Make Éclairs
Eclairs may look like a fancy and expensive dessert, but they are easy to make. A shell of choux dough (containing only butter, water, flour, and eggs) contains a cream of choice (coffee- or chocolate-flavored pastry cream, custard or whipped cream) and is topped with icing. Homemade eclairs will impress guests and make any meal special.
Contents
Ingredients
Makes 8 Eclairs.
- Pastry
- 1 cup water (284ml)
- 1/2 cup butter (118ml)
- 1 cup flour (235ml)
- 4 eggs
- Custard Filling
- 1/2 cup sugar (117ml)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (2.5ml)
- 6 tablespoons flour (88ml)
- 2 cups whole milk or half and half, do not substitute low-fat milk (474ml)
- 4 egg yolks, or 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (10ml)
- Glaze
- 2 tablespoons butter (30ml)
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (57g)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (100g)
- 2 tablespoons boiling water (60g)
Steps
Making the Custard
- Make the custard first.
- Separate eggs and add them to a small mixing bowl. Or add the 2 eggs, if using, to a small mixing bowl.
- Beat eggs in small mixing bowl.
- Add sugar, salt and flour to a saucepan. Whisk together.
- Stir in milk or half-and-half.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly(preferably with a rubber spatula because metal utensils like whisk can cause a metallic custard color), until mixture comes to a boil.
- Boil the mixture for 1 minute.
- Remove custard from flame.
- Temper the custard by pouring a small amount into the eggs in the small mixing bowl.
- Whisk the custard and eggs together.
- Add egg and custard mixture to the remaining custard in saucepan.
- Whisk together.
- Bring to boiling point.
- Cool custard and blend in vanilla.
- Cover custard with plastic food wrap and chill.
Making The Pastry
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230C).
- Add butter and 1 cup water to saucepan.
- Bring to a boil.
- Add flour and stir in with a sturdy spoon.
- Cook flour mixture for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add eggs, one-at-a-time, beating well after each addition.
- Cook in pan until mixture does not stick to side.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- With pastry tube squeeze out 4-inch (10cm) fingers onto prepared baking sheet.
- Bake 15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 325 degrees F (165C), and bake for another 35 minutes. The éclair shells are done when they make a hollow sound when tapped.
- Let cool.
- Insert plain pastry tube into pastry bag.
- Fill pastry bag with custard filling.
- Insert pastry tube into end of éclair and fill with custard.
- Alternatively, split éclair pastries vertically in half. Spread custard filling between halves. Place the halves together.
- Drizzle with chocolate glaze.
- Chill until ready to serve.
Making the Glaze
- Melt butter and chocolate together in a small saucepan.
- Add powdered sugar and boiling water.
- Stir until smooth.
- Drizzle over eclairs.
Tips
- Both eclairs and cream puffs use the same pastry. The only difference is how the dough is shaped.
- To make lazy eclairs make cream puffs instead. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet. Bake. Slice cream puffs in half, fill with custard, drizzle with chocolate glaze.
- If traveling with the dessert: after separating top from bottom scrape out any of the "doughy threads" and bake again for 5 to 7 minutes to crisp up the inside. Then fill.
- Either can be filled with cool, cooked pudding. Instant pudding doesn't work nearly as well.
- Cream puffs can also be filled with ice cream.
- Eclairs can also be filled with sweetened whipped cream.
Things You'll Need
- Baking pans
- Parchment paper or silicone baking liners
- Saucepans
- Pastry tube
- Plain pastry nozzle
- Sturdy spoon or spatula
- Plastic wrap
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Oven mitts
Related Articles
- Make Chocolate Eclairs
- Make Boiled Custard
- Make Puff Pastry
- Make a Trifle
- Make Chocolate Buttercream Icing (Frosting)
- Make Chocolate Glazed Donuts
- Make French Macarons
- Make Choux Pastry
- Make Chocolate Custard
Sources and Citations
- Recipe adapted from a Betty Crocker cookbook.