You will never have better handmade Chocolate Eclairs than these. It’s a very unique French recipe! Pâte à Choux is a light and airy pastry filled with exceptionally creamy chocolate cream and topped with delectable chocolate ganache.
Ingredients:
chocolate cream pastry filling
4 big yolks of eggs
⅜ cup white granulated sugar (75g)
cornstarch (three tablespoons) (24g)
2 quarts of milk (480ml)
1+ ⅛ cup melted milk chocolate (7oz / 200g)
a sprinkle of salt
2 + ½ tbsp. butter, cubed (35g)
pastry choux
1 quart of water (240ml)
½ cup butter (unsalted) (113g)
½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup flour (all-purpose) (120g)
a dozen big eggs
a wash of eggs
a single huge egg
2 teaspoons of water
ganache de chocolat
¾ cup coarsely chopped semi-sweet chocolate (4.6 oz / 130 g)
a third of a cup of heavy whipping cream (90ml)
½ tablespoon corn syrup (optional) (for extra gloss)
Instructions
To make the chocolate filling, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a mixing basin. Bring milk to a simmer in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring regularly for 2 minutes. To slowly reheat the egg yolks, stir with approximately 12 cup hot milk. Then, whisking continually, slowly pour the hot egg mixture into the pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the filling is thick. Continually whisk.
Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate and salt for approximately 1-2 minutes, or until smooth and thoroughly mixed. Allow it cool for 5-10 minutes after straining through a mesh strainer into a basin. Stir once in a while. Stir in the butter until everything is well combined. To avoid the formation of a skin, cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours or up to 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit / 190 degrees Celsius. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking pans with parchment paper. Remove from the equation.
To make the Pâte à Choux, bring water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon and cook for approximately 2-3 minutes, or until a film forms on the bottom of the pan. Allow it cool for 2 minutes before transferring to a large mixing bowl.
One egg at a time, whisk it in. The dough will split after each egg. Continue stirring until the dough comes back together. The dough will be sticky and strong enough to hold a stiff peak at the end.
To make the egg wash, whisk together the egg and water in a small cup. Remove from the equation.
Fill a piping bag halfway with Pâte à Choux and a star tip (I used the Wilton 1M tip). To keep the parchment paper in place, place a small amount of dough on the baking sheets below it. Spin the tip and pipe ten 4-inch long and 12-inch broad (10×1,5cm) strips on the two prepared baking sheets with ample room in between (approximately 2-3 inches). Wet fingers should be used to press down the tip so it does not become brown or burn. Brush lightly with egg wash.
Bake one baking sheet at a time for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy. When knocking on the bottom, they should make a hollow sound. If you open the oven while the eclairs are baking, they will collapse. Mine took 33 minutes to bake. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.
Cut the eclairs in half horizontally to make the cream puffs. Fill the eclairs with the chocolate filling. Remove from the equation.
To make the chocolate ganache, follow these steps: In a large heatproof dish, chop the chocolate. Microwave heavy whipping cream for 1-2 minutes, or until extremely hot and softly boiling. Allow 1-2 minutes for the chocolate to absorb the liquid. Stir until the chocolate is totally melted and smooth. If desired, add corn syrup and mix until blended (for extra gloss, totally optional). Allow for a 5-minute rest period.
Arrange the eclairs on a wire rack to cool. Allow chocolate ganache to dry on top of the eclairs (about 1 tablespoon each eclair). Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Notes
In the blog post above, you can see a complete lesson on how to create choux pastry and pastry cream.
To view the entire procedure, watch the 67-second video below.
To learn more about how to solve typical choux pastry issues, see the blog post linked above.These are the best homemade Chocolate Eclairs you will ever have. It’s an original French recipe! Light and airy Pâte à Choux filled with super creamy chocolate cream filling and topped with delicious chocolate ganache.
Ingredients:
pastry chocolate cream filling
4 large egg yolks
⅜ cup granulated white sugar (75g)
3 tablespoon cornstarch (24g)
2 cups milk (480ml)
1+⅛ cups milk chocolate, melted (7oz / 200g)
pinch of salt
2+½ tablespoon butter, cubed (35g)
choux pastry
1 cup water (240ml)
½ cup unsalted butter (113g)
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
4 large eggs
egg wash
1 large egg
2 tablespoon water
chocolate ganache
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (4.6oz / 130g)
⅜ cup heavy whipping cream (90ml)
OPTIONAL: ½ tablespoon corn syrup (for extra gloss)
Instructions
Make the chocolate filling: In a bowl whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch to combine. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan bring milk over medium-high heat to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir about ½ cup of hot milk into the egg yolks to slowly warm it. Then pour warmed egg mixture slowly into the saucepan, whisking constantly. Cook until filling is thick, for about 1-2 minutes. Whisk continuously.
Remove from heat and stir in chocolate and salt until smooth and fully combined for about 1-2 minutes. Pour through a mesh strainer into a bowl and let cool for about 5-10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add butter and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent forming a skin. Refrigerate at least 1-2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Make the Pâte à Choux: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan bring water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil. With a wooden spoon stir in flour and cook for about 2-3 minutes until it starts to form a film on the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and let cool about 2 minutes.
Stir in one egg at the time. After every egg, the dough will separate. Keep stirring until the dough comes together again. In the end, the dough will be sticky and firm enough to hold a stiff peak.
Make the egg wash: In a small cup stir egg and water to combine. Set aside.
Transfer Pâte à Choux to a piping bag fitted with a star tip (I used the Wilton 1M tip). Stick a bit of dough on the baking sheets underneath the parchment paper to fix the paper. Pipe ten about 4-inch long and ½-inch wide (10×1,5cm) strips on the 2 prepared baking sheets with enough space in-between (about 2-3 inches) and spin the tip. Press down the tip with wet fingers that they don’t get too brown or burn. Lightly brush with egg wash.
Bake one baking sheet at the time for about 30-35 minutes until puffed and golden brown. They need to sound hollow when knocking on the bottom. Don’t open the oven during the baking time or the eclairs will collapse. I baked mine for 33 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
Fill the cream puffs by cutting the eclairs in half horizontally. Pipe the chocolate filling into the eclairs. Set aside.
Make the chocolate ganache: Place chopped chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Microwave heavy whipping cream until very hot and lightly simmering for about 1-2 minutes. Pour over chocolate and let stand 1-2 minutes. Stir until smooth, and the chocolate is completely melted. Add corn syrup and stir until combined if desired (for extra gloss, totally optional). Let stand for about 5 minutes.
Place eclairs on a wire rack. Spoon chocolate ganache (about 1 tablespoon of ganache per eclair) on top of the eclairs and let dry. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.
Notes
Watch full tutorial on how to make choux pastry and pastry cream in the blog post above.
Watch 67-seconds video to see the whole process.
Read blog post above to learn more about troubleshooting common choux pastry problems.
