E is for: Chocolate Éclairs
CHOCOLATE ÉCLAIRS
Servings: 16 Éclairs
Total Time to Complete Recipe: 1 hour 15 min
Active cook/prep time: 40 min
Inactive cook/prep time: 35 min
Special Equipment Needed: Cookie Sheet, Wooden Spoon/Spatula, Frosting Tube/Large Zip Lock
I wa s sooo excited for the letter "E" because of these Éclairs. I first made them as a teenager for my girl-ask-guy dances. We didn't have a lot of money and did make-at-home dinners, so on many occassions, this was our fancy little dessert. Since then, I think of this as a romantic little treat. A dessert that says I Love You. And with Valentine's Day just next week, what better a recipe to post!
These, as most my recipes I'd argue, are very simple to make. If I can make them with five kids under the age of four running around (and two great mommy friends thank goodness!), then you can make them too.
TIPS & TRICKS
- Salt: If using Salted Butter, do not add salt to the recipe. If using Unsalted Butter, add 1/8 tsp of salt to water/butter boil.
- Eggs must be added ONE AT A TIME. Just one. Just one at a time. Please.
- Like any egg-puffing baked item, ensure your oven is at the pre-set temperature before putting in the dough. If it is not perfectly hot when the éclair go in, they will not raise correctly.
- When removing eggy-center, don't overkill or you'll make the pastry so thin that you're filling will seep out. Just pull enough out that you have a more hollow center for filling, and other than that, the rest of it will be just fine.
- Cooked but unfilled pastry shells can be frozen for future use.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup Butter (not margarine)
1 Cup Water + 1/8 tsp Salt (see Tips & Tricks)
1 Cup Flour
4 Eggs
Chocolate Pudding/Mousse/Flavored Whip Cream
Chocolate (for Drizzling; see Tips & Tricks)
Powder Sugar (for topping)
DIRECTIONS
- Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
- In a small or medium sauce pan, combine water and butter. Bring to a boil and add cup of flour all at once. Stir quickly to combine/until is holding together and round-like when stirring.
- Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, by stirring in with wooden spoon/spatula.
- Put dough into frosting bag with large open end (or large round tip) or a large zip lock with end snipped off.
- Pipe in 4 - 5 inch strips on a greased cookie sheet. Leave a minimum of 2 inches between each piping.
- Bake in 400 F pre-heated oven for 30 - 35 minutes. Pastry will be puffed, golden and crisp/hard to touch. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- While pastry is cooking, assemble filling per package instructions (pudding/mousse/flavored whip cream).
- When pastries are cooled, slice tops off and pull eggy-center out with fingers or spoon. (see Tips & Tricks)
- Fill with preferred filling, put pastry tops back on, and drizzle with melted chocolate and dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Recipe Origins: My very old red & white checkered Better Homes & Garden cookbook.
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