Chocolate Éclairs Recipe

Chocolate Eclairs

Makes approximately 24 éclairs

Cream Puff Batter

1 cup water

½ cup unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 large eggs

Ganache

½ cup heavy cream

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

  1. Preheat oven to 425° F.
  2. In a medium saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil.
  3. Quickly add flour and stir with a wooden spoon.   A ball of dough will form.   Lower the heat and cook for about 1 minute while mixing constantly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for several minutes.
  4. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing to incorporate with each addition. The dough should hold its shape and not be too loose.
  5. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large plain pastry tip half full of dough.
  6. Onto 2 parchment lined sheet pans, pipe about 3-4 inch lengths in rows leaving a 1 inch space between them.
  7. Place the éclairs into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.   Reduce the oven temperature to 350o and continue baking for another 15 minutes or until the eclairs are brown and puffed.
  8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
  9. Inject each cooled eclair with some vanilla pastry cream (recipe follows) using a pastry bag and a small plain tip.
  10. To make the ganache: In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in chocolate chips and corn syrup until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
  11. Gently dip the tops of each éclair into some warm ganache and place ganache side up onto a wax paper lined sheet pan. Chill until ready to serve.

Vanilla Pastry Cream

Makes 2 ½ cups

1 cup whole milk removing 2 tablespoons and set aside

½ cup heavy cream

3 large egg yolks

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons + 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1. In a heavy, medium non-aluminum saucepan bring the milk (minus the 2 tablespoons) and cream to the boil.
  2. In a heatproof stainless steel or tempered glass mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons of reserved milk until there are no lumps.
  3. Slowly drizzle the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly until all the milk has been added. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place it over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, whisking all the time. The mixture will become thick. Boil and whisk for 1 minute. Do not allow the custard to burn.
  4. Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour the custard into a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Place it in the refrigerator until cold, about 3-4 hours. The custard filling can be made 1 day in advance and should be kept chilled in the refrigerator.