Classic Chocolate Éclairs
- Total Time
- 2½ hours, plus cooling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:12 to 14 éclairs
- 6large egg yolks
- ½cup/100 grams granulated sugar
- ¼cup/30 grams cornstarch
- Pinch kosher salt
- 2cups/480 milliliters whole milk
- ¾cup/180 milliliters heavy cream
- 1vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out and reserved
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter (¾ stick)
- 2teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾cup/95 grams all-purpose flour
- 3large eggs
- ½cup/120 milliliters heavy cream
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- 1cup/170 grams chopped bittersweet chocolate
- 1tablespoon corn syrup
For the Custard
For the Puffs
For the Glaze
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)
279 calories; 19 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 16 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 163 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Prepare the custard: Stir together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and kosher salt in a medium saucepan until smooth. Whisk in the milk and ½ cup heavy cream. Add the vanilla bean and seeds and the butter and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a large heatproof bowl.
- Step 2
Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and making sure to get the edges, until the mixture begins to thicken, 2 to 4 minutes. (It's helpful to have both a spatula and a whisk handy while making the custard. Switch between the two.) Let it come up to a very slow boil and cook for 1 minute more. Strain the custard through the sieve into the bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1½ hours.
- Step 3
Prepare the puffs: Bring the butter, sugar, salt and ¾ cup/175 milliliters water to a simmer over medium heat in a medium saucepan, stirring with a wooden spoon. As soon as it comes to a boil, add the flour, stirring constantly, until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring the dough occasionally.
- Step 4
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Add the eggs to the dough in the pan, one at a time, stirring vigorously between each addition with a wooden spoon. The dough will break apart and slide around in the pot before it comes back together. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large round or star tip. (The author used Ateco #826.)
- Step 5
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pipe the dough into 4½-inch-by-¾-inch lengths about 3 inches apart. With a damp fingertip, flatten any points. Bake until éclairs are deep golden brown and puffed, rotating the sheets halfway through, 22 to 25 minutes. They should be very light and crisp. Turn the oven off. Poke each éclair on either end with a toothpick to allow some steam to release. Return the puffs to the oven and prop the door open a crack with a wooden spoon. Allow the puffs to dry out in the oven, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Step 6
Prepare the glaze: Bring the heavy cream and salt to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate and corn syrup. Let the mixture stand for 1 minute and then whisk to make a smooth sauce.
- Step 7
To finish the custard, whip the remaining ¼ cup heavy cream to soft peaks. Whisk the cooled custard to loosen it, then fold in the whipped cream. Transfer the custard to a pastry bag fitted with a fluted tip. Slice the top third off each éclair and fill the bases of the éclairs with custard. Dip the tops of the éclairs in the glaze and set them on top of the custard-filled bases. Serve immediately.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Annie
When I was a bride back in 1958, there was a packaged mix to make eclairs, my new husband's dream dessert. I made them over and over, then the mix disappeared from supermarket shelves so I was force to learn to make them from scratch. Now I am alone, hubby long gone, and have not even thought of eclairs until I saw this reminder recipe. Will get to work early tomorrow (Sunday) to make them for my family, remembering the sweetest time in my life as a new bride.
jin
After baking for 22-25 min, taking them out of the hot oven too quickly made my eclairs deflate. Instead, I quickly poked them while still in the oven and then turned the oven off to let them set.
Karen R
This dough tastes amazing, but I attempted the cooking instructions twice and the eclairs burned pretty badly. I’ve looked up other pâte à choux recipes and many call for the temperatures to be dropped after 10-15 minutes. I finally found success after baking for 10 minutes at 425, then an additional 10 at 350, following all other instructions as written. Has anyone found a similar problem or solution?
JSC
Custard and glaze came out great. Puffs would have completely burned if I left them in the oven at 450 for 25 minutes. I rescued them after 18 minutes. Something is off with that temp and cooking time. Other recipes recommend lowering the temperature part way through baking.
Bettina Halpern
She is saying the total cooking time is 22 - 25 minutes. Your eclairs will overcook if you bake them in the manner the recipe suggests. After 15 minutes, you sould lower the oven temperature to 350⁰ (I had a typo when advising someone else of this and put 360⁰ as the reduced temperature instead of 350⁰. Every pate a choux recipe I have ever used calls for the reduction in oven temperature.
Delaney
Fantastic! Only note would be the amount of custard and glaze this recipe makes. I was able to make two full batches of puffs using the one batch of custard and glaze. I actually still had custard left over after finishing the second batch. But I am a pretty amateur baker and was able to make these pastries, definitely approachable and delicious!!
Rachel
22-25 minutes left my puffs pretty burnt so I had to start over. The second batch at 16-18 minutes was much better and perfectly golden brown
Joan
6 TBSP of butter doesn’t weigh 170 grams! More like 84 grams.
Bettina Halpern
Lower the temperature to 360⁰ after 15 minutes.
Jeremy
Like others have said the custard is for at least a double recipe of the choux pastry. The custard is lovely though. The choux recipe is all wrong. At 450 with 2 tablespoons of sugar your puffs will be over brown before they are done and the structure will collapse when you are forced to pull them out. Leave the sugar out and lower the temp to 400 for 15 mins and then further reduce it to 325 for 10 mins then poke your holes and return for 5 more mins. The color and structure will be correct.
too much custard!
Someone else commented this, but I also wanted to mention that there was at least double the amount of custard needed.
kok
It was ready in half the time...
Mallory
Here are some easy substitutions I did. Hope it's helpful! - Folded whip cream from a can into the custard in the last step for the filling. Worked great! - Used chopsticks to poke holes on top rather than toothpicks on the side - Didn't have piping tips, so I cut the puffs open with a serrated knife and squeeze the filling into it like a sandwich. - Used 1tbs of vanilla extract instead of a vanilla bean (tasted great) - You can also pipe the chocolate onto the top if you want to get creative
thatsnotmyname
Annie- Your remembering being a new bride, and your husband’s favorite eclairs, and your having to learn how to do it without the box; This is a gift to all of us. Thank you for sharing this. He was so lucky.
Margaret
The ingredient list for the custard reads “3/4 cup heavy cream”, but the instructions tell you to “add the 1/2 cup cream”. Very confusing. I used half a cup, and it’s in the fridge now. That’s a lot of custard! I used vanilla bean paste, and it looks and tastes luscious. Yes, I licked my spoon!
Mark T
They really should change the cooking time. I baked for 15 mins at ~435 or so, then turned it down to ~335 for 7 mins and the puffs were slightly too dark on the bottom rack and perfect on the top. Other than that, though, great recipe. I used 1 tbsp of vanilla extract and I wish the vanilla were stronger, so I suppose I will invest in some vanilla beans.
Katpie Treichel
Whoopsies, duh happens, so please note that you only need 1/2 cup heavy cream out of the 3/4 cup that is listed in the ingredients!
Annie
My puffs completely deflated. Such a bummer.
Eleni
First time making Choux and I followed the recipe exactly, but the “dough” was completely liquid so I added a little more flour and the puffs came out like hard rocks. :( disappointed and will need to try another recipe
Diane P
The notes here were very helpful. Gluten-free success here!!!- I substituted the flour for a GF cup-for-cup, and the choux turned out great. (There are many brands- it was likely King Arthur or Cup-4-Cup brand.) Halved the custard recipe. I followed the baking advice noted here of 425F for 10 mins, then 350F for 10 mins, then oven off, cracking the door for 15 mins. Used chopsticks to poke holes. Also, I'm sure many avid bakers use this, but I always use an oven thermometer when baking.
mimisf
Forget the vanilla custard! Chocolate eclairs require a good chocolate creme patissiere (thicker custard). At least in French bakeries. :)
Joanna
In the UK we often use whipped heavy cream (with a very light touch of sugar) instead of custard cream for the filling. One less step and still delicious
mimisf
Chocolate custard is what makes chocolate eclair, at least the original ones.
Terri P
The puffs did not rise and were too browned with these instructions. I’m going to need to find another recipe to use the custard.
Elizabeth
After 20 minutes at 450 the pastries were over cooked and a couple were scorched. Partly my fault because I made them too small, but I wish I had read the notes before baking.
makes around 10
63 gram sugar including vanilla sugar
Jeremy
Like others have said the custard is for at least a double recipe of the choux pastry. The custard is lovely though. The choux recipe is all wrong. At 450 with 2 tablespoons of sugar your puffs will be over brown before they are done and the structure will collapse when you are forced to pull them out. Leave the sugar out and lower the temp to 400 for 15 mins and then further reduce it to 325 for 10 mins then poke your holes and return for 5 more mins. The color and structure will be correct.
Karen R
This dough tastes amazing, but I attempted the cooking instructions twice and the eclairs burned pretty badly. I’ve looked up other pâte à choux recipes and many call for the temperatures to be dropped after 10-15 minutes. I finally found success after baking for 10 minutes at 425, then an additional 10 at 350, following all other instructions as written. Has anyone found a similar problem or solution?
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