Ingredients:

-1 cup milk
-6 tablespoons unsalted butter
-1 teaspoon sugar
-pinch of salt
-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
-5 large eggs, at room temperature
-1 teaspoon water
-1 recipe Sweetened Whipped Cream (recipe follows)
-confectioners’ sugar, for decoration
-chocolate sauce (recipe follows)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
3. Combine the milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a slow boil over medium heat and cook until the butter is melted
4. Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once, stirring with a heavy wooden spoon
5. Return the pan to medium-low heat and stir intensly until the mixture becomes a smooth paste and pulls away from the sides of the pan in a ball, 1 to 2 minutes
6. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, 1 to 2 minutes
7. Stirring constantly with a heavy wooden spoon, add 4 of the eggs, one at a time, beating well after the addition of each, and mix until smooth. Let the dough cool
8. Beat the remaining egg with the water in a small bowl to make an egg wash
9. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe out 16 ball-sized rounds onto the prepared sheet, about 2 inches apart
10. Lightly brush the egg wash on the tops and sides of the dough using a pastry brush and bake until doubled in size, 14 to 15 minutes
11. Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees F and bake until the balls are golden brown, firm to the touch, and hollow inside, 6 to 7 minutes
12. Turn off the oven and leave the oven door ajar for 10 minutes for the puffs to dry
13. Cool completely on a wire rack
14. Cut each cream puff in half and scoop out the doughy centers with a small spoon
15. To serve, fill the bottom halves with 2 tablespoons of the whipped cream and cover with the tops
16. Place 2 to 4 cream puffs on dessert plate and sift confectioners’ sugar over it, and drizzle each with warm chocolate sauce and serve immediately

Sweetened Whipped Cream
-1 cup cold heavy cream
-2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Place the cream in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until it becomes thick
2. Beating, add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat until soft peaks form, being careful not to overbeat
3. Serve immediately

Chocolate Sauce
-3/4 cup half-and-half
-1 tablespoon unsalted butter
-1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
-1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Scald the half-and-half and butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat
2. Remove from the heat
3. Place the chocolate and vanilla in a medium bowl
4. Add the hot half-and-half and let sit for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth
5. Serve slightly warm