Chocolate Éclairs
Crispy choux pastry shells filled with vanilla pastry cream and topped with glossy chocolate glaze. A showstopping French dessert that looks fancy but uses just seven ingredients.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 12
- Calories
- 285
- Protein
- 4g
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- 1
Set the oven to 425°F and wait until the preheat indicator light or beep tells you it is ready, about 10 minutes.
- 2
Pour 1 cup of water into a medium saucepan, add 0.5 cup of butter cut into 4 pieces, and set the pan over medium heat.
- 3
Wait until the butter melts completely and the water comes to a rolling boil—bubbles that vigorously break the surface, about 4 minutes.
- 4
Remove the pan from the heat, then pour in 1 cup of flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture looks like thick dough and pulls away from the pan sides, about 1 minute.
- 5
Let the dough cool for 3 minutes until it is just warm to the touch, then add 1 egg at a time, stirring hard after each addition until the egg is fully incorporated before adding the next.
- 6
Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 0.5-inch round tip (or a zip-top bag with one corner snipped off into a small hole).
- 7
Pipe the dough onto an ungreased baking sheet in 12 lines, each about 4 inches long, leaving 2 inches of space between them so they do not touch as they expand.
- 8
Bake for 30 minutes until the pastries are golden brown and feel firm and hollow when you gently squeeze one with your fingers—do not open the oven door before 25 minutes or they may collapse.
- 9
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the éclairs cool on the sheet for 10 minutes until they are warm but not hot.
- 10
Pour 1 cup of heavy cream into a saucepan and set it over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges and steam rises from the surface, about 3 minutes.
- 11
Remove the pan from heat, add 6 oz of chopped semi-sweet chocolate and 2 tablespoons of sugar, then let it sit for 1 minute without stirring.
- 12
Stir the chocolate and cream together with a wooden spoon until the chocolate melts completely and the mixture is smooth and glossy, about 1 minute.
- 13
Use a small serrated knife to slice each éclair in half lengthwise, cutting through the long side from one end to the other, creating a top and a hollow bottom shell.
- 14
Spoon or pipe a thin layer of chocolate mixture (reserving about half for glazing) into the bottom shell of each éclair.
- 15
Place the top half of each éclair back on top of the filling, then drizzle the remaining chocolate mixture over the top, coating each éclair evenly.
- 16
Place the assembled éclairs in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes until the chocolate glaze is set and feels firm to the touch before serving.
Tools you’ll need
- oven
- medium saucepan
- wooden spoon
- pastry bag with 0.5-inch round tip (or zip-top bag)
- baking sheet
- small serrated knife
- measuring cups and spoons
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