Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Step 2

In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the water, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and salt. Warm until the butter has melted.

Step 3

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the all-purpose flour. Once the flour has been mixed in, move the saucepan back over the heat and reduce the heat to low. Stir the dough until it's smooth, shiny, and doesn't stick to the bottom or sides of the saucepan (about 1-2 minutes). It's very important to make sure the dough is not sticking at all, as this ensures that you've removed much of the moisture in the dough.

Step 4

Turn off the heat and move the saucepan onto your counter. Add in your eggs, one at a time, mixing them into the dough well before adding the other egg. It may seem a bit difficult to mix the egg into the dough but after several seconds of vigorous beating, they'll get mixed in and the dough will look smooth and paste-like again rather than glossy and clumpy. Once the eggs are incorporated, you can fill a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe the batter out in medium size mounds (about 1 1/2 inches wide).

Step 5

Place the baking sheet in the oven at 425°F for 10 minutes. Then, WITHOUT opening the oven door, lower the heat to 375°F and continue to bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until the pate a choux is a deep golden hue. Once the pate a choux has finished baking, open the oven door and gently pierce each mound with a sharp knife to let out steam. Let the puffs rest in the oven, with the oven door slightly ajar and the oven completely turned off, for another 15 minutes. Finally, remove from oven and let completely cool on a wire rack. Once cool, take a serrated knife and make horizontal cuts through each puff to split each puff into two halves (top and bottom).

Step 6

Warm the heavy cream in a small bowl in the microwave for approximately 10 to 15 seconds, until steaming. Add in the chocolate and stir until it's melted and smooth.

Step 7

Place a couple of mini scoops of ice cream over each pastry puff's bottom half, then cover with the top half. Pour ganache over profiteroles.