Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Like heaven. Seriously, is there anything better than the mildly sweet, rich, and chocolaty goodness of a homemade eclair?
Texture: Light as air yet rich and satisfying.
Ease: This recipe is a little more advanced, but the video and step-by-step directions make this recipe a breeze, promise!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Bakery-quality treats you can make at home to impress all your friends.
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Is there anything better than the first bite of a Chocolate Eclair?
Just look at the pictures and envision yourself taking a bite into the airy pastry shell filled with rich and luscious pastry cream, all topped with a thick layer of chocolate glaze.
In my version of heaven, my house would be made out of chocolate eclairs (and filled with puppies).
I feel like they kind of get lost in the shuffle of bakery sweets, but a good Chocolate Eclairs is definitely something to write home about.
If you follow me on Instagram, then you know a while ago I was able to go to Paris with my best friend Ashley from Baker by Nature. We had the best time gallivanting around the city eating and drinking everything in sight.
I just had to come back home and make some eclairs from scratch to soften the blow of not waking up to the most delicious food every day.
The Chocolate Eclair recipe is a little more involved but there’s a step-by-step video in the recipe box below. It’s quite a few years old now, so please keep that in mind as you watch 😉
I consider these Chocolate Eclairs a small sacrifice in my ongoing efforts to make your life more delicious. I was practically forced to make them on a 100°F day here in Phoenix. Let’s just say that cranking the oven to 425°F is not fun when it’s that hot outside, neither is trying to get pastry cream to set. Oh the things I do in the name of food blogging! 😉 Best problems in the world.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Chocolate Eclairs
What Are Chocolate Eclairs?
A Chocolate Éclair is a French dessert that features an airy choux pastry shell, filled with rich and luscious vanilla pastry cream, all topped with a thick layer of chocolate glaze.
What is Choux Pastry?
Choux pastry (pronounced “shoe pastry“, also known as Pâte à Choux) is a simple, light pastry made on the stovetop, then transferred to a mixer where eggs are added and the mixture is beaten until it reaches a ribbony consistency.
To make eclairs, we pipe the choux pastry into logs and, once baked and cooled, filled with pastry cream and topped with a thick glaze. Choux pastry is super versatile, and the base for countless desserts such as creme puffs, churros, gougères, and more.
Chocolate Eclair Ingredients
Eclairs contain simple ingredients that you may already have on hand! You just need water, eggs, butter, fine salt, granulated sugar, and flour. Flour and eggs are the tricky parts here. More on these below.
The Flour
We’re just using all-purpose flour for these Chocolate Eclairs – but be sure to measure accurately! It’s super easy to accidentally add too much flour when measuring by volume (cups), so I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale to ensure accuracy.
The Eggs
The eggs needed when making an eclair recipe vary based on many factors, such as flour content (as mentioned above), the size of your eggs, and your kitchen environment. I included visual cues in the recipe instructions, so you’ll easily be able to identify whether or not to add a little more of another egg to the mixture – but if you’re not sure, check out my video (just below the recipe) to see what you’re looking for.
The Pastry Cream Filling
Eclairs are filled with Pastry Cream, also known as crème pâtissière (or creme pat, as you might have heard Paul Hollywood call it on the Great British Baking Show!). It is a type of custard made on the stovetop. It may seem a little intimidating to make, but I promise it’s not difficult.
Just be sure not to get the milk too hot in the first step, and slowly add a ladle-full to your egg mixture, to temper the eggs and prevent them from scrambling. Watch the video (just below the recipe) to see how simple it is.
How to Fill Eclairs
- Split each eclair shell in half lengthwise.
- Take the top shell and dip into the chocolate glaze. Place on a baking tray and allow to set.
- Using a spoon or pastry bag, fill the bottom shell with the pastry cream.
- Once the glaze has set on the top shells, place them on top of the pastry cream to finish assembling your Chocolate Eclairs.
How to Store Chocolate Eclairs
Eclairs should be stored in the fridge in a covered container for up to 2 days.
Can Eclairs be Frozen?
Yes! The baked and cooled (but unfilled and unglazed) pastry shells can be frozen until firm and then transferred to an airtight container. Store in a safe place in the freezer (so they don’t get damaged) for up to 1 month. Let thaw to room temperature then refresh them in a 350°F oven for 3 to 5 minutes before cooling, glazing, and filling.
More French-Inspired Recipes:
- How to Make Crepes
- Homemade Beignets
- Chocolate Souffles for Two
- French Silk Pie
- Classic French Madeleines (from Baker by Nature)
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Ingredients
For the filling:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 6 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup (133 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (32 grams) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the pastry:
- 1 cup water, plus 2 teaspoons for egg wash
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup (127 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3 to 4 large eggs, plus 1 for egg wash, at room temperature and divided
For the chocolate glaze:
- 2 ounces (57 grams) semisweet baking chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons corn syrup (feel free to omit)
Instructions
To make the filling:
- Pour the milk into a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Warm just until the milk barely begins to steam, being careful not to boil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until very well combined and light in color. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Gradually whisk a ladle of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Gradually whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture. Pour the egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and barely boiling.
- Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Strain into a clean bowl. Let cool slightly before pressing plastic wrap directly against the surface. Chill for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight.
For the pastry:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine 1 cup water, the butter, salt, and sugar and bring to a rolling boil. Immediately remove from heat. Vigorously whisk in all the flour at once and whisk for about 30 seconds, until combined. Return to heat and cook for 30 seconds, stirring with a silicone spatula until the mixture is more dry and begins to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Scoop the mixture into a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or use a hand mixer. Turn to medium speed and beat for about 30 seconds. Add 3 of the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl at least once. The dough should be thick but fall into a V-shaped ribbon when the paddle is lifted. If the dough is too thick, beat the remaining 1 egg into a separate small bowl, and drizzle in just enough until that V-shaped ribbony consistency is achieved.
- Fit a pastry bag with a large plain tip and transfer the dough to the bag. Pipe 10 to 12 large logs about 1-inch wide and 4-inches long onto the prepared parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Whisk the remaining egg with 2 teaspoons water and brush over the éclairs. Gently smooth any bumps on the dough with your fingers.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 425°F, then reduce the heat to 375°F, rotate the pan, and continue baking for another 25 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Make Ahead: At this point, the baked and cooled pastry shells can be frozen until hardened, then removed to an airtight container. Store in a safe place in the freezer for up to 1 month. Let thaw to room temperature then refresh them in a 350°F oven for 3 to 5 minutes before proceeding with glazing and filling.
To make the chocolate glaze:
- Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Microwave the cream just until boiling, about 30 seconds. Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until melted. Add in the vanilla and corn syrup.
To finish:
- Split each éclair shell in half lengthwise. Take the top shell and dip into the chocolate glaze, letting the excess drip off. Place, glazed side up, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a spoon or pastry bag, fill the bottom shell with the pastry cream. Once the glaze has set on the top shells, place them on top of the pastry cream. Serve or store in the fridge, covered, for up to 2 days.
This post was published in 2019 and has been updated with additional recipe tips and baking science information. Eclair photos by Ashley McLaughlin. Paris photos by Anastasia Abramova-Guendel.
These came out pretty good. The puff pastry and chocolate sauce were spot on. The filling was a little dense with 6 egg yolks. To make it lighter I made some regular whipped cream and folded it into the filling. Next time I may just go back to the NYT banana cream pie filling recipe.
There is a typo in the ingredients for the filling. The 1 cup of water is missing. The cup of water is included in the instructions.
Absolutely delish!! Made them and they turned out perfect! I made both chocolate and salted caramel and they were all everybody could talk about at the party. I used to make these when I was 12 and they didn’t turn out as yummy.
I made this and it was so delicious and super easy too.. Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe.
Do you serve Claire’s at room Temp or cold or warm?
Room temp!
Wow, so good! I made this and there was so many, but it was eaten within minutes of when I finished making it!
Super easy to make and turned out perfect for both filling and pastry! I highly recommend it. Only what I changed was adding more Vanilla extract for the filling and add almond extract for chocolate glaze.
Totally awesome.
Hi! I am having trouble with the filling. I think I am doing everything by the video but the eggs seem to have scrambled and the custard isn’t thickening. I added the milk to the egg mixture first and continually whisked. Could it be a heat issue? I have a gas stove so I don’t know if I am overestimating what medium-high heat is.
It seems like a great recipe and sounds like other people have had good success so hopefully I can make it work! 🙂
I just made these and they were soooo delicious and sooo easy!! I love that you added a video of you making them for reference, made me feel better about making the pastry and pastry cream for the first time. Thank you so much for this great recipe!
These look amazing and I can’t wait to make them! I’d like to make them for my daughter-in-law’s baby shower (during Las Vegas’ August heat) but I’d like to make them more bite-size, about 2 inches long. Would the baking time and/or oven temperature need to be adjusted. Thanks for any help you can give me.
Awesome!! The baking temps would remain the same, but you’d probably want to cut the baking time nearly in half. I’d bake off a test batch of just a few eclairs before baking all of them just to be safe.
I LOVE this recipe!!! I have made these chocolate eclairs and am so proud of myself at how well they turned out. It sounds very daunting but you have shown every little detail and step to being successful with this recipe. It’s not so scary any more. Thank you for yet another wonderfully delicious recipe Tessa!!!
So glad to hear that, Genny!!
Tessa…my mom who was an amazing baker and cook….always made her own Éclair and profiterole ..she loved doing it in her very tiny kitchen in South Philadelphia , and any excuse to bake was good for her…no matter the weather. So every occasion , she was the one everyone asked to please make something for us ! I first saw your video and thought ..” Right..this young girl is going to make a professional Choux and do Éclair ..yeah watch this disaster ” …Man did you so prove me a bad person and very very wrong….you did it exactly like my mom did, same recipe and all….it took me back to a childhood filled with many wonderful memories of home made foods Thanks…..my mother died before I got her to write every recipe she used to make …and her choux dough was one of them …thanks I now have it because of you ..you also made it look easy and very doable ….terrific job.I’m a fan !!