These classic eclairs are made of crisp choux pastry, rich and creamy fillings, and silky chocolate glaze. Follow my detailed guide to make the perfect homemade chocolate eclairs every time.
In a large saucepan, add butter, water, milk, sugar, and salt. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts and the sugar and salt dissolve. Then bring to a boil over high heat.
Remove from the heat and add the flour, stirring until lump-free and incorporated. Then, set the dough aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Whisk the eggs. Add about one egg (1/4 cup) at a time to the dough and mix with a wooden spoon or hand mixer until smooth and glossy. Once ready, let it chill briefly, then transfer it to a pastry bag.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper or Silpat lightly sprayed with water.
Use a round or star-shaped nozzle (such as the Wilton 1A or 2A) and hold the pastry bag at a 45-degree angle. Be steady and press with constant pressure when piping 10cm long logs, leaving 2 inches between them.
You need to make sure that the eclair doesn't become thicker in the middle than the two ends. You can pipe the eclair shapes more like a dog bone (with slightly larger ends and a thinner middle) or a straight shape (with just ever so slightly larger ends), but never pipe the middle to be larger than the ends.
Once piped, smooth down any peaks on the dough with a water covered finger and then brush with egg wash.
Bake the pastry in the oven at 350ºF/180ºC until light golden brown and crispy. For me, this takes around 28 minutes. Make sure NEVER to open the oven door during baking, or you will release the steam inside and cause the dough to collapse.
Once ready, transfer the pastries to a cooling rack and let them fully cool down before filling.
The Filling
Prepare the custard and chocolate pastry cream the day before and let them chill in the fridge overnight. Spoon the filling into a pastry bag with a small round tip.
There are three ways to fill these eclairs:Slice the pastry in half, lengthwise, and fill. This way, you can pipe the filling onto the bottom half of the shell decoratively and, optionally, top with fresh fruit such as raspberries, etc.Pipe the filling inside the pastry shells from the ends. Use a filling tip like a Bismarck tip on the piping bag and insert it in both ends of the eclair. Fill the pastry with the filling before wiping the ends to remove any excess.Pipe the filling through the bottom. If you want to create some sort of fancy decoration over the top of the eclairs, then you can fill the pastry shells through the bottom. Use a small tip, make two holes in the bottom of the pastry, fill it, and then wipe away any excess.
Repeat the process with all of the choux shells. Then set them aside.
The Chocolate Glaze
In a small pan, heat the cream until it begins to simmer, then remove from the heat and add the chocolate, broken into pieces. Stir well until the chocolate is completely melted and you have a smooth, glossy glaze.
Once ready, carefully dip each pastry into the warm glaze. When lifting them from the bowl, shake lightly to allow any excess to drip back into the bowl and then place on a cooling rack to set. You can use a toothpick to clean up any edges and wipe away excess glaze.
Allow the chocolate glaze to set. Then serve and enjoy!
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Notes
Fillings: You can also fill the eclairs with curds, jams, ganache, diplomat cream, or a mix of fillings.To store: Eating these within 1-2 days of making is best. In the meantime, store them in an airtight container in the fridge.Check the blog post for more information on storage.