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Brace yourself for these Ferrero Rocher inspired chocolate hazelnut profiteroles. This dessert sounds a bit posh, but don’t worry, you don’t need a pastry chef’s diploma to nail it.

With a few common ingredients and some not-so-secret techniques, you can whip up these decadent pastries that promise to deliver more oohs and aahs than your average store-bought chocolate box.

A plate filled with mini ferrero rocher cream puffs.
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Table of Contents

Here is Why This Chocolate Hazelnut Profiterole Recipe Works

If you’re on the fence about whether to dive into making these Ferrero Rocher cream puffs, here are a few compelling reasons that might just tip the scales:

  • Unmatched Flavor: Instead of filling these pastries with a French pastry cream, we filled them with a luxurious Ferrero Rocher-inspired hazelnut cream that transforms them into a unique dessert.
  • Crowd-Pleaser: Perfect for a dinner party, a family gathering, or just a regular Tuesday night dessert.
  • Practical and Prep-Friendly: You can make the choux pastry ahead of time and whip up the filling on the day of serving, making your life a little easier.
  • No Fancy Equipment Needed: Forget the fancy kitchen gadgets; this recipe calls for basic kitchen tools. 
Several profiteroles on a board next to toasted hazelnuts.

The Ingredients

Here is a list of the ingredients you will need for this recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.

  • Dairy: Cream cheese, heavy whipping cream
  • Pantry: Granulated sugar, salt, chocolate, Torani hazelnut syrup
  • Produce: Toasted hazelnuts
Ingredients used to make ferrero rocher profiteroles.
chocolate, cream, hazelnut syrup, eggs, flour, salt, water, butter, cream cheese, hazenuts, sugar

Variations

  • Coffee Infusion: Add a pinch of espresso powder to the chocolate glaze for a mocha twist.
  • White Chocolate Twist: Swap the dark chocolate for white chocolate in the glaze for a sweeter, creamier topping.
  • Hazelnut Cream Puffs: Instead of making small profiterole sized cream puffs, them into larger cream puffs (they will need to bake longer). 
Melting butter in a saucepan.
melt butter with water, sugar, & salt
Adding flour to the melted butter.
stir in the flour
Mixing the choux pastry in a sauce pan.
stir until smooth
Beating eggs into profiterole pastry dough.
cool slightly; beat in eggs
Piping choux pastry on a sheet pan to make profiteroles.
pipe onto baking sheets
Freshly baked profiteroles on a sheet pan.
bake

Recipe Tips For Ferrero Rocher Profiteroles

Here are a few tips for our Ferrero Rocher cream puffs.

  • If your choux pastry batter feels too stiff, lightly beat an egg in a separate bowl and gradually add it to the dough. The dough has the right consistency when it forms a V shape as it drips off the spatula. For more detailed tips on perfecting your choux pastry, check out our full post for how to make choux pastry.
  • For the filling, whip the cream to firm peaks to maintain the structure of your cream puffs.
  • Allow the baked choux pastry to cool completely before filling. Filling them while warm will make them soggy. 
Cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl.
mix the cream filling
Mixing toasted hazelnuts into the cream puff filling.
fold in the hazelnuts
Coating the mini cream puffs in chocolate and topping them with hazelnuts.

Storage

  • Short-Term: Keep the cream puffs in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days.
  • For Longer Storage: You can freeze the cream puffs or profiteroles for up to 3 months. Thaw and fill on the day of serving for best results.

This Ferrero Rocher cream puff recipe not only delivers a deliciously decadent dessert but also adds a touch of elegance to any occasion. Since you can make the individual components ahead of time, this is a surprisingly approachable pastry to make. Enjoy the indulgence!

A stack of three hazelnut cream puffs.
A small serving tray stacked with hazelnut profiterole pastries.

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A stack of chocolate hazelnut profiteroles on a platter.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
5 from 6 votes

Ferrero Rocher Profiteroles

By Pat Nyswonger
An update of an old classic profiterole, these pastries are filled with a hazelnut cream and dusted with roasted hazelnuts. This is a fun spin on my profiterole recipe.
You can make the choux pastry three days in advance and you can make the filling 1 to 2 days in advance.

If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.

Servings: 30 profiteroles
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Ingredients 

Choux Pastry Dough

  • 1 cup water, (227 grams)
  • 8 tablespoons butter, (113 grams)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour, (150 grams)
  • 4 large eggs

For the Ferrero-Rocher Filling

  • 16 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup Torani hazelnut syrup
  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely ground
  • ½ cup whole toasted hazelnuts

For the chocolate glaze

  • 12 ounces good quality chocolate, chopped
  • 8 ounces heavy cream
  • ¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely ground for garnish (optional)

Instructions 

Choux Pastry (Pâte à Choux)

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  • In a large saucepan, combine water, butter, sugar, and salt. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter has fully melted and the mixture reaches a boil.
  • Take the pan off the heat, then add all of the flour at once. Using a sturdy spoon or a stiff spatula, stir the mixture vigorously until well combined.
  • Place the saucepan back on medium heat and stir continuously for about one to two minutes. The mixture should become smooth and start to steam. At this point, the batter will appear quite thick and have a shiny texture.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The dough needs to cool down to between 125°F to 135°F so it doesn’t make scrambled eggs when you add the eggs.
    If you don’t have a thermometer, guess the temperature with your finger…the dough should feel fairly warm but you should be able to hold your finger in it for a few seconds.
  • Once the dough reaches 125°F to 135°F, beat the eggs in (either by hand or with an electric mixer). Wait until each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next one.
    After you add each egg, the pastry will look like it splits apart but it will eventually come together if you keep beating it. Once all the eggs are incorporated, scrape down the bowl and beat it for 5 to 10 more seconds.

Pipe and Bake the Profiteroles

  • Fit a pastry bag with a #6 round tip or cut the end of a pastry bag making a ½ inch cut. Spoon the pastry dough into the bag.
  • Pipe small mounds (about the size of a tablespoon) onto the baking sheet. Space the mounds about 1-½ inches apart. You should get 24 to 30 mounds. Wet your fingers and tap down any points on the mounds so they look like smooth, round balls.
  • Bake for 20 minutes to 30 minutes or until golden brown. If you pipe larger mounds, you will need to bake them longer. Keep an eye on them through the oven window and don’t open the door until they turn golden brown.
    When they turn golden brown, you can open the door and check them. They should feel firm and hold their shape when you poke them with your finger. if they feel soft and sink when you poke them, let them bake a little longer.
  • Remove them from the oven and quickly poke a small hole in the bottom of each profiterole to let the steam out. Place them back on the baking tray and return them to the oven.
  • Turn the oven off and prop the door open with the handle of a wooden spoon. Leave them in the oven for 30 minutes with the door cracked. This will allow them to dry out and get crispy and have the right texture to hold up to the pastry cream.

To Make the Hazelnut Cream filling:

  • To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese, sugar, salt and hazelnut syrup and mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds to combine.
    Stop the machine and scrape down the sides and the bottom. Remove the paddle attachment and attach the whisk attachment. Add the whipping cream to the mixture and turn the speed to low to stir together and slowly increase the speed to high and whip to a firm consistency.
  • Remove the bowl from the mixer and using a spatula, fold in the coarsely ground toasted hazelnuts. Transfer the hazelnut cream filling mixture to another bowl that is easy to scoop from when filling the cavities of the profiteroles.
    Fill each of the hollow shells, tops and bottoms, with the hazelnut cream mixture adding one or two roasted hazelnuts to the bottom portion, put the top portion onto the bottom portion, pressing down gently.

To make the chocolate glaze:

  • Add the chopped chocolate to a medium-size bowl and reserve
  • Add the cream to a small saucepan and bring just to a boil, then pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate pieces and allow to sit for five minutes. Stir the mixture until it is smooth and glossy. Allow to sit and cool for 20 or 30 minutes to thicken enough so the glaze adheres to the profiteroles.
    If it becomes too thick, set the dish in some hot water and stir until it loosens up to the proper consistency. Spoon, or dip each cream puff with the chocolate glaze and sprinkle with additional chopped hazelnuts.
  • Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 306kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 67mg, Sodium: 167mg, Potassium: 116mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 615IU, Vitamin C: 0.4mg, Calcium: 41mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About Pat Nyswonger

Pat Nyswonger is a self-taught home cook with years of experience creating from-scratch meals for family and friends. As a wife, mother of four, and grandmother to seventeen, she understands the value of recipes that bring people together. Her kitchen has always been the heart of her home, where she enjoys developing flavorful, approachable dishes that home cooks of any level can make and enjoy.

Read More About Me

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4 Comments

  1. Kathi Kirk says:

    These look amazing! You guys always come up with the most clever recipes!
    kathi

    Reply
    1. Pat says:

      Thanks Kathi…this was fun for the Christmas season. 🙂

      Reply
  2. John@Kitchen Riffs says:

    I haven’t made cream puffs in years and years! And they’re pretty easy (but that steam trick is important!). These look just excellent — thanks.

    Reply
    1. Pat says:

      Thanks, John….I don’t make them very often myself. They are pretty versatile in the fact that you can eliminate any sugar in the dough, make small ones with a small cookie scoop and then fill them for an appetizer. Thanks for your comments. 🙂

      Reply