Éclairs do take a little time to make, but they are completely worth the effort. This classic French recipe is made a wee bit easier by using instant pudding for the filling, but that doesn’t detract from the taste or texture in the least. And this ganache style frosting — c’est magnifique!
Ingredients
Pastry
- 1/2 cup Butter or Margarine
- 1 cup Water
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 4 Large Eggs
Filling
- 1 package Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix*
- 1-1/2 cups Whole Milk
- 1 cup Whipping Cream
Ganache Frosting
- 1 cup Whipping Cream
- 3/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1/4 cup White Sugar
- 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
*Any instant pudding mix will work well. Just be sure to select one that calls for 3 cups of milk, and you’re all set!
Directions
- Preheat oven to 420 degrees.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized saucepan, heat butter or margarine and water over medium-high to high heat until boiling.
- Remove from heat, and add flour and salt.
- Mix together until well combined and pulling away from the sides of the saucepan into one large lump.
- Place flour mixture in a large bowl or stand mixer.
- Stir flour mixture while adding eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth after each egg.
- Put dough into a pastry bag and pipe onto prepared baking sheets in about 12 strips, approximately 1-1/2 inches by 4 inches each.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 325 degrees, and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until pastries are golden brown and sound hollow when you tap on them.
- Remove from oven and transfer to a baking rack to cool.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine pudding mix, milk, and whipping cream.
- Beat for 2-3 minutes until firm and fluffy.
- Cover and refrigerate.
- In a small bowl, blend together cocoa powder and white sugar with a fork or small whisk until well combined and all of the lumps are out of the cocoa.
- In a small saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium-high heat until almost boiling.
- Remove whipping cream from heat and add cocoa mixture, whisking until smooth.
- Add vanilla and whisk to combine.
- Slowly add powdered sugar while whisking, and continue whisking until completely smooth.
- Keep ganache frosting warm.
- By now, your pastry should be completely cooled. Pierce the end of each pastry with a long, thin knife, pushing the knife almost to the end, and wiggling it to create an easy path for the filling.
- Fill a pastry bag with chilled vanilla filling and attach a long, thin tip.
- Insert the tip deeply into the end of each pastry and fill, drawing the tip back toward the hole you made at the end of each pastry as you go.
- Return each pastry to the cooling rack after they are filled, leaving space between each one.
- Stir warm ganache frosting again until smooth.
- With a large tablespoon, spoon ganache over the top of each pastry, allowing any excess to drip below the baking rack.
- Refrigerate to set frosting.
- Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container, and enjoy within one day for the best texture. (Who am I kidding? These will be gone tout de suite!)
Sneaky Trick: Put a layer of parchment paper under your baking rack before frosting your éclairs to catch any dripping ganache. If you’re a little short on ganache, this will allow you to rescue some of the unused portion that drips through the baking rack, warm it, and re-use it. (Or, you can just snack on it while your éclairs are chilling in the refrigerator.)