I used to belong to a dinner group with a group of girlfriends that we called “Gourmet Club”. We were in groups of two and once a year would take our turn to host an elaborate themed dinner party for the others. One year my friend and I hosted a Titanic themed dinner for the group, and we served the last meal that was served on the Titanic. Morbid? Maybe. Fun? YES!
Chocolate Eclairs were one of the desserts offered at the last meal on the Titanic! So, I had to learn how to make them for our fancy dinner! I found out that if you can follow instructions, then they are pretty easy to make! And VERY impressive!
Step 1: Pastry Cream
Make the pastry cream first so it can chill in the refrigerator. If it helps to make it a day or two ahead, then that is fine.
Short on Eggs?
That is OK! You do not need to make the pastry cream from scratch. Check the notes section on the recipe card below for straightforward, easy to make cream filling that uses NO EGGS!
To make pastry cream from scratch warm a 1/2 cup of the milk in a large saucepan. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the other ingredients. Next, temper the egg mixture to keep the eggs from curdling. HOW to Temper the egg mixture – Slowly whisk about half of the heated milk into the eggs. This warms the eggs before pouring the egg mixture into the saucepan with the heated milk.
Whisk it all together over medium low heat till it thickens.
Optional – Pour the cream through a mesh strainer, using the back of a large spoon.
Cover the cream and chill for up to a week, until you are ready to use.
While the cream is chilling start the choux pastry. Melt the butter and add the water till it boils. Remove from the heat and add the flour and salt. Mix till it is like a thick batter.
This next part can be a good workout and sometimes it’s nice to have partner to switch off with. Add one egg at a time. Thoroughly mix in each egg before adding in the next egg. The first egg especially needs to be mixed in quickly because the dough will be hot and you don’t want the egg to curdle.
Once all the eggs are mixed in, the dough will be like a thick, yet soft, batter.
Scoop the dough into a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Snip a 1/2 inch off one of the bottom corners. On a Silpat or parchment covered baking sheet, slowly squeeze out into 2-3 inch strips. Have a table knife ready to cut off the flow of the batter. *If you are using a bare baking sheet, lightly spray with oil before using.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes. Without opening the oven, turn the temperature down to 325 degrees and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the oven to a cooling rack. Poke each end of each eclair with a knife, or chopstick etc. to help cool the insides so they do not get too mushy.
At this point you can store the empty pastries in an airtight, dry container in a cool place, for 3 days before filling and using.
When you are ready to fill the pastries, there are several different ways to do this.
First Option –
Fill a sandwich sized Ziploc bag with the cream. Do a tiny snip across one corner of the bag. Insert the corner of the bag into one of the holes in the end of a pastry, then gently squeeze to fill the shell with cream.
Second Option –
Put a long, narrow, round tip on a pastry bag. Fill the pastry bag with cream. Insert the tip in the one of the ends of a pastry and gently squeeze the bag to fill the pastry with cream.
Third Option –
Use a table knife to gently split the pastries in half. Use a spoon to fill the center with cream before adding the top back on, like a sandwich. This is not the most ideal way to fill them, but it works out.
Fourth Option –
This is my favorite option! Use a cake decorator with a long narrow tip. I have the old Pampered Chef one, which I LOVE and have used for years. They don’t seem to make it anymore, but since this tool is a kitchen must have for us, we have one with good reviews HERE on our Amazon Kitchen Must Haves list.
This tool make the job less messy as it is sturdy and holds everything together nicely.
After the pastries are all filled with cream, they are ready to be glazed!
Melt 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 2 Tablespoons of butter in the microwave for 30 second increments. When it is mostly melted, whisk with a fork or small whisk till smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Add in 1 Tablespoon of HOT water at a time till the chocolate is smooth and the right consistency, like a thick syrup.
The proper way to glaze the tops is to dip the tops into the chocolate sauce, then tip the pastry over the bowl to let the excess drip off. This leaves a clean, smooth finish on the top. Set them on a sheet and let chill in the refrigerator for an hour to set the glaze. OR you can eat one right away, as I always do.
They can chill in the refrigerator for up to one week. If you want to fully prep and freeze, this is ONLY possible if you make them with the instant pudding based cream. It is delicious and does not separate with they thaw as the one from scratch does. It is kind of fun to make a bunch and freeze them on a sheet. Then, pack in a Ziploc to freeze for up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator. They are awesome to have on hand!
IF you LOVE these eclairs, then you MUST TRY these other recipes –
Eclairs
A soft pastry shell, filled with sweet cream and glazed with chocolate.
Equipment
- Gallon sized Ziploc bag
- piping bag with long narrow tip if not, you may use a sandwich sized bag or a spoon to fill the inside
- Sturdy wooden spoon
Ingredients
Choux Pastry
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 eggs
Pastry Cream
- 2 cups milk, divided 2% or whole recommended
- ½ tsp vanilla extract, or the seeds scraped from a vanilla bean
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 2 egg yolks
Chocolate Glaze
- ⅓ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3-5 Tbsp. hot water
Instructions
- Begin by making the pastry cream so it can chill. Refer to the notes below if you wish for a "no eggs, fast and easy" option.
Pastry Cream
- Measure the egg yolks, cornstarch, ½ cup of the milk and sugar into a small mixing bowl. Use a whisk to make sure the cornstarch is fully dissolved and all is smooth. Set aside.
- Measure 1½ cups of the milk in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat till the milk is starting to steam. Do not let it come to a boil. Stir and cook till it is just about to boil.
- Temper the egg mixture by adding about a ½ cup of the hot milk into the cold mixture while whisking. Next, add the egg mixture to the hot mixture in the saucepan, over the heat, while whisking. Continue to whisk and cook for a few minutes till it is slightly thickened.
- Remove from heat. Add in the vanilla using the whisk. Pour through a mesh strainer over a bowl. Smoosh it all through to make it extra smooth. This step is optional. If you wish to skip it, just pour it into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Push the plastic wrap down onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Choux Pastry
- Preheat oven to 450℉. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the water cooking till it is boiling. The butter does not need to be fully melted before adding the water.
- Turn heat to low and immediately add the flour and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir till smooth and it forms a soft dough ball that pulls away from the sides.
- Remove from heat and add one egg at a time. Use the wooden spoon to fully stir in the egg before adding the next egg. Work quickly so the eggs don't cook and scramble, especially the first one. **This is a great arm workout! Especially if you are doubling the recipe! My daughter and I used to trade off with each egg. Now she is grown up and gone. I have transferred the hot dough to my stand mixer using a paddle attachment to mix in one egg at a time. It worked brilliantly.**
- Prepare a large baking sheet. Spray with cooking oil or cover with a Silpat or parchment paper.
- Spoon into a gallon sized Ziploc bag and try to push most of the air out before zipping it shut. Make a ½ inch snip across one bottom corner of the bag. Gently move the dough down to the open corner. Squeeze the dough onto the baking sheet in 3 inch long strips. Use a table knife to cut the dough off so you can move and add the next strip. Leave several inches between each strip. They will puff up as they bake.
- Bake at 450℉ for 15 minutes. Do NOT open the oven. Turn the heat down to 325℉ and bake for 15-20 more minutes. If you are at high elevation bake for 15 minutes. If you are at a lower elevation, bake at 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and use a chop stick or table knife to puncture each end of each pastry so they can cool inside and out.
- After they are fully cooled, fill they pastries with cream. Use a piping bag or cake decorator tool. Or split them in half and fill them like a sandwich. Or use a sandwich sized Ziploc baggie and snip a small hole across one bottom corner. Insert the open end into a punctured end as best as you can, then gently squeeze cream into the shell.
Chocolate Glaze
- In a medium microwave safe bowl melt the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave at 30 second intervals. Whisk with a fork or small whisk between each 30 second interval. When the chips are mostly melted, stir till they are fully melted. Be careful not to over cook.
- Once it is nice and smooth, take each eclair, one by one, and dip the top into the chocolate. Tip to the side so any excess will drip back into the bowl. Set on a tray to cool and set.
- Eat right away or store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- *The Pastry cream from scratch does not freeze well. They Pastry shells my be frozen and filled later, once thawed. OR if the cream filling in the notes below is used, the eclairs may be fully made and frozen on a sheet before transferring to a freezer bag and stored in the freezer for up to a month.
Notes
**Fast and easy cream filling - 1 (4 serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix, 2 cups cold milk (2% or whole is best), 1 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp. salt.
Measure all ingredients into a small mixing bowl and use electric beaters or a strong whisk to whip till thoroughly mixed. Cover and set in fridge till thick and chilled.
If you use this pastry cream, the eclairs can be frozen, then thawed in the refrigerator and eaten later.