Photo source by BarelyDevi / Pixabay / Virginia Watkins/ Desygner
Chocolate eclairs
In 1884, the first learned recipe for the chocolate eclair appeared in "The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book". The chocolate eclair is similar to a cream puff. The only difference is that a cream puff is round, filled with thick cream, then dusted with powdered sugar, with no chocolate added. Whereas the chocolate eclair is piped oblong, cream-filled, and normally frosted with a chocolate frosting or chocolate glaze dripped over it.
For this chocolate eclair recipe, the pastry dough is piped out of a pastry bag, then baked, cooled, and sliced to pipe in the filling. The filling of the chocolate eclair can be a vanilla pastry cream or whipped cream. This recipe uses both an instant vanilla pudding mix, and heavy whipping cream. When the thick vanilla cream is prepared it's then piped onto the center of the sliced bottom layer, then the tops of the eclairs are placed back on. Then the chocolate frosting and powdered sugar are added. I know most people scoop the interior of the eclairs out before adding the filling, but I don't. I don't like wasting ingredients.
If you don't have a pastry bag, this recipe can still be made. Just spoon the pastry dough on a baking tray, then with a spatula smear the pastry dough out in an oblong shape. Form the pastry dough into eight 4 inches long, 1-1/2-inches wide. When filling the chocolate eclairs with the cream (after pastries are baked) simply spoon the cream filling on the sliced bottom half, and use a spatula to smear the cream.
Ingredients for the eclair pastry dough:
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of butter or margarine, sliced
1 cup of self-rising flour
4 large eggs
Ingredients for the eclair filling:
2-1/2 cups of cold whole milk
1 package of instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Ingredients for the chocolate eclair frosting:
2 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1-1/4 cups of powdered sugar
3 tablespoons of hot water
Instructions for the pastry dough:
First, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Add water, butter, to a large saucepan and bring it to a boil on top of the range. Next, add the self-rising flour into the pan, stir until the dough forms a ball. Then remove the pan from the heat; allowing it to stand for 5 minutes. Now, with a mixer beat in the eggs, slowly one at a time. Beat the dough mixture until it becomes extremely smooth, and shiny.
Using a pastry bag with a large tip, pipe the pastry dough into eight 4 inches long, 1-1/2-inches wide strips on a well-buttered baking tray. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the dough is puffed up and golden. Remove from the oven, onto a wire cooling rack. Instantly slice the eclairs in the center; place the tops aside. Allow the eclairs to cool.
Instructions for the eclair filling:
In a large bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Now, beat in the sugar and pure vanilla. Set aside. In a separate bowl add the milk and instant vanilla pudding mix and beat until the pudding becomes thick; fold into pudding.
Next, spoon the cream into a pastry bag and pipe it onto the center of the bottom layer of the eclairs.
Instructions for the frosting:
Now, in a microwavable bowl add the chocolate chips and sliced butter; place the bowl in the microwave for 20 seconds intervals, stir the chocolate mixture until it is smooth. Next, add in the powdered sugar and about 3 tablespoons of hot water. Stir the frosting until it is smooth and creamy. Allow the frosting to slightly cool. Then drizzle or spread the frosting over the eclairs. Allow the chocolate eclairs to cool. Serve and enjoy!
Notes:
The eclairs will need to be kept cold in the refrigerator until