Easy to make homemade chocolate eclairs. These delightful pate a choux based French pastries are baked until light and hallow. Then, filled with luscious vanilla pastry cream before being dipped in dark chocolate glaze.
Pâte à choux is pronounced pat-a-shoo. Also known as choux paste, it is a special dough that is cooked twice.
The dough is first created by boiling flour, milk (or water), and butter together. Eggs are added and beaten in until you get a smooth and thick paste. The batter is then piped and baked until the pastry puffs into hollow vehicles to carry custards, whipped cream or other sweet fillings.
The same dough and technique is used to make profiteroles, gougères, and cream puffs.
These eclairs have three components: choux pastry, vanilla custard filling (pastry cream), and chocolate glaze. The components may be prepared in advance to shorten assembly time.
Ingredients
Pâte à choux is made with milk, butter, eggs, flour, sugar and salt.
- Milk : Recipe can be made with water or milk. Whole milk provides the most flavor. Otherwise, low fat or reduced fat milk also work.
- Flour: Bread flour produces the best results. All-purpose flour is the next best option.
- Eggs: This recipe uses three whole eggs plus one egg white. The additional egg white increases the crispness of the dough.
Pastry cream or crème pâtissière is sweet, simple, and so delicious! It is a smooth, silky cooked custard made with milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter, and cornstarch. This detailed pasty cream recipe post explains how to properly make this versatile dessert component.
The chocolate glaze is simple mixture of heavy cream, chocolate, and light corn syrup. Use your choice of semi-sweet, bittersweet or dark chocolate. Chips, morsels, or chopped chocolate bars all work.
Recipe Variations
Matcha Pastry Cream: Add matcha powder to pastry cream! These matcha cream puffs are an ode to the popular Bread Papa bakery.
Cookie Topped Eclair: Instead of dipping the eclairs in chocolate glaze, top them with crunchy cookie! This version is known an choux au craquelin or craquelin choux pastry. Follow the recipe and instructions on these honey jasmine profiteroles for the cookie topping.
Ice Cream Filling: Eclairs or profiteroles may be filled with scoops of ice cream in place of pastry cream!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Expert Tips
V-Test: Use the “v-test” to determine if the choux pastry has been properly mixed. The mixed dough should be thick, smooth, and shiny. Lift some of the dough using a wooden spoon, spatula, or paddle attachment. The dough should from a “V” shape when excess dough falls from the spoon or spatula. If the dough doesn’t form a “V”, return to mixing bowl and re-test.
Piping Notes: The parchment paper may slide around as you pipe the eclair batter. To alleviate this problem, dab a little batter on the corners of the baking sheet to stick the parchment onto the tray.
Eclair Sizes: Small four-inch éclairs are the perfect snack portion size. They are also great for sharing. You may pipe longer logs. However, keep in mind that longer eclairs may be more fragile and delicate when filled.
Recipe FAQs
I have tested this recipe using both liners. Both produce similar results. The parchment lined eclairs may brown on the bottom a little faster. Other than that, eclairs will not stick to either parchment or silicone baking mat (such as silpat mat).
Unfilled eclairs may be frozen and used for later. Cool to room temperature, then place on in a single layer on baking sheet. Freeze until solid. Transfer to airtight freezer safe bag or container. Keeps for one month. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature before filling.
Filled eclairs should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Will keep for 2-3 days. Overtime, the pastry cream filling will separate and weep causing the eclair to become soggy.
Eclairs are known for their elongated shape. Mounds or rounds create profiteroles. The dough may also be piped into rings, rectangles, squares, triangles, or zig-zag lines.
Pate a choux or choux paste is used to make eclairs, profiteroles (or cream puffs), and gougeres.
Chocolate Glazed Eclairs
Ingredients
- 1 cup water, (240 ml) or milk of choice
- ½ cup unsalted butter, (113 g), sliced into tablespoons
- 2 Tablespoon granulated sugar, (25 g)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or fine sea salt
- 1 cup bread flour, (130 g), or all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large egg white
Pastry Cream Filling:
- ¼ cup cornstarch, (30 g)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, (150 g), divided
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 cups whole milk, (475 ml)
- 2 Tablespoon unsalted butter, (28 g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, or fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze:
- ½ cup heavy cream, (120 ml)
- 8 oz semisweet or dark chocolate, (226 g), roughly chopped or chocolate chips
- 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup, (20 g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mat. Set side.
- In a medium saucepan, add water (or milk), butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add flour and stir to combine using a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula. Bring to a boil as you stir. Continue to stir constantly until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the saucepan.
- Once dough is a smooth, cohesive ball, transfer to the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat a medium speed until the dough has cooled to just a little warmer than room temperature. *Note: The dough will steam as you beat it.
- Once dough is ready, add the whole eggs one at time. Make sure the egg is incorporated before adding the next one. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Once all the whole eggs are in, add the egg white and mix to combine. Continue to beat mixture until smooth, thick, and shiny. Use "V-test" to determine if dough is ready for piping.
- Transfer batter to a pipping bag fitted with a 18mm plain round tip or star/fluted tip. Pipe 4-inch long cylinders on the lined baking sheet, at least 1 inch apart.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Leave eclairs undisturbed during this time. Then, lower oven temperature to 325℉ and bake for another 20-30 minutes until eclairs are dry and feel very light in weight. Transfer to wire rack to let cool.
Pastry Cream:
- Line a half-sheet baking pan with plastic wrap, ensuring the sides of the pan are also covered. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cornstarch and about ½ cup of sugar. Add in egg yolks and about ½ cup of milk. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Pour remaining milk into a heavy bottomed sauce pot. Add remaining sugar. Set over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to ensure the milk does not burn along the sides or bottom of the pan. When the milk has boiled, slowly add about ¼ cup of hot milk into the egg mixture. Whisk constantly to distribute the heat. Continue to pour more milk until a couple tablespoons are left in the saucepan. Then pour the egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan.
- Reduce to medium heat. Switch to a spatula. Stir constantly until the custard has thickened. To cook the cornstarch out, heat the custard until it boils for about 10-15 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and salt until smooth. Add the vanilla and stir until well combined.
- Pour pastry cream into a plastic wrapped sheet pan. Spread evenly. Cover surface directly with plastic wrap and freeze for 15 minutes* until pastry cream has cooled to room temperature.
- Remove from freezer. Transfer to another container. Cover surface directly with plastic wrap. Keep chilled in the fridge until ready to use.
Assembly:
- Once cooled, pierce three holes on the flat bottom of eclair. Using a pastry bag fitted with a ⅙-inch or ¼-inch plain round tip, pipe pastry cream into the eclair. Note: Alternatively, you can slice the top ⅓ of the eclair lengthwise. Fill the bottom ⅔ with the pastry cream and replace the cut top.
- Chill filled eclairs in the fridge for 15 minutes before dipping warm chocolate glaze.
Chocolate Glaze:
- Bring heavy cream to a boil. Pour over chopped chocolate and corn syrup. Let sit for a minute before stirring. Stir until chocolate is melted and glaze is smooth. Let cool slightly to thicken before using.
- Dip the tops of each eclair into the warm chocolate glaze. Transfer to a wire rack set over a parchment sheet lined baking sheet to catch any drippings. Chill in the fridge to set the chocolate glaze.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
I’ve been wanting to make eclairs for ages and now I think I may just have to try it out! I live alone though and don’t really see how I could scale down this recipe, so do you think it’s possible to freeze these eclairs? Thank you
I don’t suggest freezing them. Eclairs are best fresh. Plus, freezing the pastry cream could cause it to separate as it thaws because of the cornstarch. If it’s too much, you could always call over friends, family or neighbors :)
Maryanne – I love you for this recipe. Eclairs were my #1 dessert as a child, I have nothing but great memories of them.
Thanks, Pamela! Yay for eclairs and happy childhood memories!
what are great tutorial! i’ve never had an eclair but your rave reviews have me intrigued :) great post!
Thanks, Chelsea! You should definitely try one!
yummy!