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Classic Chocolate Éclairs

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Classic French chocolate éclairs made with light and airy choux pastry, filled with smooth vanilla pastry cream, and topped with a glossy chocolate glaze.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (for pastry cream)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (for glaze)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a saucepan, bring butter, water, salt, and sugar to a boil.
  3. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously until the mixture pulls away from the sides and forms a ball.
  4. Transfer dough to a bowl and let cool for 5 minutes.
  5. Beat in eggs one at a time until the dough is smooth and glossy.
  6. Transfer the dough to a piping bag and pipe 4- to 5-inch strips onto the baking sheet.
  7. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Let cool completely.
  8. To make the pastry cream, heat milk in a saucepan until steaming.
  9. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks.
  10. Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly.
  11. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until thickened, whisking constantly.
  12. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract and butter, then chill completely.
  13. Cut éclairs in half lengthwise and pipe in the chilled pastry cream.
  14. For the glaze, heat cream until just simmering, then pour over chopped chocolate.
  15. Let sit for 2 minutes, then stir in butter until smooth and glossy.
  16. Dip the tops of the éclairs into the glaze and place on a tray to set.
  17. Chill until glaze is set. Dust with cocoa powder before serving if desired.

Notes

  • Ensure pastry cream is fully chilled before filling éclairs.
  • Éclairs can be assembled a few hours ahead and stored in the fridge.
  • For a cleaner look, dip tops before filling with pastry cream.
  • Use a star piping tip for more elegant éclairs.

Nutrition

Keywords: éclairs, choux pastry, French dessert, chocolate glaze, pastry cream, vanilla filling

Find it online: https://epicrecipebox.com/classic-chocolate-eclairs/