These mini chocolate éclairs are made from a cocoa choux pastry shells filled with dark chocolate pastry cream and topped with a chocolate glaze. They are the perfect little treat to make for a special occasion or to simply enjoy for afternoon tea!
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Why we love this recipe
Eclairs are one of the most classic French pastry, ever. I mean, you wouldn't be able to walk into a French bakery or pâtisserie and not see an éclair!
In their most traditional form, classic eclairs usually combine a plain choux pastry (pâte à choux) shell, a vanilla pastry cream (crème pâtissière) filling and a chocolate glaze.
For this chocolate eclair recipe, we are going all in with the chocolate flavour though: chocolate pâte à choux for the eclair shells, chocolate pastry cream for the filling and dark chocolate glaze to finish.
These éclairs are piped in a mini log shape - much smaller than traditional chocolate éclairs - making them perfect for a dessert buffet, special occasion or afternoon tea party. Just like my Chocolate Choux Buns, they are a true chocolate heaven!
What are éclairs
Éclairs are a type of French pastries that are made from choux pastry piped and baked into a long, thin log shape then filled with a creamy filling and topped with a glaze. A traditional éclair measures between 12 and 16 cm.
What's the difference between a cream puff and an éclair?
Both éclairs and cream puffs (simply called "choux" in French) are made with pâte à choux (choux pastry) that is filled with some sort of cream after being baked.
The main difference between the two is their shapes: an éclair has a oblong shape while a cream puff (like these Choux à la Crème) is smaller with a round dome shape. Eclairs are always finished with a glaze or icing while cream puffs are often left plain.
Ingredients
What are mini eclairs made of:
Scroll down to recipe card below for all quantities
For the cocoa choux pastry:
- Water: I always make Choux Pastry with water only (instead of milk or a traditional mix of water + milk). I find that it creates a choux pastry that has a crispier and lighter texture than the ones made with milk. You can substitute the water for milk (or do 50/50) if preferred.
- Dry ingredients: a mix of plain / all-purpose flour and unsweetened cocoa powder. Make sure the two are well mixed together and sifted before adding it to the liquid ingredients to avoid creating lumps.
- Eggs: large eggs, at room temperature. The exact quantity of eggs will always very slightly vary based on different factors such as the brand of flour used or how much you cooked the dough ("panade") on the stove.
- Milk: using Whole Milk / Full Cream Milk is essential; light milk won't give you the same flavour or texture.
- Eggs: Egg Yolks only, at room temperature. You can keep the leftover egg whites to make Financiers or meringues.
- Cornstarch: can be substituted with plain / all-purpose flour (or another type of starch). I personally prefer to use cornstarch because it creates a lighter texture in the custard.
- Dark Chocolate: I used 70% cocoa chocolate, but you can use a less intense dark chocolate if prefer. Make sure to use proper baking chocolate or chocolate couverture instead of chocolate chips that will not melt properly and give your pastry cream a grainy texture.
For the chocolate glaze:
A simple mix of Dark Cooking Chocolate or Couverture Chocolate (I used 70% cocoa couverture chocolate) and Coconut or Neutral Oil such as canola oil.
How to make chocolate éclairs step-by-step
1. Making the Chocolate Pastry Cream
- Photo 1: In a small to medium saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer. You can add some vanilla extract or paste too if you want.
- Photo 2: While the milk is heating up, whisk together the large egg yolks and sugar in a medium heat-proof bowl for about a minute.
- Photo 3: Add the cornstarch and whisk until just smooth.
- Photo 4: Once it starts to simmer, slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture while constantly whisking. When all in, mix well until you get a smooth mixture.
This step allows to temper (or slowly rise the temperature of) the egg yolks. This will help avoid overcooking and scrambling the eggs on the stove later.
- Photo 5: Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan.
- Photo 6: Turn on low heat and cook for about 5 minutes or until the custard has thickened. Make sure the cream doesn't boil - it should only ever just simmer.
The time it will take to reach the right temperature will depend on the exact heat of your stove. Ideally, the pastry cream needs to reach 82 to 84 degrees celsius (around 180 degrees Fahrenheit) to be properly cooked.
It is very important to cook the cream on low heat to avoid overcooking the eggs which would give your pastry cream a lumpy texture.
- Photo 7: Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the chocolate that has been finely chopped (or the chocolate callets / pistols if using couverture chocolate like me).
- Photo 8: Stir with a spatula until the chocolate has completely melted.
Optionally, use an immersion blender to create a super smooth emulsion (but be careful not to blend for too long or your custard will turn liquid).
- Pour the chocolate pastry cream into a clean bowl or shallow pan (such as a brownie pan), cover with plastic wrap touching its surface and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours - or up to 24 hours in advance.
2. Making the Cocoa Choux Pastry
The first step in making choux pastry is to prepare a mixture called a "panade" that is mixed and pre-cooked on the stove.
- Photo 9: Place the water, sugar, pinch of salt and butter in a medium size saucepan.
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- Photo 10: Turn on medium low heat and bring to a simmer. In the meantime, sift together the flour and cocoa powder.
- Photo 11: When the butter has completely melted and the liquid is simmering, take away from the stove and drop in the sifted flour and cocoa powder at once.
- Using a stiff heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon, vigorously stir until the mixture turns into a thick paste called a "panade".
- Photo 12: Place back on the stove under medium heat and cook for 2 minutes while constantly mixing and pressing the dough against the side and bottom of the saucepan to dry it out. You should see a thin skin form at the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer the panade into a large clean bowl (or bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Set aside to cool for 10 to 15 minutes; it shouldn't feel hot to the touch anymore.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs until the whites and yolks are well combined.
- Photo 13: Pour about 1 to 2 tablespoons of a whisked egg into the "panade".
- Photo 14: Using a stiff spatula (or a hand mixer / stand mixer on medium speed), mix the egg into the dough until fully combined.
It will seem to split at first but will come together after some strong mixing.
- Photo 15: Continue to add the eggs a little bit at a time, mixing well between each addition until you get the desired consistency of choux pastry. Check the consistency of the choux pastry and stop adding the egg as soon as it has reached the desired consistency (even you still have some eggs left).
To check the consistency of the choux pastry, pick up some of the mixture with the spatula and lift it up. When the mixture falls back down into the bowl, it should leave some of the mixture hanging from the spatula a "V" shape. The mixture should be smooth, shiny and slightly fluid.
- Preheat your oven on 180 degrees Celsius / 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a large baking sheet lined baking paper / parchment paper or with a silicone baking mat such as a silpat.
The oven temperature is really important here - if it is too low, the eclairs won't expend fully and will turn soft or collapse once out of the oven. If your oven tends to run a bit cold, increase the temperature to up to 200 degrees Celsius.
- Transfer the chocolate choux pastry into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1,2 cm (about 1/2 inch) open star tip or french start tip.
- Photo 16: Holding the pastry bag at on a 45 degrees angle, pipe small logs of pastry that measure about 8 cm (3-inch) in length. Leave some room between each éclair as they will expand in the oven.
Try to pipe in a fast, confident way to insure the thickness of the éclair is even all along its length. To finish piping, gently push down the piping tip towards the baking sheet to "cut off" the pastry and lift the bag up.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the éclairs have nicely puffed, but do NOT open the oven door while the choux bake. Turn off the oven, slightly open the door using a wooden spoon to keep it open and leave for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and allow to cool down completely.
3. Filling and glazing the éclairs
- Take the chocolate pastry cream out of the fridge and stir it with a spatula to loosen it. Transfer it into a pastry bag fitted with a bismarck piping tip.
Alternatively, you can use a small round tip.
- Photo 17: Make two or three small holes on the bottom of each éclair using either the bismarck tip or a small knife. Pipe the chocolate cream into the éclairs. Place the filled eclairs on a flat tray and set aside.
You know the éclair is fully filled when some of the cream tries to escape from one of the holes while you pipe it in.
- Photo 18: Finely chop the chocolate, place it in a small to medium bowl and melt it either in the microwave (in 30 seconds increments, stopping to stir each time) or over a double-boiler. Make sure to use a heatproof bowl.
- Photo 19: When fully melted, pour in the melted coconut oil or neutral oil. Stir until you get a very shiny and smooth chocolate glaze.
- Photo 20: Dip the top of each eclair shell in the warm chocolate glaze. Gently shake over the bowl to remove any excess chocolate then flip the chocolate eclair back over and place on a flat tray.
You can keep the chocolate éclairs plain at this point or decorate them with chocolate curls, chocolate sprinkles, some fresh fruits like raspberries or anything your mind can think of, basically!
The eclairs are best served straight away (once the glaze has set). Otherwise, they need to be transferred in the fridge but the pastry shells will start to turn soggy after a while.
Recipe FAQs
During the first step of making choux pastry, we are cooking the "panade" on the stove to allow for the starch contained in the flour to gelatinise. That basically makes the pastry more flexible and allows it to puff nicely in the oven without bursting.
Because of the use of cocoa powder in this choux pastry, you can't rely on the typical golden brown colour of a baked choux as an indication to their doneness.
The eclairs should have puffed nicely in the oven and the crust look completely dry. If the shell feel soft to the touch, it usually means that the eclairs are underbaked and they will likely collapse once out of the oven.
Most éclairs recipes in Australia (or the US / UK) will simply tell you to slice the éclairs in half on the length, pipe some cream on the bottom (usually whipped cream) and top it with the second half of the pastry.
In French pastry though, éclairs are most often filled from the bottom (or the sides in a commercial environment) using a small piping nozzle such as a bismarck tip or small round tip.
Small holes are cut on the bottom of each eclair and the piping tip is pressed into the pastries through it. When the eclair starts to fill heavy with cream and you notice that some of the filling is starting to come out of one of the hole, the eclair is full.
Although you can simply use a round piping tip (about 1,2 cm - 1/2-inch) to pipe the eclair, using such tip will usually result in éclairs that crack in irregular ways.
To allow for a nice round shape and perfect chocolate eclairs, the secret is to use an open star piping tip or french start tip. The grooves on the piped eclairs will direct the way they expend in the oven and give them an even shape.
Tips & Troubleshooting
- My chocolate pastry cream is lumpy: this usually happens if the temperature of the stove was too high and the eggs scramble. You can try to smooth the cream out by pouring it through a fine mesh sieve to remove the lumps or use an immersion blender on low speed to break them down.
- The éclairs are not puffy: this usually indicates that the choux pastry was not prepared correctly. Either the panade wasn't dried enough on the stove (or dried too much), or the wrong amount of egg was added. The temperature of your oven could also be wrong.
- The éclairs deflated after baking: éclairs will collapse after baking if underbaked or baked at a too low temperature. I like to keep the éclairs in the turned off oven for a little while before taking them out to insure the shell is completely dry.
- There are big cracks in my éclairs: this mostly happens when using a round piping tip instead of a star shaped one. It can also happen if there were large air bubbles in your choux pastry when you piped it. Lastly, cracked eclairs can be an indication that the pastry was too dry (not enough eggs).
- My eclairs taste eggy: I find an eggy taste to be an indication that the pastry was underbaked and/or the pastry did not rise enough in the oven. This will happen if too much eggs is added into the mixture.
Storing Eclairs
Making ahead: choux pastry can be rather temperamental when in contact with moisture (like inside a fridge) so eclairs are always best served straight away or within a few hours of being prepared. The chocolate pastry cream can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Storing filled éclairs: once the cream has been added, chocolate éclairs are best eaten straight away. If not served within a couple of hours, transfer them in the fridge for up to 3 days - but they start to become soggy after 24 hours in the fridge.
Freezing Eclairs
Although I do not recommend freezing filled and glazed éclairs, you can freeze the choux pastry itself either baked or unbaked.
To freeze unbaked éclairs, prepare and pipe the choux pastry on a lined flat sheet. Place in the freezer until fully frozen then store in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw for a few hours before baking. You might need to bake them for a little bit longer if still slightly frozen
You can also freeze eclairs shells once they have been baked, but they will be much more soft and slightly soggy than freshly baked ones.
More Choux Pastry recipes
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Recipe
Mini Chocolate Eclairs
Ingredients
Chocolate Pastry Cream
- 500 ml full cream / whole milk
- 4 egg yolks - about 80 grams, at room temperature
- 30 gr caster sugar
- 30 gr cornstarch
- 120 gr 70 % dark cooking chocolate - finely chopped
Chocolate Choux Pastry
- 125 ml water
- 50 gr unsalted butter
- 20 gr caster sugar
- 1 pinch fine table salt
- 60 gr plain / all-purpose flour
- 10 gr unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 large eggs - about 100 grams, at room temperature
Chocolate Glaze
- 75 gr 70 % dark cooking chocolate - finely chopped
- 10 ml neutral oil or coconut oil
Disclaimer
I highly recommend using the measurements in grams & ml (instead of cups & spoons) for more accuracy and better results.
Instructions
Chocolate Pastry Cream
- Pour the milk into a medium saucepan, turn on low heat and bring to a simmer. In the meantime, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large heat-proof bowl for about a minute. Add the cornstarch and whisk well until smooth.
- Once it starts to simmer, slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture while constantly whisking (see note 1). Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan and place back on the stove over low heat. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the custard has thickened. Make sure the cream doesn't boil - it should only ever just simmer (see note 2).
- Remove from the heat and add the finely chopped chocolate. Stir with a spatula until the chocolate has completely melted and you get a smooth, shiny mixture (see note 3).
- Pour the chocolate pastry cream into a clean bowl or shallow pan, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Chocolate Choux Pastry
- Place the water, sugar, pinch of salt and butter in a medium size saucepan on medium low heat. In the meantime, sift together the flour and cocoa powder.
- When the butter has completely melted and the liquid is simmering, take away from the stove and drop in the sifted flour and cocoa powder at once. Using a stiff heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon, vigorously stir until the mixture turns into a thick paste (called a "panade").
- Place back on the stove under medium heat and cook for 2 minutes while constantly mixing and pressing the dough against the side and bottom of the saucepan to dry it out. You should see a thin skin form at the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer into a large clean bowl (or bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Set aside to cool for 10 to 15 minutes (see note 4).
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs until the whites and yolks are well combined. Pour a little bit of the eggs (1 to 2 tablespoons at a time) into the panade and mix well using a stiff spatula (or your mixer) until the eggs get fully incorporated (see note 5). Continue to add a little bit of egg at a time and mix well until you reach the desired consistency, even if you still have a bit of egg left.
- To know you have reached the right consistency, pick up some of the mixture with the spatula and lift it up. When the mixture falls back down into the bowl, it should leave some of the mixture hanging from the spatula a "V" shape. The mixture should be smooth, shiny and slightly fluid.
- Preheat your oven on 180 degrees Celsius / 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a large baking sheet with baking paper or with a silicone baking mat.
- Transfer the chocolate choux pastry into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1,2 cm (about 1/2 inch) open star tip or french start tip. Holding the pastry bag at on a 45 degrees angle, pipe small logs of pastry that measure about 8 cm (3-inch) in length onto the prepared sheet (see note 6). Leave some room between each éclair as they will expand in the oven.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the éclairs have nicely puffed and are completely dry, making sure not to open the oven door at all. Turn off the oven, slightly open the door using a wooden spoon to keep it open and leave for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and allow to cool down completely.
- Take the chocolate pastry cream out of the fridge and stir it with a spatula to loosen it. Transfer it into a pastry bag fitted with a bismarck piping tip or small round tip. Make two or three small holes on the bottom of each éclair using either the bismarck tip or a small knife. Pipe the chocolate custard into the éclairs, place them on a flat tray and set aside (see note 7).
Chocolate Glaze
- Finely chop the chocolate, place it in a medium heatproof bowl and melt it either in the microwave in 30 seconds increments or over a double-boiler. When fully melted, mix in the melted coconut oil or neutral oil. Stir until you get a very shiny and smooth glaze.
- Dip the top of each eclair shell in the warm chocolate glaze. Gently shake the eclair over the bowl to remove any excess chocolate. Tip back over and place back on the flat tray. Serve straight away or within a few hours. If making in advance, you can keep them in the fridge but the shells will start to turn soft and soggy.
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Notes
- This step allows to temper (or slowly rise the temperature of) the egg yolks. This will help avoid overcooking and scrambling the eggs on the stove later.
- The time it will take to reach the right temperature will depend on the exact heat of your stove. Ideally, the pastry cream needs to reach 82 to 84 degrees celsius (around 180 degrees Fahrenheit) to be properly cooked.
- Optionally, use an immersion blender to create a super smooth emulsion (but be careful not to blend for too long or your custard will turn liquid).
- Make sure the mixture doesn't feel hot to the touch before you start adding the eggs or your risk cooking the eggs with the residual heat.
- The mixture will seem to split at first but will come together after some strong mixing. It is not the easiest thing to do by hands so if you have a hand or stand mixer, you will find the process much easier.
- Try to pipe in a fast, confident way to insure the thickness of the éclair is even all along its length. To finish piping, gently push down the piping tip towards the baking sheet to "cut off" the pastry and lift the bag up.
- You know the éclair is fully filled when some of the cream tries to escape from one of the holes while you pipe it in. The eclairs should feel heavy too.
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