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Cream-Filled Pastries
Recipe
6 hr 45 min

Double Chocolate Éclairs

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Double Chocolate Éclairs
Author: America's Test Kitchen

Recipe By America's Test Kitchen

Published on May 5, 2025

A good éclair is more than the sum of its pastry, filling, and glaze parts—it’s a study in simple contrasts in texture and flavor. Fortunately, making excellent éclairs at home can be done with relative ease.

Time

6 hr 45 min

Yield

Makes 8 éclairs

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted our éclairs—fingerlike French pastries filled with cream and glazed with chocolate—to feature a double dose of chocolate. We incorporated it not only into the glaze but also the pastry cream. Using a pastry bag to pipe our pâte à choux onto the baking sheet ensured evenly sized pastries. Once they were baked, we cut a small slit into each pastry and returned them to the turned-off oven until the centers were moist and the surface was crisp. Adding a couple of ounces of bittersweet chocolate to a basic pastry cream ensured chocolaty goodness throughout. A decadent chocolate glaze covered the holes we made to fill our pastries with the chocolate cream. Be sure the pastry cream is thoroughly chilled before filling the pastries. The chocolate glaze should still be warm when glazing the éclairs. You will need a large pastry bag with a 1⁄2-inch plain tip and a 1⁄4-inch plain tip.


Note: The video tutorial in this class begins with prepared choux paste. Refer to this video for Pâte à Choux to see how to make it.

Ingredients

Pastry Cream

2 cups half-and-half
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar, divided
Pinch table salt
5 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Pastry

2 large eggs plus 1 large white
6 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) all-purpose flour, sifted

Glaze

2 ounces (57 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
3 tablespoons half-and-half
1 cup (4 ounces/113 grams) confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image
  1. FOR THE PASTRY CREAM: Bring half-and-half, 6 tablespoons sugar, and salt to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar together in bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk 1 cup of hot half-and-half mixture into egg mixture to temper, then slowly whisk tempered egg mixture into remaining half-and-half mixture in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened, smooth, and registers 180 degrees, about 30 seconds. Off heat, whisk in butter, chocolate, and vanilla. Transfer pastry cream to clean bowl and press plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
  3. FOR THE PASTRY: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  4. Fit pastry bag with ½-inch plain tip and fill with warm pate a choux. Pipe pate a choux into eight 5 by 1-inch logs spaced about 1 inch apart on prepared sheet. Use your dampened finger or back of wet teaspoon to even out shape and smooth surface of each log.
  5. Bake for 15 minutes (do not open oven door), then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until pastries are golden brown and fairly firm (pastries should not be soft and squishy), 8 to 10 minutes longer.
  6. Remove sheet from oven. Using paring knife, cut ¾-inch slit into side of each pastry to release steam. Return pastries to oven, turn off oven, and prop door open with handle of wooden spoon. Dry pastries in turned-off oven until centers are just moist (not wet) and surfaces are crisp, about 45 minutes. Transfer pastries to wire rack and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
  7. FOR THE GLAZE: Using tip of paring knife, cut 3 small Xs along top of each pastry. Fit clean pastry bag with ¼-inch plain tip and fill pastry bag with pastry cream. Pipe pastry cream into pastries through each opening until éclairs are completely filled.
  8. Microwave chocolate in bowl at 50 percent power until melted, about 30 seconds. Whisk in half-and-half until smooth. Gradually whisk in sugar until smooth.
  9. Transfer éclairs to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Spoon warm glaze evenly over tops, making sure to cover holes completely. Let glaze set, about 20 minutes, before serving.

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Double Chocolate Éclairs

Recipe By America's Test Kitchen

Published on May 5, 2025

Time

6 hr 45 min

Yield

Makes 8 éclairs

Double Chocolate Éclairs

Ingredients

Pastry Cream

2 cups half-and-half½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar, dividedPinch table salt5 large egg yolks3 tablespoons cornstarch4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Pastry

2 large eggs plus 1 large white6 tablespoons water5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces2 tablespoons whole milk1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar¼ teaspoon table salt½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) all-purpose flour, sifted

Glaze

2 ounces (57 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine3 tablespoons half-and-half1 cup (4 ounces/113 grams) confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

  1. FOR THE PASTRY CREAM: Bring half-and-half, 6 tablespoons sugar, and salt to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar together in bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk 1 cup of hot half-and-half mixture into egg mixture to temper, then slowly whisk tempered egg mixture into remaining half-and-half mixture in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened, smooth, and registers 180 degrees, about 30 seconds. Off heat, whisk in butter, chocolate, and vanilla. Transfer pastry cream to clean bowl and press plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
  3. FOR THE PASTRY: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  4. Fit pastry bag with ½-inch plain tip and fill with warm pate a choux. Pipe pate a choux into eight 5 by 1-inch logs spaced about 1 inch apart on prepared sheet. Use your dampened finger or back of wet teaspoon to even out shape and smooth surface of each log.
  5. Bake for 15 minutes (do not open oven door), then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until pastries are golden brown and fairly firm (pastries should not be soft and squishy), 8 to 10 minutes longer.
  6. Remove sheet from oven. Using paring knife, cut ¾-inch slit into side of each pastry to release steam. Return pastries to oven, turn off oven, and prop door open with handle of wooden spoon. Dry pastries in turned-off oven until centers are just moist (not wet) and surfaces are crisp, about 45 minutes. Transfer pastries to wire rack and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
  7. FOR THE GLAZE: Using tip of paring knife, cut 3 small Xs along top of each pastry. Fit clean pastry bag with ¼-inch plain tip and fill pastry bag with pastry cream. Pipe pastry cream into pastries through each opening until éclairs are completely filled.
  8. Microwave chocolate in bowl at 50 percent power until melted, about 30 seconds. Whisk in half-and-half until smooth. Gradually whisk in sugar until smooth.
  9. Transfer éclairs to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Spoon warm glaze evenly over tops, making sure to cover holes completely. Let glaze set, about 20 minutes, before serving.
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