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The simplest and most delicious Chocolate Mousse Filled Cream Puffs! Made with homemade choux pastry, that’s typically thought to be tedious and difficult, but is actually so much easier to make than you might think! Simply make the mixture, pipe, and bake to golden brown perfection. It’s really that easy! After baking, each little pastry is filled with chocolate mousse that’s only six ingredients. Every bite is light, perfectly sweet, with lots of chocolate. They’re truly the perfect bite when you want something sweet! Serve as dessert at any or every occasion for a treat that everyone is guaranteed to love. Truly so good and so impressive.

chocolate cream puffs stacked on marble cake plate with a cream puff on white plate in front, and flowers around

About The Recipe

Happy August, everyone!

I could not be more excited to share a recipe with all of you. My mom and I are finally sharing cream puffs! Though, not just any cream puff. Oh, no, no. Chocolate cream puffs. They’re so fun to make and SO delicious. I could eat a whole batch by myself.

close up of stacked cream puffs on marble cake plate

chocolate cream puffs stacked on cake plate with sieve held above, more cream puffs beside and flowers around

Nevertheless, I can hear you. Choux pastry?! That’s supposed to be difficult!

Well, turns out, it’s actually not! My mom has been making choux pastry since she was like, fourteen. It’s something she loves to make, but hasn’t made in a long time. So, when we were discussing recipes we wanted to share this August, we came up with the idea of cream puffs (or profiteroles)!

But, i’ll be honest. The real inspiration behind this recipe came from way back in May when we made our S’mores Icebox Cake.

nine chocolate cream puffs stacked with top one cut open on cake plate with flowers around

That recipe spawned a lot of ideas. Like, the chocolate mousse is unbelievably good. After one bite, we started talking about the different recipes we could make. One of them being? Yep, cream puffs!

We had written the idea down so we wouldn’t forget it. Now that August is here, it seemed like the perfect time to share! And, let me tell you, these cream puffs are so incredibly simple to make. Our first test bake needed NO tweaking to the recipe. The pastry puffed, browned, and was the perfect texture/flavor to compliment the chocolate mousse.

Not gonna lie, every time we make this choux pastry, I sit in front of the oven to watch them rise. It’s SO fun and so satisfying. Not to mention totally delicious!

What is a Cream Puff?

Cream puff, or profiterole, is a sweet filled French pastry made from Choux. Typically filled with cream, mousse, or custard. The sweet pastries may be topped with anything! From a glaze to powdered sugar. We decided to keep things simple and dust ours with powdered sugar, but the possibilities are pretty much endless!

Reasons You Will Love These Chocolate Mousse Filled Cream Puffs

They’re a small treat that’s a serious crowd pleaser.
Easier to make than you might think.
Each element both require only 6 ingredients!
Sweet without being TOO sweet.
A show-stopping dessert that’s oh so impressive.

five stacked chocolate cream puffs on cake plate with flowers beside

Equipment Needed

Stand Mixer
Mixing Bowls
Small Pot
Hand Mixer
Rubber Spatula
Sheet Pans
Piping Bags
Serrated Knife

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

For The Mousse:

Heavy Cream
Powdered Gelatin
Water
Large Eggs
Egg Yolk
Granulated Sugar
Dark Chocolate

chocolate chips, sugar, cream, eggs, water, and gelatin on marble surface

For The Choux Pastry:

Whole Milk
Water
Salt
Granulated Sugar
Unsalted Butter
All-Purpose Flour
Large Eggs

milk, flour, butter, water, salt, sugar, and eggs on marble surface

How To Make Chocolate Mousse Filled Cream Puffs

Step 1: Make the mousse

Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Cover and refrigerate.

Dissolve the powdered gelatin in water. Set aside.

gelatin and water in small glass bowl on marble surface

gelatin mixed into water in small glass bowl

In a small bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolk, and sugar.

eggs and sugar whisked together in glass bowl

Place the egg mixture over a simmering pot of water and heat, whisking continually, to 135°F.

egg mixture over small pot on marble surface

egg mixture in glass bowl on marble surface

Remove from the heat and add the gelatin. With an electric mixer, beat until light and airy, about 3-4 minutes.

light and foamy egg mixture in glass bowl

Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 15 second increments, stirring after each, until chocolate is melted and smooth.

melted chocolate on marble surface in glass bowl

Immediately mix the melted chocolate into the egg mixture.

When chocolate is mixed in completely, fold in whipped cream. refrigerate.

whipped cream added to thick chocolate mixture in glass bowl

Step 2: Make the choux pastry

Place milk, water, salt, sugar, and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.

Stir in the flour and return to the heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until it cleans the side of the pot, about 1 minute.

Transfer to stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth and glossy.

Step 3: Pipe and bake

Spoon into a piping bag and snip the bottom to form 1-inch opening.

choux dough in piping bag on marble surface

Pipe 1 inch rounds onto prepared pan. Tap peaks down with water damp finger. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat and bake for 15-20 more minutes.

angled photo of choux piped onto lined baking sheet

choux piped onto lined sheet pan with tops tapped down

Step 4: Fill the pastries

Split cooled choux puffs in half and pipe chocolate mousse into the pastry. Replace the tops.

choux pastry cut in half on lined sheet pan

chocolate mousse piped into choux pastry

FAQ’s and Troubleshooting

How do I know when my choux is the right consistency? After beating in the 4 large eggs, it should be the perfect consistency, but if you want to check, then the best way is to dip your beater blade into the mixture (or a wooden spoon) and pull it up out of the pastry. If you see a “V” form, your choux is perfect!

Why did my pastry deflate? This is the most common issue when it comes to making choux. The main reason this happens? The oven door was opened too early! So, to keep this from happening, be sure to keep the oven door CLOSED until a full 25 minutes has passed.

Why is my chocolate mousse lumpy? The lumps are, most likely, chocolate pieces! This happens when the melted chocolate cooled too much before adding it to the egg mixture. It’s best to melt the chocolate right before you’re about to use it. The lumps could also be the gelatin. If the gelatin wasn’t completely dissolved into the egg mixture before moving forward, this can happen. We recommend beating the mixture for 3-4 minutes to ensure it’s smooth and dissolved!

Topping Ideas

The wonderful thing about these cream puffs are their simplicity! They can be enjoyed without a topping or totally decorated. Though, here are a few of our favorite ways to jazz up these cute little pastries!

Dusted with powdered sugar
With a chocolate glaze (powdered sugar, cocoa powder, a splash of vanilla, and milk!)
Edible flowers
Gold leaf for when you want to be super fancy
Salted Caramel Sauce
Melted Chocolate

angled close up of cream puffs with flowers around, two forks beside, a stack of plates behind, and empty glasses

How To Store

These cream puffs are best eaten as soon as their made, but if you want to make them ahead of time, you definitely can! The choux itself can be baked and stored in an airtight container and left at room temperature for about 2-3 days.You can also freeze them in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months!

If the cream puffs are filled, store them in an air tight container and keep in the fridge for about 2-3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 1-2 months!

Looking for more recipes like this? Here are a few you may like: Chocolate Soufflé, Dark Chocolate Filled Doughnuts, Blackberry Turnovers with Rough Puff Pastry, Maple Crème Brûlée

stacked chocolate cream ouffs on white plate with top cream puff sliced in half

Expert Tips

When making the chocolate mousse, be sure that the gelatin is entirely dissolved into the egg mixture before moving forward. You don’t want chunks of gelatin in your mousse!
If using sheet gelatin rather than powdered gelatin, you will need 1/2 of a sheet.
The melted chocolate NEEDS to be warm for this recipe. If it gets cold by the time you add it to the egg mixture, you will have chunks of chocolate in your mousse.
Be careful to not over-whip your cream!
When folding in the whipped cream, do not over fold. You don’t want to deflate the mousse.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can mix the eggs in by hand for the choux pastry, but it will take longer and be more difficult.
A paddle attachment is the same thing as flat beater or K beater.
To check if your choux is the right consistent, lift the beater and see if the batter forms a V when falling off. If it’s too liquid-y, do NOT add more flour. You will need to start over. If the batter is too thick, you may need to add another egg.
You can use a zip top bag instead of a piping bag to pipe the choux.
Don’t skip tapping down the tops of the choux pastry! This is very important.
While the choux is baking, do NOT open the oven door until the end of the total baking time.
Use whatever piping tip you like to pipe the mousse into the pastries!

When you make these Chocolate Mousse Filled Cream Puffs, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

– Still Hungry? –

Here are a few recipes may like!

Chocolate Mousse Filled Cream Puffs

About The Recipe

What is a Cream Puff?

Reasons You Will Love These Chocolate Mousse Filled Cream Puffs

Equipment Needed