Mini Butterscotch Éclairs

Instructions

Make the Choux Paste:

1. Add the butter, water, milk, salt, and sugar to a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Bring mixture to a full boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the flour all at once. Stir vigorously until the flour is completely incorporated and the mixture forms a thick ball of dough. Cook the dough for 1 minute longer, stirring constantly and using the back of your spoon to mash the dough against the side of the pan.
2. Dump the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. (*See note) Allow to cool down for about 5 minutes before proceeding.
3. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and whisk to combine. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, slowly add the eggs in 4 or 5 separate additions, being sure to incorporate one addition before adding the next. The dough might look a bit curdled at first; just keep beating and it will come together. Add the last bit of beaten eggs very slowly, watching the dough carefully. When the dough looks shiny and thick enough to pipe and hold its shape, stop adding the eggs. I almost always have a tablespoon of beaten egg leftover which I then use for the egg wash.

Bake the Eclairs:

1. Cover one large or two small baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with a ½-inch round tip. Or, fit a bag with a coupler only, which also works well. Set the bag, tip side down, inside a tall drinking glass, fold the top down a couple of inches, and set aside. (If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can also use a zip top bag with one of the corners cut off.)
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of water over the surface of the parchment paper to create a humid environment for the eclairs to bake.
3. Scoop the choux pastry dough to the pastry bag and pipe 18- 20 two-inch long eclairs onto the parchment covered baking sheet, spacing them at least 1-inch apart.
4. Dip your finger in water and smooth the tops of each log of dough, pressing down any peaks.
5. Bake the eclairs for 20 minutes. Keeping the oven door closed, reduce the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until they are a deep golden brown and do not look wet at all.
6. Allow the eclairs to cool completely on the baking sheet before filling.

Fill and decorate the eclairs:

1. If decorating with white chocolate ganache, put the white chocolate into a small bowl. Heat the cream in the microwave until boiling - about 30 seconds. Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate and let stand for 3 minutes. Stir until smooth. If the white chocolate is not completely melted after stirring for a few minutes, heat it in the microwave in 15-second intervals until melted. Stir in the butter. Set aside to cool, stirring from time to time, until it's thick enough to pipe with.
2. Put the pastry cream and ½ cup of butterscotch sauce in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium high speed for about 1 minute, until the butterscotch has been completely incorporated and the cream is smooth.
3. Fit a pastry bag with a small round decorator tip and fill with butterscotch pastry cream. Poke the tip through the bottom of the eclair shells and squeeze as much pastry cream as you can into the center of the shell.
4. Pour the remaining butterscotch sauce into a shallow bowl and dip the tops of the filled eclairs into the sauce to coat.
5. Fit another pastry bag with a small round tip and fill with white chocolate ganache. Pipe designs onto the tops of the butterscotch glazed eclairs. Store the eclairs in the refrigerator until ready to serve, up to 1 day.