Eclairs

 Photo 

Any lover of eclairs will be ecstasy over a homemade one. Today these are filled with cream filling, they can also be filled with sweetened whipped cream. The recipe may seen complicated, because it is long and has 3 parts to it. But it is really very simple and very worth the effort!

Cream Puff Dough: (Makes apx. 10, 2 inch cream puffs. I double or triple this recipe for a group)

Ingredients

1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs

Method:

1. Oil, butter or prepare cookie sheet with baking paper. 
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or 175 degrees C. 
3. Bring water and butter to boil. 
4. Remove from heat and rapidly stir in flour so that it forms ball. 
5. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well between eggs. 
6. To make traditional eclair shapes, place dough in pastry tube and squeeze onto prepared cookie sheet.  Or drop by rounded spoonfuls on cookie sheet. 
7. Bake apx. 20 -30 min. until golden. 

Cream Filling: 

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons flour
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Chocolate variation:

• Use 1 cup sugar, rather than 1/2 cup. Melt 55 g. dark chocolate with milk. Then add eggs- stirring vigorously, and flour. Omit vanilla.

Method:

1. Stir all ingredients , except vanilla together well in saucepan. 
2. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and beings to boil. 
3. Remove from heat and add vanilla. 
4. Cool to room temperature. 

Chocolate Frosting:

Ingredients: 

85 g. semi sweet or dark chocolate
2 tablespoons butter

Method:

1. Melt over double boiler until smooth. 

Eclair Assembly:

1. When cream puffs are cooled, and filling also then you may start assembly. 
2. Gently cut off top of cream puff, so as to make a lid. 
3. Remove any "extra" of the insides that would keep their from being room to fill. 
4. Add the filling and replace top. 
5. Frost with chocolate frosting. 
6. Enjoy!