Eclairs have always been one thing I have really wanted to master. The whole concept seemed foreign to me and I thought I’d fail a few times before I found success. Well, not so long ago I was at work and I had the opportunity to make them for a class. I learned a few tips and tricks along the way and I have included them in the recipe below. Stephen reaped the bounty of my first at-home batch and deemed them a recipe worthy of remaking in the future. I now know that there’s no need to fear when it comes to baking. Sure failures or flops happen, but you never know unless you try! These are easy to make, the only key thing is time… you’ve got to give yourself at least 2 hours from start to finish. If you’re interested in more ideas for eclairs, you can always fill them with jam or whipped cream. If you don’t want to make an entire batch of eclairs, just pipe the paste into circles to make cream puffs- you can find my recipe for those here. Happy baking!
Homemade Eclairs with Pastry Cream Recipe
Custard-filled shells dipped in smooth chocolate glaze make these Homemade Eclairs with Pastry Cream a rich, bakery-style dessert with layers of cream, pastry, and chocolate.
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Servings: 16
Calories: 229kcal
Ingredients
Pâte À Choux
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream
- ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 6 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
Chocolate Glaze
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate - melted
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream - plus more if needed
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- To make the pâte à choux, place a medium-sized saucepan over low heat. Add the butter, sugar, water, and salt, stirring frequently. Turn the heat up to a low boil, remove from the heat, and add in the flour. Stir vigorously until the mixture forms a thick paste and no flour pockets remain. Place over medium heat and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning (a thin film will form on the bottom of the pan).
- Place the hot paste into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until it becomes slightly cooler. Then add the eggs one at a time until incorporated. The mixture will look shiny and will stick to the sides of the bowl. Beat for an additional 2 minutes on medium. Scoop the dough into a large piping bag fitted with a large tip (around a ½-inch in diameter). Pipe 4″–5″ logs onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing each two inches apart to prevent spreading and baking into each other.
- Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, open the oven, rotate the pan, and reduce the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius). Bake for an additional 20 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (149 degrees Celsius) and bake for 20 minutes to allow the pastry shells to dry out. That makes a total of 60 minutes or 1 hour at three separate temperatures. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, to make the pastry cream, in a large mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar, whisking until combined. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring to a low boil, then add the flour. Gradually pour the hot milk into the egg/sugar mixture to temper it, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Return the mixture to the saucepan set over medium heat, add the vanilla bean paste, and cook until it becomes very thick. Pour over a mesh sieve to strain any eggy parts and set over an ice bath to cool (whisk for about 5 minutes or so). Store in the refrigerator until needed.
- When the eclair shells have cooled, poke three holes into the bottom of each one. Place the pastry cream into a large piping bag fitted with a small round tip and fill each hole. Once the shells are filled, heat the heavy whipping cream for the glaze in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir in the semi-sweet chocolate and salt. Dip each pastry into the chocolate glaze, swirling to remove any excess chocolate. Set on the baking sheet and place in the refrigerator to set for about 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
NOTES
STORE the filled eclairs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Because of the pastry cream, they need to stay chilled. If you'd like to freeze them, FREEZE the baked, unfilled pastry shells only.
Once cooled, place them in a zip-top bag and transfer to the freezer for up to 1 month. To use, thaw at room temperature, then fill and glaze as usual. Avoid freezing the filled chocolate eclairs, as the cream can separate.
Nutrition
Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 122mg | Potassium: 113mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 477IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
Recipe adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking, by Cindy Mushet
LOVE eclairs, and these look SO yummy!
Your eclairs look amazing!!!!! They are on my “to try” list for the summer, because they are one of my absolute favorite desserts! Yours look fabulous!
Wow these look like perfection!!