Chocolate Cream Puffs (with Chocolate Whipped Cream)

If you’re a chocolate fan, these easy chocolate cream puffs need to be your go-to treat! Deeply cocoa-flavored, light, crisp chocolate choux pastry filled with a super chocolatey, smooth, light chocolate whipped cream filling!

With my step by step instructions and troubleshooting tips, these pastries are easy and foolproof, and they’ll be your new favorite chocolate treat!

My long-time readers will know that choux pastry is my playground! 😊 I loved making choux pastry as a kid, and still do, decades later.

My detailed choux pastry guide and chocolate choux pastry recipe are two popular, tried and true classics on the blog.

I’ve also shared several more popular choux pastry based recipes like classic cream puffs , paris brest with praline mousseline cream filling , choux au craquelin , classic eclairs etc. But I haven’t shared a chocolate counterpart.

These double chocolate cream puffs with chocolate chantilly cream filling are just as foolproof, and maybe even more rich and delicious!! These are an automatic choice for me for potlucks, dinner parties, and special occasions like holidays, birthdays, Valentine’s day etc.

Why this recipe works

• It’s based on my popular, reader-favorite chocolate choux pastry recipe.
• These taste like Oreo cookies, but in rich, delicious cream puff form!
• The whipped chocolate filling is super easy to make, and is stable, creamy, fluffy and so light!
• I provide lots of recipe tips and troubleshooting help too.

How to make chocolate cream puffs (step by step overview)

Chocolate choux pastry

I highly recommend checking out the step by step instructions in my chocolate choux pastry guide where I also provide tips on the consistency to look for when making these pastries.

Step 1 – Making the dough

The base of the choux pastry is a water dough. To make this, place the butter, salt, sugar, and water in a saucepan (image 2) and heat to melt the butter and to bring the water to a boil.

Then add all the flour and cocoa powder (that was sifted together – image 1 ) to the boiling water, and mix it all together off the heat.

Mix until all the flour absorbs the water, and there are no dry clumps of flour (image 3) . Place this back on the stove on low heat and mix the dough to get the right consistency, and to make sure there are no lumps in the dough (image 4) .

Then place the dough in a mixer bowl and let it cool down (image 5) .

Then add the eggs (image 6) to the cooled down dough, mixing the eggs one at a time, until you get the right consistency (image 7) . A shiny dough that has some fluidity (image 8) .

Place the chocolate choux dough in piping bags with the desired piping tip and you’re ready to pipe the choux dough.

Step 2 – Bake the choux puffs

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Because chocolate choux pastry is heavier than regular choux pastry, it requires a higher heat to get it to rise properly.

When the oven is pre-heated, pipe choux pastry in mounds on a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Make sure they are all evenly-sized. I like to pipe each around 2 inches wide and 1.5 inches tall.

Dap the tips of the piped pastries with a little water to slightly flatten them (image 9) . Then place the tray in the preheated oven.

Bake at 400 F for about 5 minutes, and then lower the heat to 375 F for about 30 – 35 minutes until the pastry shells are puffs and baked through.

Once they come out of the oven, prick the cases with a toothpick to allow extra steam to escape. Let the pastry cases completely cool down (image 10) .

Step 3 – Make the cocoa paste for the chocolate whipped cream

There are two ways to make chocolate whipped cream that I talk about in detail in my chocolate whipped cream recipe post.

You can absolutely add all the ingredients and whisk together to make chocolate whipped cream. But this can lead to grainy looking whipped cream if the cocoa powder doesn’t properly melt.

For this reason, I prefer to first make a cocoa paste by combining cocoa powder with hot cream. This provides some stability to the chocolate whipped cream, which is an added bonus.

Mix the cocoa powder with a bit of boiling cream to form a paste (image 11) . Then let this cool down to room temperature.

Step 4 – Make the chocolate whipped cream

Mix the cocoa paste with some of the chilled heavy cream to make it easier to dissolve (image 12) . Then add the rest of the cream, along with the sugar and salt (image 13) .

Start whisking the mixture on medium speed until it reaches mid peaks (image 14) .

Next, to prevent overwhipping the cream, slow down the whisking speed to low (or manually whisk) and whisk the whipping cream until it almost reaches stiff peaks (the tip of the peak just slightly folds over) (image 15) .

Place the chocolate whipped cream in a pastry bag with a French star tip attached.

Step 5 – Prepare choux pastry cases

Cut the top of the choux pastry cases. I like to use a small sharp knife to slice off the top third of the cases (image 16) .

If there are any large “webbings” inside the choux pastry cases, gently remove them or push them to the side (image 17) .

Step 6 – Pipe the fillings

Pipe the chocolate whipped cream inside the choux pastry puffs. I like to overfill the cases, so that the piped filling is very visible (image 18) .

Replace the tops of the pastries that you cut earlier over the piped filling, and place the cream puffs on a serving tray (image 19) .

Step 7 – Serve

Dust the tops with confectioner’s sugar if you like, and serve the pastries immediately after filling them.

My best recipe tips

• Read the step by step instructions in my chocolate choux pastry post. I share SO many tips and tricks, which will guarantee success!
• Chocolate choux pastry is heavier than regular choux pastry, so the puffs may not rise as much in the oven. But they will still create a hollow middle.
• Follow the recipe by weight . This is important for cocoa powder, because different types of cocoa powder will measure differently by volume.
• I use full fat dutch cocoa powder here, which gives these an Oreo like flavor! But you can use natural cocoa powder as well. Just make sure to measure by weight.
• Take the extra step in making the cocoa paste for the chocolate whipped cream . This step “blooms” the cocoa powder, intensifying the chocolate flavor, but also helps with melting the cocoa powder nicely into the whipped cream.
• If you want extra stability in your chocolate whipped cream (for very hot and humid environments), you can add gelatin as an extra stabilizer , as I do when making stabilized whipped cream .

Fun recipe variations

Different fillings

I make double chocolate cream puffs here with the chocolate filling. But you can easily swap out the filling for different variations!

• Cookies and cream cream puffs – Add crushed oreos to stabilized whipped cream or chocolate whipped cream. The chocolate choux pastry already tastes like an oreo pastry, so the added cookies will make it even more decadent!
• Chocolate puffs with vanilla whipped cream – Substitute the chocolate whipped cream with easy chantilly cream or stabilized vanilla whipped cream .
• Chocolate strawberry variation – Fill the choux pastries with strawberry whipped cream.
• Mocha variation – Fill the choux pastry with coffee whipped cream.
• Diplomat cream filling – This rich classic diplomat cream tastes like vanilla ice cream!
• Salted caramel diplomate cream filling – The salted caramel filling I make for these choux au craquelin pastries tastes like salted caramel ice cream.
• Mousseline – This classic creme mousseline will make these taste like bite-sized chocolate paris brest!

Different glazes

You can top the choux pastry with different glazes too.

• Chocolate glaze (like I do with my chocolate profiteroles ), which is sort of like a chocolate ganache to make triple chocolate cream puffs!
• Vanilla glaze
• To add texture, you can also top the choux pastry with craquelin.

Storage tips

Choux pastry doesn’t stay crisp for too long. It can go stale in the fridge within days.

However, it freezes well! Freeze the UNFILLED pastries in a freezer-friendly airtight container. To make them crisp again, reheat the empty shells in the oven for a few minutes till they become warm and crisp.

The filled chocolate cream puffs must be served within hours of making them. The whipped cream will speed up the softening of the choux pastry as well.

That being said, I LOVE freezing filled choux pastry! Then I let them thaw out at room temperature for a quick snack as soon as they are thawed out.

They’re not crisp, but still taste amazing!

Why didn’t my chocolate choux pastry puff up?

Make sure to use weight measurements to measure ingredients for the choux pastry. The choux pastry may not have puffed up if there weren’t enough eggs added to the dough. Make sure the temperature inside the oven is correct, and adjust to compensate. Starting at 400 F is crucial to give the pastry that initial rise to make them puff up.

My choux pastry is doughy, dry, and crackly

This happens because the dough is too heavy, as the flour / cocoa powder was measured incorrectly (too much), or not enough eggs were added. It can also happen if raw flour or cocoa powder was added to the dough, AFTER cooking the dough.

My chocolate whipped cream looks grainy or curdled

This happens because the whipped cream was over-whisked / over-whipped. Add some extra heavy cream and stir it in to the cream. Once you have a smooth looking cream mixture, stir it with a whisk to get it back to the right consistency if needed.

Why is the chocolate choux pastry different from regular choux pastry?

Adding cocoa powder to the dough makes it heavier than regular choux pastry. This chocolate choux pastry recipe is able to handle extra eggs in the dough, compared to regular choux pastry. So, you may need to add more eggs to achieve the right consistency. Since the dough is heavier, it MUST be baked at a higher temperature initially to allow steam to lift the pastries at the start. While the higher temperature at the start can be optional for regular choux pastry, it’s not optional for these chocolate choux pastries.

Recipe

Chocolate Cream Puffs

Ingredients

Chocolate choux pastry

• 30 g dutch cocoa powder about 3 tbsp
• 140 g all purpose flour about 1 cup + 1 ½ tbsp (measured by spoon and level method)
• 236 g water 1 cup
• 115 g unsalted butter 1 stick (cut into cubes)
• 50 g white sugar about 3 tbsp
• ½ tsp sea salt less if using table salt
• 4 large eggs you may not use all of the eggs

Chocolate chantilly cream

• 120 mL heavy whipping cream ½ cup (to bloom the cocoa powder)
• 50 g cocoa powder 5 tbsp, packed (you can use dutched or natural cocoa powder - but measure by weight)
• 480 mL heavy whipping cream 2 cups (chilled)
• 100 g caster sugar scant ½ cup (add more for a sweeter whipped cream)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract or coffee extract
• ⅛ tsp sea salt increase to ¼ tsp if you want to add a salty-sweet flavor

Instructions

Chocolate choux pastry

• Preheat the oven to 400°F / 204°C.
• Measure out all the ingredients.
• Sift the flour and cocoa powder together and set it aside in a small bowl. 30 g dutch cocoa powder, 140 g all purpose flour
• Place the salt, water, sugar, and butter in a saucepan, and heat over medium heat, while stirring occasionally. Make sure the butter, salt, and sugar melt before the water comes to a boil. 236 g water, 115 g unsalted butter, 50 g white sugar, ½ tsp sea salt
• When the water comes to a boil, remove the pot from the heat and immediately add the cocoa powder and flour mix, in one go. Vigorously mix in the flour mixture so that it absorbs all of the water (use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to do this). When the flour has absorbed the water and it’s forming a dough, return the pan to the stove (medium heat).
• Cook the dough for about 1 minute (over medium heat) while mixing and moving it around in the pan, until you get a dough that pulls away from the sides of the pan and resembles dry mashed potato. You should also notice a dough film formed at the bottom of the pan. The cook time will vary depending on your stove and pot size.
• Transfer the dough into a bowl and let it cool down to about 170°F / 77°C. You can also mix the dough gently on low speed to help it cool down faster.
• Lightly whisk one egg in a small bowl and add it to the dough. Mix it well into the dough until thoroughly mixed in. Then add the second and third egg, mixing in the second well before adding the third. 4 large eggs
• Now whisk the final egg, and add it in increments, until you get the right consistency. This is a crucial step, so take care not to add too much egg as this will result in flat or deflated puffs.
• The correct dough consistency is when the dough has a sheen to it, and has pipeable consistency, and the dough will form a “V” shape at the end of your spatula when lifted from the bowl (see pictures in the post for reference). You may or may not use up all of the four eggs. This is why the fourth egg is added in increments.
• Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Pipe the desired shape onto the baking sheet – either using a piping bag fitted with a large tip (I use Wilton 1A, or you can cut the pastry bag opening instead). Then with a damp finger, flatten the apex and any sharp points on the dough mounds. Make sure to leave at least 1 - 1.5 inches between the piped mounds.
• Bake in the oven preheated at 400°F / 204°C, for about 10 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to 375°F / 190°C, and let the choux pastry cook for a further 15 - 20 minutes. Do NOT open the oven door during this step.
• After 25 minutes of total bake time, the choux pastry shells should have puffed up. Quickly open the oven door and rotate the baking sheet. If you piped very large choux pastry mounds, then let them cook a little bit longer before opening the oven door.
• Cook the choux puffs for another 5 minutes. At this stage, the choux pastries should have a hardened top. Quickly prick each of the cases with a toothpick.
• Bake the choux pastry for another 3 - 5 minutes, to allow the pastries to dry out a little.
• Remove from the oven, and prick the pastries one more time. Let the choux pastry cases cool completely in a draft-free area, preferably somewhere that is not cold.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F / 204°C again for the next batch. Once preheated, pipe and bake the second tray of choux pastry.
• Once the choux pastry has cooled down to room temperature, they are ready to be filled. They are best served within 24 hours after baking, and the same day they are filled.
• You can either cut the top of the pastry and fill the bottom half with whipped cream, OR make a hole at the bottom of the shell and fill with a pastry bag.

Chocolate chantilly cream

Blooming the cocoa powder

• Sift the cocoa powder to make sure there are no lumps and set it aside. 50 g cocoa powder
• In a pot, place the 120 mL heavy cream and heat over medium heat while stirring until it starts to simmer. 120 mL heavy whipping cream
• Remove the cream from the heat and add the cocoa powder and whisk it in until you have a thick, smooth cocoa paste.
• Cover with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge (for about 1 hour) to cool down to at least room temperature (ideally a little cooler than room temperature).

Mixing the cocoa paste with the cream

• To make sure the thick cocoa paste mixes with the heavy cream smoothly, add about ½ cup / roughly 120 mL of the remaining heavy cream into the cocoa paste and stir gently to mix smoothly. Make sure it’s lump free. 480 mL heavy whipping cream
• Add more cream if needed, until the paste loosens up and isn’t too thick anymore.
• Place the loosened cocoa paste in the bowl of your mixer, along with the remaining heavy cream. Lightly whisk to mix the cocoa paste and the cream. 480 mL heavy whipping cream

Making chantilly cream

• Add the salt and vanilla, and start whisking at medium speed. Stream in the sugar. 2 tsp vanilla extract, ⅛ tsp sea salt, 100 g caster sugar
• Whisk at medium high speed (or high speed if you prefer) until the whipped cream reaches mid peaks.
• At this stage, taste the whipped cream and add more sugar IF you want a sweeter whipped cream.
• When the chocolate whipped cream reaches mid peaks, either whisk the cream at low speed, OR whisk by hand. I like to use the whisk attachment and manually stir the whipped cream by hand.
• Whisk on low or manually stir until the whipped cream reaches stiff peaks. The slow speed will prevent the whipped cream from overwhipping.
• When the chocolate whipped cream reaches stiff peaks, stop whisking immediately. Gently fold the cream to ensure everything is whisked evenly.
• Use immediately.

Filling the choux pastries

• Cut the top 1/3 of each of the choux pastry cases using a small, sharp knife.
• The inside of the choux pastries may contain soft webbings. Use a small spoon or your fingers to remove the webbings from inside the casings to make room for the filling. You can also simply push the webbings to bottom or the side of the pastry.
• Place the chocolate whipped cream in a pastry bag, fitted with an open star piping tip or French star piping tip with about a ½ inch opening.
• Pipe in the chocolate chantilly to fill the choux pastry. You can pipe however you like. I piped a swirl that overfilled the pastry here. Then replace the top of the pastry case that you cut earlier over the filling, so that the decorative swirl is partially visible.
• Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve.

Notes

A note about the chocolate chantilly cream

How far in advance can I make these?

Storing choux pastry / cream puffs for longer

More choux pastry related recipes

Nutrition

Recipe from The Flavor Bender by Dini Kodippili

Chocolate Cream Puffs https://www.theflavorbender.com/double-chocolate-cream-puffs/