Chick profiteroles filled with pastry cream are a fun idea to propose for Easter, you can also prepare them with your children who will enjoy decorating them to their liking.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Rest time: 1 Hour
Preparation time: 1 Hour
Portions: about 50 chick profiteroles
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

4 eggs (medium eggs)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups milk
1 packet vanillin (0.4 gr.)
1/2 lemon peel (peel of half a lemon)
1 teaspoon food coloring (yellow, optional)
3/4 cup water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
5 eggs (medium)
1/2 cup butter
1 pinch fine salt
as needed colored meringues
as needed whipped cream
as needed chocolate chips
as needed chocolate (balls)
as needed powdered sugar (optional)

Steps

Put the milk, a packet of 0.4 gr. vanillin, and the peel of half a lemon in a saucepan and heat until it is just about to boil.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, put the whole eggs, sugar, yellow coloring (if you want a slightly more colored cream) and beat with a whisk until they become light and frothy. Add the sifted flour little by little and beat again with the whisk until everything is well blended.
Pour the hot milk in a stream into the egg mixture, passing it through a sieve to remove the lemon peels. Continue stirring with a whisk. Then put everything back in the saucepan and cook over medium/low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens well.
Put the cream in a container, cover it with plastic wrap so it doesn’t harden on the surface, let it cool.
Put the water and the butter cut into pieces in a pot. Melt over moderate heat, stirring with a wooden spoon.
Once the water starts boiling, add all the flour at once. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens. You’ll know it’s ready when a film forms on the bottom of the pot (it takes just a few minutes). The dough is slightly hard to stir but pliable. Once it becomes smooth and takes the shape of a ball, it’s ready. Remove from heat and place it in a bowl to cool.
Now add a pinch of salt and the eggs one at a time to the lukewarm dough, mixing well and incorporating air. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until everything is well mixed. Initially, the mixture may seem slightly disconnected, but then the eggs will be gradually absorbed. Let it rest for an hour, covering it with plastic wrap.
Put the dough in a syringe without a nozzle (as in the photo). Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper and prepare rather wide and thick profiteroles, slightly pressing the dough once it comes out of the syringe. They are about 1 inch tall.
Bake in the oven at 350°F for about 30 minutes, placing it on the third rack from the bottom.
Cut the top part of the profiterole
Fill the bottom part with cream using the syringe without a nozzle. For the eyes, I used a bit of whipped cream (spray), chocolate chips, or chocolate balls. For the beak, I used a piece of colored meringue, but you can also use fondant. If you like, you can sprinkle powdered sugar on the hat.