Homemade Chocolate Eclairs

When you talk about eclairs, homemade is always a better option. Bakery-bought eclairs mostly have soggy and mushy crusts, because bakers freeze their choux pastries for days. Therefore you're better off baking and filling them fresh at home.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 417 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 pinch salt
• 5 eggs
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• ¾ cup water
• 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 ½ tablespoons water
• 8 ½ tablespoons butter
• 5 ⅓ ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 drops vanilla extract, or to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Butter a baking sheet.

Step 2

Heat 3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons water, 8 1/2 tablespoons butter, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; turn off the heat and sift in flour. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture is well combined and leaves the sides of the pan.

Step 3

Cool the mixture to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Crack in eggs, 1 at a time, stirring gradually into a smooth dough. Lift the spoon to check the consistency; dough should slide gradually back into the bowl.

Step 4

Fit a piping bag with a coupler and 3/4-inch round nozzle. Drop piping bag, nozzle-down, into a tall glass and fold edges down around the glass. Spoon dough into the bag. Gather edges and twist together.

Step 5

Pipe dough into 5-inch-long logs onto the prepared baking sheet. Press logs down with wet fingers if any peaks form.

Step 6

Bake in the preheated oven until golden and firm, 30 to 35 minutes. Let eclairs cool on a wire rack while preparing the topping and filling.

Step 7

Place chocolate and 1/4 cup butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Step 8

Beat cream in a chilled glass or metal bowl using an electric mixer until frothy. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract gradually, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Fill a clean piping bag with the whipped cream.

Step 9

Use a paring knife to cut an X in either end of each eclair. Pipe a portion of the whipped cream into one end of each eclair until it starts to ooze out the other side. Dip the top halves in melted chocolate-butter mixture. Refrigerate eclairs until filling hardens, about 30 minutes.