Perfect Chocolate Eclairs {Filled with Pastry Cream}

Eclairs are buttery logs of choux pastry (pâte à choux) baked until light, tender, and puffed up to form a hollow center that's perfect for filling with luscious vanilla pastry cream and topping with a rich chocolate glaze.

Eclairs are one of the many delicious desserts and savory confections made with choux paste (pâte à choux). Traditionally, choux paste contains nothing more than butter, water, flour and eggs, but most modern recipes (this one included) add in a bit of salt and sugar for flavor. The magical thing about choux paste is that it puffs up while baking, creating a hollow interior that's perfect for filling with luscious things like pastry cream.

Tips for making the perfect choux paste:

#1. The dough for chocolate eclairs is essentially an emulsion - which means the ingredients must be thoroughly combined in the right order and at the right temperatures. It’s very important that the milk, water, butter, salt, and sugar come to a full boil before adding the flour. Once the four has been added, it’s also important to cook it for at least 1 minute over medium-low heat, stirring vigorously, to cook the flour and create structure in the dough.

#2. Let the dough cool slightly before adding the eggs. Dump the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and let it rest for 5 minutes.

#3. The amount of eggs required for the right consistency varies. Crack all 4 eggs into a bowl and whisk them to combine. Then, add them to the dough bit-by-bit, beating as you do, and adding only enough to form a shiny dough that's thick enough to hold its shape. I almost always end up with about a tablespoon of eggs left over, which can be saved for the egg wash.

#4. To get that perfect puff, you need air and moisture. Choux pastry doesn’t use any chemical raising agent (like baking powder) to rise. Rather, the pastry relies on air and moisture trapped in the dough to give it that perfect gentle puff. In this way moisture is your friend. Brush a parchment lined baking sheet with water to create a humid environment for the eclairs to bake.

Even though you want the eclairs to bake in a humid oven, it's super important to cook the dough long enough to dry it out. If the inside of the eclairs is even slightly under done, the pastries will collapse when you take them out of the oven. The pastries are done when they are a deep golden brown and do not look wet at all.

Every component of a Chocolate Eclair should add flavor.

One final thing - many choux pastry recipes call for just a pinch of salt and no sugar. The idea is that the pastry itself is simply a carrier for the filling. When it comes to my idea of the perfect chocolate eclair, this is only true to a point. You wouldn't necessarily want to eat the eclair pastry shell all on it's own. It's meant to be filled with pastry cream and topped with chocolate.

However, I think the pastry should still contain some flavor all on it's own. I've found the the best recipes rely on layerings of flavor, each ingredient contributing something of value to the dish. That's why this recipe includes a bit more salt than most choux pastry recipes and a tablespoon of sugar. The salt and sugar add subtle flavor without making the pastry salty or sweet and without detracting from the star ingredient - the pastry cream.

The pastry cream used here is my all-time favorite. I can't really imagine it not making anything delicious. So - if for some reason your lovely eclair pastry shells do not come out so lovely, just cover them in pastry cream and a drizzle of chocolate glaze and eat them anyway. Call them chocolate eclair tarts or something. No one will complain.

Helpful tools for making eclairs:

• Large disposable pastry bags
• Ateco 11/16″ Plain 809 Pastry Tube (Large round decorator tip)
• Medium (3 quart) saucepan
• Wooden spoon or rubber spatula
• Stand mixer
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Pastry brush or small, clean paint brush

you might also like…

• Profiteroles (French Cream Puffs)
• Perfect Pastry Cream
• Mini Butterscotch Eclairs
• French Cruller Doughnuts (Also made with Choux paste and SO easy!)
• The Classic French Napoleon Dessert
• Cannoli Filled Napoleon
• Chai Vanilla Pots de Creme

Eclairs are a Building Block Recipe

Building block recipes are tried-and-true recipes that I consider foundational to great home baking. They are the kind of recipes I come back to over and over again, sometimes baking them as is, but often using them as a jumping off point to create something new. > Scroll through all Building Block recipes.

If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #ofbatteranddough on Instagram.

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