These Chocolate Eclairs are the perfect combination of light, airy pastry filled with rich, velvety custard and topped with a smooth chocolate glaze. Whether you're looking to impress at a dinner party or simply satisfy your sweet tooth, these homemade eclairs are sure to do the trick!
Well, I tried making macarons, 3 times I might add, and they just would not work out. Recipe fails are so frustrating. The dang things either turned out flat or burned, so I guess it's back to the drawing board for me on that recipe (any tips would be much appreciated). So what's a girl supposed to do with only the basics (flour, sugar, eggs, etc.) left on hand? Make eclairs of course! This recipe is so easy and basic that you will most likely already have the ingredients for it! Just a word of warning though, the custard in these eclairs is so good it would be wise to not taste it until the eclairs are made. I'll be honest, I almost ate half the custard before I even made the eclairs (no shame right?), it was that addicting!
If you aren't familiar with eclairs, they are a delicious little French pastry. When I went to my trip to Paris, I saw eclairs in all the windows of the bakeries (as well as an assortment of all kinds of other pastries and goodies). So many treats to try! Traditionally filled with a vanilla custard or sweet cream filling, the delicate treat has taken on many flavor variations including lemon, raspberry and salted caramel. I'm sad to admit that I never tried one of these French pastries during my trip to Paris, but I'm guessing this recipe probably comes close. I thought it was pretty good at least!
If you are looking for a simple, yet satisfying treat these eclairs are the perfect option. The best part about the pastry? You don't need a whole afternoon to make them, you can have these pretty little things whipped out in less than an hour! So what are you waiting for? Get to it!
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📋 Recipe
Chocolate Eclairs
Ingredients
Custard, Pastry Filling:
- ¾ cup Milk
- ¾ cup Heavy Cream
- ½ cup Sugar
- 3 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
- 3 Egg Yolks
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 tablespoon Butter
Dough:
- ½ cup Water
- ¼ cup Milk
- ¼ cup Heavy Cream
- ½ cup Butter softened
- 2 teaspoons Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 4 Eggs whisked
Chocolate Glaze:
- ¾ cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons Milk or Heavy Cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Custard:
- Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan, stirring constantly until it just starts to simmer.
- In a large bowl mix together flour and sugar.
- Add egg yolks to the dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- While mixing, slowly pour the milk and cream into the bowl.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Over medium heat, whisk constantly until the mixture gets thick. As soon as the mixture starts boiling, whisk for a couple of seconds and then remove from heat.
- Add butter and vanilla and stir until it is melted and mixed in.
- Cover the custard with plastic wrap with the plastic wrap touching the surface, and place in the refrigerator until it is cooled.
Dough:
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Add water, milk, butter, sugar and salt to a medium pot over medium-high heat.
- Stir constantly until the mixture reaches a simmering boil, remove from heat. Mix in the flour until the ingredients are incorporated.
- Put the mixture back on the heat for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove the pot from heat and mix for more 3 minutes to cool and release steam.
- Add the eggs, stirring constantly until everything is fully combined. The dough will be a stretchy and thick consistency.
- Drop dough on the cookie sheet in 1 tablespoon-full dollops, allowing for two inches of space between dollops.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Keep pastries in the oven and change the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 20 more minutes or until golden brown
- With a knife or skewers, poke a small hole at the side of each pastry after they come out of the oven.
- Cool pastries before filling with custard. Don't wait too long to fill with custard, or pastries will become too flat, which makes things a little more complicated.
Chocolate Glaze:
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until fully mixed, add more cream or milk as necessary
Assemble Eclairs:
- Using a piping bag or plastic sandwich bag, fill each pastry through the whole created earlier, with custard. The custard will make the dough puff up. You will know that the pastries are full if the custard tries to come out the sides, try not to let this happen.
- Dip each eclair into the chocolate glaze.
- Enjoy!
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