The perfect French eclair comes down to three key components: pastry cream (crème pâtissière), choux pastry (pâte à choux), and chocolate ganache. In this recipe, I’ve broken down all three so you have a foolproof guide to mastering each one!
HOW TO MAKE PASTRY CREAM FOR ECLAIRS (Crème Pâtissière)
Pastry cream (crème pâtissière) is a classic eclair filling that’s used in many French desserts. It’s a creamy custard that’s incredibly versatile, easy to make from scratch, and tastes far better than anything store-bought.
One of the biggest mistakes to avoid when making pastry cream is undercooking it. I know there’s always a worry when making any kind of custard that the eggs will overcook or scramble. While that’s a completely valid fear, I’ve found that being overly cautious can sometimes lead to undercooking it. Egg yolks contain an enzyme called “amylase”, which, if not cooked long enough, can break down the starch molecules in pastry cream that will cause it to become runny once it has cooled — not ideal for eclairs, where you don’t want the filling to ooze out!
Key tip: Avoid undercooking your pastry cream by whisking it constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Then, cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes to ensure the starch is fully activated and the enzymes are deactivated.
HOW TO MAKE CHOUX PASTRY FOR ECLAIRS (Pâte à Choux)
Pâte à choux (choux pastry) can seem intimidating at first, but I promise: once you get used to working with it, you will come to realize that it’s actually very simple to master. I’ve made this recipe as foolproof as I possibly could, but here are a few of my eclair troubleshooting tips to help guide you along the way:
1. Ensure the dough has the proper consistency. Getting the right texture is crucial. In this case, eggs are the main source of moisture and structure.
- Too few eggs = stiff dough that won’t puff well
- Too many eggs = runny dough that’s hard to pipe and is prone to collapsing
The perfect choux dough should be glossy, thick, and form a “V” shape as it slowly drips from the paddle or spoon. If it’s too stiff, beat an extra egg in a small bowl and add it to the dough a bit at a time until it reaches the right consistency. However, if you are ever in doubt, a slightly stiff choux dough is better than a runny one!
2. Carefully pipe and form the choux dough. When piping choux pastry, aim for even log shapes using a steady, consistent pressure. This helps ensure they all bake evenly in the oven. Additionally, using a star tip (or, alternatively, scoring them with the tines of a fork) helps the eclairs puff up relatively uniformly and reduces cracking. Remember: if you mess up, you can easily scrape the choux dough back into your piping bag and start over!
3. Use a perforated baking mat. Using a perforated silicone baking mat improves the airflow underneath the eclair shells, helping them puff up evenly and brown nicely in the oven — while also giving them a more professional look! (Click here for the ones I use and recommend!)
4. Control the baking temperature. Starting off at a high temperature (425℉) for the first 15 minutes allows the pâte à choux to puff up and brown nicely. Then, lowering the temperature to 350℉ allows them to continue baking, preventing them from being overly soggy on the inside and too dark on the outside.
5. Avoid opening the oven! Tempting, I know… But opening the oven releases the heat and steam that allows the pastry to puff. Opening the oven before your pâte à choux has set is a surefire way to have them collapse.
6. Cool the eclair shells properly. As soon as your eclair shells come out of the oven, use a piping tip or sharp knife to poke two holes in the bottom of each one. Then, place them upside down on a wire rack to allow the steam to escape. This prevents steam from getting trapped inside and making the shells soggy. I actually leave mine out for a few hours to dry out.
THE BEST CHOCOLATE GANACHE FOR ECLAIRS
The chocolate ganache in this recipe is tested and formulated to set properly without being too hard or runny. Also, the addition of corn syrup gives the ganache an extra shine. The key when working with chocolate is to avoid heating it too quickly or at too high of a temperature, as this can cause it to separate.
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS
Preparing the Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)
Note before you begin: When preparing pastry cream, I recommend having all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go so that you don’t run the risk of curdling your pastry cream along the way.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch until well combined and no lumps remain. Then, add in the egg yolks and whisk until the mixture is light yellow and forms a slowly dissolving ribbon on the surface when you lift your whisk out of the mixture. Set the mixture aside.
In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, add in the milk and salt and place it over medium heat until tepid.
While whisking constantly, slowly pour the tepid milk into your egg yolk mixture — just a few dribbles at a time, at first, so as to not heat the eggs too quickly and cause the mixture to curdle!
Once you have poured all of the tepid milk into the egg yolk mixture, transfer the mixture back into the saucepan and return it to medium heat.
While continuing to whisk constantly, cook the mixture until it becomes very thick and begins to bubble. You can stop whisking momentarily to check if the mixture is bubbling. Continue to cook the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes after it begins to bubble.
Note: It is very important to cook your pastry cream long enough to activate the cornstarch and also deactivate an enzyme in the egg yolks that can cause the pastry cream to break down and become runny after cooling.
After the pastry cream has bubbled for 1 to 2 minutes, remove it from the heat and immediately stir in the cubed butter and vanilla extract. Continue whisking until all of the butter has dissolved.
Pour the pastry cream into a clean bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream so that it does not form a skin as it sits. Allow to cool on a cooling rack for 30 minutes, before transferring it to the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preparing the Eclair Shells (Pâte à Choux)
Preheat the oven to 425℉ and prepare a sheet pan with a perforated baking mat or parchment paper.
In a small bowl, prepare your egg wash mixture by whisking together 1 egg yolk and 1 Tablespoon of heavy cream (or milk) until well combined. Set the egg wash aside.
In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, add in the milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt. Continue to heat until the butter is melted and the mixture begins to boil.
Add in the flour (all at once) and begin to stir with a large wooden spoon — gently at first so to not slosh any of the flour out of the pan.
Once the flour has been incorporated, begin mixing vigorously, pressing the mixture against the sides of the saucepan. It will eventually come together in a mass. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the dough appears glossy and a skin forms on the bottom of the pan, then for another 2 to 3 minutes. The goal here is to have as much moisture cook out of the dough as possible.
Empty the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on at a low speed and mix for 1 to 2 minutes, until most of the steam has stopped coming out of the dough.
With the mixer still on low, add in the eggs, one at a time. The dough will appear lumpy — that’s OK! Once all of the eggs have been incorporated, turn your mixer to a high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until the dough comes together.
Note: The choux dough should be glossy, thick, and form a “V” shape as it slowly drips from the paddle or spoon. If it’s too stiff, beat an extra egg in a small bowl and add it to the dough a bit at a time until it reaches the right consistency. However, if you are ever in doubt, a slightly stiff choux dough is better than a runny one!
Spoon the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a French star tip (I recommend one of about ½” in diameter). Alternatively, you can add the choux dough into a large resealable plastic bag and cut one of the corners to form a hole that is about ½” in diameter.
Holding the piping bag at a 45° angle, pipe the eclairs into a log shape about ½” to ¾” wide by 5″ long. Be sure to pipe each eclair at least 2″ apart from one another to allow them space to puff up and the air to circulate around them.
Note: If you are not using a star tip, you can achieve the same effect by running the tines of a fork along each log. These grooves help the eclair rise evenly in the oven.
Brush each of the eclairs with egg wash.
Set the eclairs into the centre of your preheated 425℉ oven for 15 minutes. Do not open the oven door! After 15 minutes, turn your oven down to 350℉ and continue to bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the eclairs are golden brown. At this point, you can open to oven to test for doneness. To do so, tap one of the shells; they should feel solid and crusty — not squishy.
Note: I find the best results when baking one sheet of eclair shells at time (instead of multiple pans). Just remember to reheat your oven to 425℉ between each batch!
Remove the eclair shells from the oven. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, poke two holes in the bottom of each eclair shell using a ¼” piping tip or sharp knife. Each hole should be about ⅓ of the way from each end.
Place the eclairs, face down, on a cooling rack and allow them to cool upside down (this helps the steam escape). Allow them to cool completely.
Filling the Eclair Shells
After at least two hours of chilling, remove your pastry cream from the fridge. It will have set and appear gelatinous in texture — that’s OK! Using a wire whisk, whisk the pastry cream vigorously for a few minutes until it has smoothed out again.
Spoon the pastry cream into a piping bag fitted with a ¼” piping tip. Alternatively, you can spoon the cream into a large resealable plastic bag and cut one of the corners to form a ¼” hole.
Holding each of the eclair shells in one hand and the bag of pastry cream in the other, fill each shell with pastry cream through the two holes in the bottom of each shell. Place the filled shells on a baking sheet (or large plates) in the fridge while preparing the chocolate ganache.
Preparing the Chocolate Ganache
In a small saucepan (but large enough to dip your eclairs!), add in the heavy cream, butter, corn syrup, and coffee liqueur (optional), and heat over medium heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is hot, but not bubbling.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly.
Pour in the chocolate, and allow it to sit in the hot liquid for 5 minutes to melt slowly.
After five minutes, stir the mixture until the chocolate is smooth and shiny. If you have any larger pieces of chocolate that didn’t melt, you can place the pan back on very low heat just until melted.
Remove the filled eclair shells from the fridge and dip each one into the chocolate ganache. Place the dipped eclairs back onto a baking sheet or large plate.
After all of the eclairs have been dipped in chocolate, return them into the fridge, uncovered, for at least two hours, or until the chocolate on top has set. Serve chilled.
Store any leftover eclairs in the fridge in an airtight container lined with paper towel to absorb any moisture or condensation and prevent them from getting soggy. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to three days.
To freeze, place any leftover eclairs in a single layer on a baking sheet or large plate and place them in the freezer, uncovered, until they have frozen solid. Once frozen, transfer them to an airtight container and store for up to 3 months. Allow the eclairs to thaw in the fridge before serving.
Foolproof Chocolate Eclairs (Éclairs aux Chocolat)
Ingredients
For the Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 5 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 2 cups whole milk
- ¼ tsp kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal)
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
For the Choux Pastry (Pâte à Choux)
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 additional large egg (for the egg wash)
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream, or milk (for the egg wash)
For the Chocolate Ganache
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
- 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
- 5 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, or chopped into ¼" chunks
- 1 Tbsp Kahlúa coffee liqueur (optional)
Instructions
Preparing the Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)
- Before beginning, prepare and measure out all ingredients. You will need to whisk constantly and will not want the pastry cream to sit still and possibly curdle.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch until well combined and no lumps remain. Add in egg yolks and whisk until the mixture is light yellow and forms a slowly dissolving ribbon on the surface when you lift your whisk out of the mixture. Set aside.½ cup granulated sugar¼ cup cornstarch5 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine milk and salt. Set over medium heat until tepid.2 cups whole milk¼ tsp kosher salt
- Whisking constantly, slowly pour the tepid milk into the large bowl with the egg yolk mixture — just a few dribbles at a time (at first), so as not to heat the egg yolks too quickly and cause the mixture to curdle!
- Transfer the egg yolk/milk mixture back into the saucepan and return it to medium heat. Whisking constantly, cook the mixture until it becomes very thick and begins to bubble. (You can stop whisking momentarily to check if the mixture is bubbling.) Continue to cook the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes after it begins to bubble.Note: It is very important to cook your pastry cream long enough to both activate the cornstarch and deactivate an enzyme in the egg yolks that can cause the pastry cream to break down and become runny after cooling.
- Once it has bubbled for 1 to 2 minutes, remove saucepan from heat and immediately stir in cubed butter and vanilla. Continue whisking until all of the butter has dissolved.¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cubed1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- Pour the pastry cream into a clean bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream so that it does not form a skin as it sits. Allow to cool on a cooling wrack for 30 minutes, before transferring it to the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preparing the Eclair Shells (Pâte à Choux)
- Preheat oven to 425℉. Line a sheet pan with a perforated baking mat or a piece of parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, prepare the egg wash mixture by whisking together 1 egg yolk and 1 Tbsp of heavy cream (or milk) until well combined. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt. Cook over medium heat until the butter is melted and the mixture begins to boil.½ cup milk½ cup water½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter1 Tbsp granulated sugar½ tsp kosher salt
- Add in the flour (all at once). With a large wooden spoon, stir gently so as not to slosh any of the flour out of the pan. Once the flour has been fully incorporated, stir vigorously, pressing the mixture against the sides of the saucepan with the wooden spoon. (It will eventually come together in a mass.) Stirring constantly, continue to cook dough until it appears glossy and a skin forms on the bottom of the pan. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. (The goal is to cook out as much of the moisture from the dough as possible.)1 cup all-purpose flour
- Empty the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until most of the steam has escaped from the dough (about 1 to 2 minutes).
- With the mixer still on low, add in 4 eggs, one at a time. The dough will appear lumpy – that’s OK! Once all the eggs are incorporated, increase the speed to high and mix until the dough comes together (about 1 to 2 minutes more).Note: The choux dough should be glossy, thick, and form a “V” shape as it slowly drips from the paddle or spoon. If the dough is too stiff, beat an extra egg in a small bowl and add it to the dough a little at a time until it reaches the right consistency. However, if you are ever in doubt, a slightly stiff choux dough is better than a runny one!
- Spoon the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a French star tip (approximately ½" opening diameter). Alternatively, spoon the dough into a large resealable plastic bag and cut one of the corners to form a hole that is about ½" in diameter.
- Holding the piping bag at a 45° angle, pipe the eclairs — at least 2" apart (to allow them to "puff" up and for air to circulate around them) — into a log shape about ½" to ¾" wide by 5" long.Note: If you are not using a French star tip, run the tines of a fork along each "log" to achieve the same fine, deep-groove effect. The grooves help the eclairs rise evenly in the oven.
- Brush each eclair with the prepared egg wash.
- Bake the eclairs in the centre of 425℉ oven for 15 minutes. (Do not open the oven door during this time.) After 15 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350° and bake until eclairs turn a golden brown (about 10 to 15 minutes more). (Near the end of the baking time, you can open the oven to test doneness. To do so, tap the tops of the eclair shells. They should feel solid and crusty, not squishy.)Note: I recommend baking one sheet pan of eclair shells at a time (as opposed to multiple batches at once). Just be sure to reheat the oven to 425℉ between each batch.
- Set the baked eclair shells on a wire rack to begin cooling. Once cool enough to handle, using a ¼" piping tip (or sharp knife), poke 2 holes in the bottom of each shell about ⅓ of the way in from each end. Set eclairs back on the cooling rack, but upside down (with the holes facing up to allow steam to escape), and allow them to cool completely before filling.
Filling the Eclair Shells
- Remove chilled pastry cream from the refrigerator. (By now, it will have set and appear gelatinous in texture — that's OK!) Using a wire whisk, vigorously whisk the pastry cream for a few minutes until it has smoothed out again.
- Spoon the pastry cream into a piping bag fitted with a ¼" piping tip. Alternatively, spoon the pastry cream into a large resealable plastic bag and cut one of the corners to form a hole that is about ¼" in diameter.
- Holding each eclair shell in one hand and the bag of pastry cream in the other, pipe each shell with pastry cream through the 2 holes in the bottom of each shell. Set the filled shells in the refrigerator — either on a baking sheet or large plate(s) — while preparing the chocolate ganache.
Preparing the Chocolate Ganache
- In a small saucepan (but large enough to dip the eclairs), combine heavy cream, butter, corn syrup, and coffee liqueur (optional). Set over medium heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is hot, but not bubbling.¼ cup heavy cream¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut in small pieces1 Tbsp light corn syrup1 Tbsp Kahlúa coffee liqueur
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly.
- Add in the chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate chunks), and allow them to sit in the hot mixture until fully melted (about 5 minutes).5 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, or chopped into ¼" chunks
- Gently stir the mixture until the chocolate is smooth and shiny. If you have larger pieces of chocolate that didn’t melt, set the pan on very low heat just until fully melted.
- Remove the filled eclair shells from the refrigerator and dip each one into the chocolate ganache. Set the dipped eclairs back onto the baking sheet or large plate(s) and back into the refrigerator.
- Chill, uncovered, until the chocolate on top of each eclair has set (at least 2 hours). Serve chilled.Storing instructions: Store any leftover eclairs in the refrigerator in airtight containers lined with paper towel (to absorb moisture/condensation and prevent them from getting soggy) for up to 3 days.Freezing instructions: Set any leftover eclairs on a baking sheet or large plate(s) in the freezer, uncovered, until frozen solid. Once frozen, transfer eclairs to airtight containers and keep frozen for up to 3 months. Before serving, allow eclairs to thaw in the refrigerator.
