix - Optional

2 tablespoons chocolate sprinkles

2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons mini marshmallows (the kind used for hot cocoa or regular mini marshmallows)

Process

Toasted Marshmallow No Churn Ice Cream

Toast Marshmallows

Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. If using parchment paper, spray lightly with non-stick spray. Spread the mini marshmallows in an even layer. Don’t overcrowd or you’ll end up with one big marshmallow blob. You can either use your oven or a torch - I prefer using a torch to get a nice char. 

Broiler Method: Toast marshmallows under the broiler in your oven for about 3-4 minutes. The timing will depend on your oven, so watch closely. Once the marshmallows have toasted to your liking, remove from the oven and set aside. 

Torch Method: Toast marshmallows by passing the torch a few inches away from the marshmallows. Watch carefully in case any of the marshmallows light on fire (safety first!). Set aside. 

Ice Cream

In a small bowl, mix together sweetened condensed milk, marshmallow fluff and vanilla. 

Whip the heavy whipping cream into firm peaks, being careful not to over whip. You can use the whisk attachment on your stand mixer or a hand mixer. 

Drizzle the marshmallow mixture into the heavy cream and then gently fold to combine. The key is to fold *gently* so that you don’t lose the structure of the whipped cream. 

Once the marshmallow mixture and heavy cream are completely combined, gently fold the toasted marshmallows into the ice cream base. This might get very sticky, but it’s well worth it. Once combined, transfer to a loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for 6-8 hours, or overnight. 

Graham Cracker Choux Puffs

Preheat the oven to 400F. 

In a small bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Mix to combine. 

In a small saucepan, bring water, butter and salt to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and add the flour mixture and mix quickly until combined. It will look very lumpy at first, but then it will smooth out. Cook over low heat for a minute or two until a film forms on the bottom of the saucepan and the dough pulls away from the sides. This is to cook off the excess moisture. Set the mixture aside to cool for about 10 minutes.

While the mixture cools, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you want to ensure that you have uniform puffs, draw 2 inch circles onto your parchment, leaving 1 or 2 inches in between, then flip your parchment paper over. You can also use a medium-sized cookie scoop to scoop the batter. 

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of your stand mixture with the paddle attachment. Add your first egg and mix to combine. Then add your second egg and mix until combined. The mixture might look curdled after the first egg - that’s normal. Once you incorporate your second egg, it will smooth out. 

Add your batter to a large ziploc bag or pastry bag and cut off the end. You want about a 1/2 inch opening. You can also use a medium cookie scoop. 

Pipe or scoop mounds of batter onto your parchment paper, using the circle as a guide. If you have any peaks, you can coat your finger in water and use your finger to smooth them out. 

Bake for 20 minutes at 400F, then drop the temp to 375F and bake for another 20-25 minutes until deep golden brown. I like to let mine get quite brown. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR! You don’t want to lose any of the steam that’s building up inside the puffs.

Remove from the oven and carefully cut a small slit in the side of puffs to let any remaining hot steam escape. Be careful as the puffs will still be quite hot.

Once the puffs are cooled down enough to handle them, carefully slice them in half horizontally, using a serrated knife, to create tops and bottoms. Make the chocolate topping while they cool. 

Sprinkle Mix

Combine chocolate sprinkles, crushed graham crackers and mini marshmallows in a small bowl. 

Ganache Glaze

Break chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl.

Place cream and salt in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 45-60 seconds. 

Place the chopped chocolate into the bowl with the cream and let stand for about 3 minutes. 

Whisk until the mixture is smooth.

Assemble Profiteroles

Take one of the “tops” of the choux puffs and gently dip into your melted chocolate. Remove and set aside, chocolate facing up. Top with the sprinkle mixture before the chocolate sets and hardens. Repeat for remaining puffs. 

Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, scoop out balls of ice cream that are a little bit bigger than a golf ball. Place one ice cream scoop on top of each “bottom” of the choux puffs, then top with the other half of the choux puffs. Place back into the freezer until serving time. 

Tips:

• You can make the ice cream the night before. 

• I like to use the squeeze bottle of sweetened condensed milk since I’m not using a full can’s worth

• If you want to make assembly easier, scoop out ice cream balls onto a small tray and then put them back in the freezer to set. 

• You can also serve the ice cream with a drizzle of chocolate sauce and crushed graham crackers for an easy s’mores sundae. 

• When baking the choux puffs, DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR. I know I said it above, but it bears repeating. If you open the door, you’ll let the steam escape and the puffs will deflate. Learn from my mistakes!