Classic French Chocolate Éclair Recipe

Make the Choux Dough

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425 F. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

3. Combine the butter, water, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Stir the mixture until the butter melts and is incorporated into the water.

4. Add the flour all at once, lower the heat to medium-low. Stir vigorously and continuously with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together in a ball, pulls away from the sides of the saucepan, and a thin film develops on the bottom of the pan, about 1 minute. Continue to stir the dough vigorously so the dough dries out a bit and moisture evaporates, another 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.

5. Remove from heat, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Let cool, stirring occasionally on a low setting until the dough is only slightly warm to the touch. Beat in the eggs, one at a time on low speed until each one is well incorporated into the batter and the dough looks smooth before adding the next egg.

   Alternatively, use a wooden spoon, stirring vigorously and continuously after each egg is added.

6. Spoon the choux pastry dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch star tip and pipe six 4-inch lengths onto each baking sheet.

7. Bake one sheet at a time until the eclair shells are very puffed and just beginning to show slight color, 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 F and continue to bake until the pastries are golden brown and dry-looking, 16 to 18 minutes more. The shells should sound hollow when lightly tapped.

8. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before filling. Be sure to bring the oven back to 425 F before baking the second batch.

Make the Pastry Cream

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles appear on the surface.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow. Add the cornstarch, whisking well to combine.

4. In a thin stream, pour the hot milk into the yolk mixture while continuing to whisk constantly until well combined.

5. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl clean with a silicone spatula. Over medium heat, cook while whisking constantly until it thickens to the consistency of a thick pudding, about 3 1/2 minutes. It may look lumpy as the pastry cream starts to thicken, but will smooth out as you continue to whisk.

6. Transfer the pastry cream to a large clean bowl and whisk in the vanilla extract. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the fridge or over an ice bath until completely cooled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours or overnight.

Make the Chocolate Glaze

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Place the finely chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and set aside.

3. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the heavy cream until it's just beginning to boil. Remove from the heat immediately.

4. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Stir the mixture until the all the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth.

5. Set the chocolate glaze aside at room temperature, stirring occasionally until cool, 15 to 20 minutes.

Assemble the Éclairs

1. Poke three small even holes in the bottom of the eclair shells with a 3/16-inch wide plain pastry tip or Bismark tip. Whisk the cold pastry cream to lighten the texture. Fit a pastry bag with the pastry tip and fill with pastry cream, being sure not to overfill the bag.

2. Pipe the cream into each hole until it starts to seep out of the top or you feel the pastry starting to get heavy (about 4 tablespoons of pastry cream per shell). Alternatively, slice the pastry shell in half lengthwise with a serrated knife and fill evenly with 4 tablespoons of the pastry cream.

3. Gently spread 1 tablespoon of chocolate glaze onto the éclair or carefully dip the top of each filled éclair into the glaze (use this method only if you filled the shells from the bottom). Chill about 30 minutes to set the glaze before serving.