Éclairs are one of the amazing classics of French pastry. With this recipe, I wish to demystify this delicate French dessert and help you to make your own perfect Éclairs at home or in your restaurant. Once you master the art of baking Éclairs, you can surprise your guests and friends with all kinds of different versions of this pastry.
In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar. Add the cornflour and mix well until incorporated.
Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to a boil. (If you want to make a vanilla pastry cream, you can add the cut or scraped vanilla bean to the milk).
When the milk is boiling, slowly add 1/4 of the milk to the mixture of yolks, while constantly stirring with the whisk. Then gradually add the rest of the liquid. Mix all ingredients well.
Return everything to the saucepan and heat rapidly while whisking energetically.
When the mixture thickens, continue to whisk. From the time it starts to boil, count 90 seconds per 500g of milk.
Remove from the heat, add the butter and the chocolate and mix until combined. (when you want to make a vanilla pastry cream, leave out the chocolate)
Pour into a baking tin or a bowl to cool and cover with plastic wrap, with the plastic touching the surface of the cream. Always whip the cream vigorously before using, to smooth it out.
For the Choux dough and the Éclair shells
Weigh the flour and sift it with a fine sieve to eliminate lumps. Set aside.
Put the milk, water, sugar, salt and butter in cubes in a saucepan. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Take care that the butter melts before the milk comes to a boil.
When the mixture begins to boil and the liquid starts to rise, remove the saucepan from the heat, then pour in the flour in one go and mix using a spatula (or wooden spoon). Mix everything well until it forms a smooth ball and no more flour bits are visible.
Place the saucepan back to the stove and cook the dough for 3-5 min over medium heat mixing constantly. It can be that thin skin forms on the bottom of the saucepan. (Do not scrape of this skin from the bottom.) If you want to be exact, you can measure the temperature with a thermometer. The dough should be from 75 °C to 80 °C (in the middle of the dough, not at the bottom of the pan)
Remove from the heat, transform the dough to a bowl and let cool down slightly. Meanwhile, weigh the eggs in a separate bowl and slightly beat them with a fork, to mix the yolk with the whites.
Only add a small amount of egg at a time and mix well. When it is completely incorporated, add more, until everything is incorporated and the dough is smooth and shiny.
Transfer the dough into a piping bag with a French star nozzle tip (if you don't have one, use a normal round tip) and let the dough rest into the fridge for at least one hour, until three hours before piping.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C (356 °F).
Use a perforated air silicon mat, if you don't have one, use normal parchment paper. (when you use parchment paper, put a bit of dough under the edges of the paper, so it does not slide while piping)
To make them all the same size you can use a spatula or something about 12-15 cm long to orientate yourself. Leave enough space between the Éclairs, as they puff up in the oven. Use the piping bag in a 45º angle and pipe with consistent speed and pressure. When coming to the end of the Éclair, slightly twist your piping bag to cut the end. It doesn't matter if the endings are not perfect. With a damp finger, pat down those pointed ends.
Sprinkle the piped Éclairs with confectioners' sugar.
Place the baking tray in the middle rack of your oven. Bake for 30 minutes and do not open the door. After 30 minutes the Éclairs should be golden brown and nicely puffed up. Open the oven door quickly to release the steam and bake for another 10 minutes.
Let them cool either on the perforated air mat or if baked on parchment paper then let them cool on a cooling rack.
For the icing
Melt the chocolate over a water bath or in the microwave until liquid.
In a saucepan add the cream and the honey and bring to a boil.
When the mixture starts boiling, pull away from the heat and add the melted chocolate. Mix everything well until incorporated.
How to fill and glaze the Éclairs
When the Éclairs have cooled down, with the point of a knife or a small pastry bag nozzle tip make three small holes in the bottom of the Éclair.
Put the chocolate pastry cream into a pastry bag with a small nozzle tip and fill the Éclairs with the pastry cream through the holes you made at the bottom of the Éclairs. When they are filled, they should be quite heavy.
To glaze the filled Éclairs, the icing should be warm and in a liquid state (if not heat up again). Pour the icing in a container or bowl, big enough to tip in your Éclairs in full length.
Secure the Éclair on the bottom and tip the top side into the chocolate. Let the chocolate cool down.
Nutrition Facts
Perfect Classic Chocolate Éclair Recipe
Serving Size
15 uni
Amount per Serving
Calories
272
% Daily Value*
Fat
15.3
g
24
%
Saturated Fat
9.6
g
60
%
Cholesterol
68
mg
23
%
Sodium
183
mg
8
%
Potassium
119
mg
3
%
Carbohydrates
29.8
g
10
%
Fiber
0.8
g
3
%
Sugar
19.9
g
22
%
Protein
4.8
g
10
%
Calcium
95
mg
10
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.