Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Bring water, butter, and salt to a rolling boil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball. Continue cooking approximately 2 minutes, stirring constantly until a film of cooked flour develops on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and transfer dough to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a food processor fitted with the steel blade.

Pulse the dough a few times to cool mixture slightly then begin adding the eggs, blending each one thoroughly before adding the next—the finished dough will resemble a sticky paste.

Fit a piping bag with a round tip or snip a corner of a plastic bag to allow a ½" opening. Fill the piping bag with dough and pipe 18 large “chocolate kiss” shapes onto the prepared pan. If you make the dough about 1½" wide at the base and about 1½" tall there should be enough room on a cookie sheet for 18 puffs. Space them out as far as possible so that they don’t steam one another as they bake.

Wet your finger with a bit of water and press down the point of the “kiss” rounding off the top of the dough. Bake 20–25 minutes until they become golden brown and the outsides appear dry. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack while you make the sauce.

Prepare the chocolate hot fudge sauce according to the recipe.

To assemble, cut puffs in half using a serrated knife. Fill the bottom half with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. Place the top of the puff on top of ice cream and drizzle the tops with the warm chocolate hot fudge sauce. Serve immediately.