Of all the desserts that I make….and I make A LOT of different dessert recipes….this one is probably the one I have received the most compliments for. (I’d say this is the one that made me famous, but I’m not famous, so…..)
If you attempt these (and trust me…you SHOULD)….the recipients will ooooh and ahhhh over the fact that “You made eclairs!?!” But the great thing is, although they do require some time to make, they are really not difficult and the ingredients are ones that are easy to find in your local supermarket! In fact, if you bake fairly often, you might even have most of these in your pantry already!
Sometimes I make the pastry part and filling one day, leave the filling in the fridge overnight to set, and fill and frost them the next day. I have become spoiled with this recipe and it’s hard for me to eat any other eclairs now!
To start off, place the butter and water in a medium saucepan to a rolling boil until butter melts. Turn heat to low and stir in the flour until it forms a ball. Transfer to a mixing bowl, add the eggs all at once, and beat until it’s smooth. (It will look lumpy and like it’s not mixing well at first, but that’s normal. Just keep mixing until it’s smooth!)
Then drop the batter by spoonfuls on to a parchment-lined or greased cookie sheet (I like using a cookie or ice cream scoop….but bear in mind, the batter is so sticky, it won’t come out of the cookie scoop easily without shaking or using a spoon or a clean finger to help the batter onto the cookie sheet. Make sure batter is shaped in even balls as much as possible.
Place into oven and bake for 30-35 min or until turning golden brown.
While the eclairs are baking, I usually make the pudding mixture for the filling and put it in the fridge to set. Then when you take the eclairs out and they are cooling, I add the whipped topping/whipped cream and beat until smooth. Return to the fridge to set while pastry is cool.
When the pastry for the eclairs is cooled completely, fill the eclairs by 1) putting the filling in a frosting bag and attaching a pastry tip. Insert the tip into the eclair in an inconspicuous place near the top part of the eclair (so that you can cover the hole with frosting.) Or 2) using a knife, slice 3/4 of the way across the top of the eclair, open, spoon in filling with a small spoon and close. (You likely won’t see the cut when you close it, and if you do, you’ll most likely cover it with frosting anyway.)
The frosting is so easy! Just add the powdered sugar to a bowl along with the cocoa. Whisk to blend. Heat the butter, vanilla and milk in the microwave until the butter has melted (about 25 seconds) and add to the dry ingredients, whisking until smooth. If too thick, add a little more milk. Using as small spoon, drizzle the frosting over the top of each eclair, letting it run down the sides if it does. When it starts to set, sprinkle a little powdered sugar over the top of the fudge frosting for a garnish. Enjoy!
*These should be stored in the fridge and can be frozen for up to 2 weeks if covered well.
| Prep Time | 1-2 hours |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
Eclairs
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- 1 c water
- 1/2 c butter (can substitute margarine)
- 1 c all purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 4.5 oz pkg vanilla pudding
- 1-1/4 c milk
- 1 -1/2 c whipped topping (or whipped cream)
- 1 c powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp butter or margarine melted
- 3 Tbsp baking cocoa
- 3/4 tsp Vanilla
- 1-2 Tbsp milk
Ingredients
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|
- Preheat oven to 400*. Heat water and margarine to a rolling boil in a saucepan. Stir in flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute.
- Place mixture into a large bowl. Add eggs, all at once, and beat until texture is smooth.
- Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake 30-35 min or until puffed and golden. Cool completely.
- While pastry is baking, make filling by adding pudding and milk until well-blended. Refrigerate until mixture begins to thicken. Add whipped topping (or whipped cream) and beat until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to fill pastry.
- Make fudge frosting by mixing powdered sugar, butter or margarine, cocoa, milk and vanilla.
- When pastry is cool and filling has thickened, fill using a frosting bag and a pastry tip, or slice 3/4 of the way across the top of the eclair, open, spoon in filling and close.
- Drizzle frosting on the top. If frosting is too thick, add a little milk or microwave for a few seconds. Sprinkle a little powdered sugar across the top or garnish as desired.
- Makes 15-24 eclairs, depending on size.
These should be stored in the fridge and can be frozen for up to 2 weeks if covered well.
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