Easy Eclairs
Equipment
- 1 Medium saucepan
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 stand mixer or hand mixer
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 parchment paper sheet
- 1 piping bag
- 1 large round tip 1/2 inch
- 1 small round tip for filling
- 1 Wire rack
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Whisk
- 1 instant-read thermometer optional
Ingredients
- 120 milliliter water
- 120 milliliter whole milk
- 115 gram unsalted butter cubed
- 5 gram granulated sugar
- 3 gram fine salt
- 150 gram all-purpose flour sifted
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 480 milliliter heavy cream cold
- 50 gram powdered sugar
- 5 milliliter vanilla extract
- 170 gram semi-sweet chocolate chopped
- 80 milliliter heavy cream warm
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil.
- Add flour all at once, stir vigorously until a smooth dough forms and a film coats the pan, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer dough to a bowl and cool 5 minutes until warm, not hot to the touch.
- Beat in eggs one at a time until the batter is smooth, glossy, and falls in a thick V from the spoon.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe 4 to 5 inch logs, spacing 2 inches apart.
- Smooth any peaks with a damp finger and mist lightly with water for better oven spring.
- Bake 15 minutes at 400°F (200°C), then reduce to 350°F (175°C) and bake 15 to 20 minutes until deep golden and hollow-sounding.
- Cool shells on a wire rack, then pierce ends or bottoms with a small tip to create filling holes.
- Whip cold heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla to medium-stiff peaks.
- Fit a piping bag with a small round tip, fill with whipped cream, and pipe into each shell until slightly heavy.
- Warm heavy cream until steaming, pour over chopped chocolate, wait 2 minutes, and whisk until smooth.
- Dip the tops of filled eclairs in the chocolate glaze and let excess drip off.
- Set glazed eclairs on a rack to set for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
For the best rise, measure flour accurately and ensure the dough cools slightly before adding eggs so they don’t scramble; the finished choux should be pipeable but not runny, so if it’s too stiff add a teaspoon of beaten egg, and if too loose refrigerate briefly. Bake until well browned to avoid collapse, and do not open the oven during the first 20 minutes. If shells feel soft after cooling, return them to a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes to dry. Eclairs can be filled with pastry cream instead of whipped cream, and unfilled shells freeze well in an airtight bag for up to 2 months; re-crisp at 325°F (165°C) for 5 to 8 minutes before filling.
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