How to Make Éclairs
If you have never made éclairs or cream puffs before, let me tell you, they’re easy to make and are delicious! Read further to get some great tips and see just how easy they are…
To start, preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper and set aside. Place 1 cup (250 mL) of boiling water, ½ cup (125 mL) butter, ¼ tsp (1 mL) salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. (I just used my kettle to get the cup of boiling water quickly). When the butter is melted and the mixture is boiling, incorporate the flour all at once. Stir rapidly until the mixture forms a ball that comes away from the sides of the pan. It will look similar to bread dough. Be careful not to overcook this as it will cause the flour and fat to separate.
Once that’s done, remove the pan from heat and then add eggs, unbeaten, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Transferring the mixture into a mixer or food processor is ideal for this job, since long beating is secret to a tender puff. I just got a new mixer and love it, so I opted for using it for this recipe.
Form the paste into your desired shape. TIP: A word of the wise: Use a pastry bag, or sealed plastic sandwich bag with one corner cut, to squeeze the paste to make the éclairs in nicely shaped lines on your pan. It is so much easier! 1 tbsp (15 mL) of mixture makes 1 large puff or éclair; 1 tsp (5 mL) of mixture makes 1 bite size puff. Éclairs are rectangular shaped puffs 3 inches to 4 inches long by 1 inch wide.
Now it’s time to bake the éclairs. TIP: A very hot oven is essential to puff the paste. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 30 minutes or until well risen and set. Reduce heat to 325°F (160°C) for about 10 to 15 minutes or until éclairs are dry and golden in colour. When baked, place éclairs on a wire rack until cool. When shells are cold, cut a slit in the side and fill the éclairs with sweetened whipped cream, ice cream, or custard. Sprinkle with icing sugar and drizzle with chocolate or butterscotch sauce or sweetened fruits in season.
I made whipped cream from scratch for the filling and drizzled them with chocolate sauce. YUM! Éclairs are such a nice, light dessert; perfect anytime.
This recipe will make about a dozen éclairs or 7 dozen bite-sized puffs, depending on how large you decide to make them! Another TIP: Store the éclairs in a closed container in the fridge to keep fresh. To prevent sogginess, only fill shells when ready to serve.
Here are some other filling variations:
Cream Pie filling
Lemon custard
Savory cheese spreads, chicken, fish and seafood
For a Printer-Friendly version of this recipe, please click How to Make Éclairs.
I hope you enjoy making this delicious recipe- I sure did! Stay tuned for more tips and tricks in the kitchen coming soon….
The Egg Lady
Tags: cream puffs, eclairs, how to make eclairs, manitoba eggs, tips for making eclairs, using a pastry bag
Eggcellent Journey | admin May 17, 2010
