Chocolate Eclairs

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For a more elegant dessert, these homemade chocolate eclairs are perfect! They are so delicious!

I love homemade eclairs. How can you not? Choux pastry shells filled with a basic yummy pastry cream, dipped in an incredible chocolate ganache. Pure deliciousness with every bite.

Choux pastry is used in a number of desserts so it is a good thing to know how to make. It is used for eclairs, cream puffs, and other desserts. Your friends and family will think you are a master baker if you make these amazing desserts. They are pretty easy to make, if I can do it you can do it. Let’s get baking!

Step 1: Gather the ingredients

In order to make these chocolate eclairs you will need the following ingredients:

Choux Pastry

• Water – I always use filtered water because my tap water tastes gross.
• Butter – Unsalted or salted butter is fine.
• Flour – All-purpose/plain flour.
• Salt
• White granulated sugar
• Eggs

Pastry Cream Filling

• Vanilla instant pudding – Any flavor will work, however.
• Milk – I like to use whole milk, but any milk will do.
• Heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Ganache Topping

• Chocolate – You can use chocolate bars, chocolate chips, candy melts, etc.
• Heavy whipping cream

Step 2: How to make chocolate eclairs

We will begin by making the basic choux pastry. In a small bowl whisk together flour, sugar, and the salt. You may also add the sugar and salt to the butter as it melts if you like.

In a large pot add the water and butter. You can also add the sugar and salt at this point if you don’t blend it in with the flour. Set the heat to medium heat and stir occasionally until the mixture begins to boil.

Once the water and butter start to boil remove the pot from the heat and then add all of the flour mixture in at once. Then use a wooden spoon or silicone spoon and stir really quickly until a dough forms.

Then add the heat back over to the burner and stir and cook the dough for about 30 seconds. Next remove it from the heat.

Step 3: Eggsellent

Now add the chocolate eclairs dough to a large bowl and keep stirring it with the spoon. This will allow the steam to be released from the dough and cool it down so you can add the eggs. If the dough is too hot it will cook the eggs.

Once the dough is slightly warm to the touch add the eggs one at a time. First, add an egg and then stir it in. It will seem like it isn’t going to blend in with the dough, just keep stirring and it will blend end. Keep doing this until all the eggs are incorporated.

The chocolate eclairs dough is ready to go.

Step 4: Pipe the chocolate eclairs shapes out

Add the eclair dough to a piping bag and twist the top. You can use a professional one or just use a large zip lock bag with the corner snipped off. Use a large round tip or a French star tip.

Tip: If you fold the piping bag over a large glass it makes it easier to scoop in the dough.

Now preheat the oven to 425 F/218 C. Take a sheet pan and line it with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Next pipe the pastry dough onto the pan making it about one inch wide by 4 to 5 inches long.

Step 5: Baste and Bake

Take an egg and whisk it in a small bowl with a teaspoon of water creating an egg wash. Baste the top of the unbaked eclair shells with the egg wash. The basting brush will also be able to shape the eclairs and fix any mishaps cause when piping.

Place the pan in the oven on the middle rack position and bake them for 15 minutes, then turn down the heat to 350 F/176 C and bake them for another 20 to 25 minutes. DO NOT open the oven, this will cause them to deflate. You can check them after a total of 35 minutes.

They will be nice and golden brown on top and sound hollow on the inside when done. You can also just bake them at 375 F/190 C for 35 to 40 minutes instead of doing the temp adjustment. Both baking methods work.

Remove the chocolate eclairs shells from the oven and allow them to cool while you prepare the pastry cream.

Step 6: Make the pastry cream for the chocolate eclairs

Time to make the pastry cream. There are a number of creams that you can fill the eclairs with. Some people like to use a homemade custard or custard blended with heavy cream. Or just plain whipped cream will work as well. I like to use an easy pastry cream made from instant pudding and whipped cream.

It is awesome because there are so many different flavors of instant pudding that you can use. You can use chocolate pudding for even more chocolate flavor if you like.

In a medium bowl combine the milk and the instant pudding mix. Blend those ingredients together until smooth and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.

Add the whipping cream to a separate bowl and mix with a hand mixer or stand mixer until stiff peaks form. Then fold the pudding in with the whipped cream, creating the pasty cream filling.

Step 6: Chocolate eclairs ganache topping

Time to make the chocolate ganache topping. You can’t make chocolate eclairs without the chocolate topping!

In a small bowl heat up the heavy cream until it is really hot. I usually just heat it in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Then pour the hot cream over another bowl filled with your chocolate. Allow the bowl to sit undisturbed for 5 to 10 minutes.

Then come bag and stir it until nice and smooth. If you want the ganache to be really thin only use about 4 ounces of chocolate with a half cup of heavy whipping cream. If you want a thicker ganache at 10 to 12 ounces of chocolate with the same amount of cream.

You may also add more cream or chocolate later to get the desired consistency.

Step 7: Fill up those eclairs

Take another pastry bag and fill it up with the pastry cream with an injector tip. Grab the eclair shells and turn them over and poke three holes in the bottom with a wooden skewer. Then stick the tip in and pipe in and fill up the eclairs until they are heavy with the cream.

Another method is to cut the shells in half and then just pipe on the pastry cream. It all depends on how you want them to look.

Step 8: Dip those chocolate eclairs

Now all you need to do is dip the stuff eclairs into the chocolate lengthwise. Allow the excess to drip off back into the bowl and then place them back on the sheet for the ganache to set.

Your chocolate eclairs are done, time to take a bite out of one. Enjoy!

How long to chocolate eclairs last?

Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. Or you may put them in a ziplock freezer bag and freeze them for six to eight weeks.

Do you like this recipe? Please give it a rating and comment down below, I really appreciate it.  If you make it tag me on Instagram @inthekitchenwithmatt. Also, sign up for the newsletter so you won’t miss out on any of my new posts and recipes.

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