Miniature Chocolate Eclairs (Alix, listen up!)

[mudbug]

I usually double this recipe. The pastry is the same for creme puffs.

Filling
1 package (3.5 oz.) choc pudding mix (instant's OK, but not as good)
2 cups milk

Pastry
1 stick butter
1 cup water
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup AP flour
4 medium eggs

Frosting
2 T butter
2 oz (2 squares) semisweet chocolate
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T milk
1 t vanilla

To prepare filling, cook pudding according to pkg directions and chill for an hour.

To prepare pastry, in heavy saucepan, heat butter, water, and salt over medium-high heat until mixture boils and butter melts.

Reduce heat to low. Vigorously stir in flour all at once until mixture forms a ball.

Transfer pastry to a bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Stir in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Preheat oven to 400F. Drop dough into 12 mounds, about 5 inches apart on greased baking sheet.

Spread each mound into a 4 x 1/2 inch rectangle, piling dough on top and slightly rounding sides. [NOTE: don't drive yourself nuts trying to get the perfect shape. It's gonna be good anyway. Wetting your hands helps for this step]

Bake until golden brown, 35 minutes. Remove from oven; make a 3-inch slit on side of each eclair. Reduce oven temp to 375 and bake for another 10 minutes (helps dry the interiors out). Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Prepare frosting by heating butter and chocolate over low heat, stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. (You could also add a tad of creme de menthe, Framboise, or Cointreau!)

Slice eclairs in half. Spoon about a tablespoon of filling into each bottom half and replace tops. Spread tops with frosting.

In the unlikely event that you don't eat these ALL GONE, they keep nicely in the fridge for a couple of days.

 

[jasonr]

For choux pastry, try piping the paste with a 1/2 inch plain tip. It is remarkably easy, and it will vastly improve the look of your eclairs.

 

[mudbug]

jasonr, I recently bought a piping bag and some tips and intend to try it out next time I make these.

 

[jasonr]

By the way, although you wouldn't think it intuitively, you should try piping, instead of spooning in the filling. It dramatically improves the look of your eclairs.

 

[Audeo]

Bug, how in the world did you know that I love eclairs!!! Alix is going to love this recipe. (And so am I.) Thank you!

 

[mudbug]

Audeo, these are teeny ones, so you can eat a lot of them without feeling too guilty!

jasonr, thanks again.

 

[Alix]

mudbug, I am going to try these this weekend under cover of darkness so no one will see the mess if they are garbage. They look YUMMY!

 

[mudbug]

mudbug, I am going to try these this weekend under cover of darkness so no one will see the mess if they are garbage. They look YUMMY!

Hope you have success!

 

[Alix]

Me too. Made the pudding today. I am too tired to do the rest tonight, so I will do it in the morning and keep you posted.

 

[pst1can]

Mudbug....is it true, that if you share these, the calories don't count???
lol....these look wonderful!!!

 

[mudbug]

pst1: thanks. A further benefit is that if you eat them standing up, they are not only calorie-free but also a healthful source of fiber.

Alix: if you get too stressed today, you can skip the frosting and just squirt Hershey's syrup over them. Still good.

 

[Alix]

OK, ate the pudding as pudding cuz my "pastry" came out like rocks. What did I do wrong? I swear to you I did exactly as the recipe said. Did I stir too much? Too little? Oven temp screwy? What the heck is wrong with me? I can make the flakiest pie crust or turnover you ever did see...but a cream puff or eclair...no. I fed them to the dog...she loved them. Sigh.

mudbug...I passed on the Hersheys and went straight for the Kahlua.

 

[jasonr]

You teach me how to make a decent flaky pie crust, and I'll teach you how to make an eclair

 

[Alix]

Done. Where do you live and lets book a time in one of our respective kitchens. I will bring the pastry blender and some wine.

 

[jasonr]

E-D-M-O-N-T-O-N? Where's that? Is that some kind of Indian village in the Yukon? If you ever come to the civilized world (Toronto) I'll be glad to help you out

 

[Alix]

"Civilized?" Please.

Still, the offer is open whenever you want to try it out.

 

[mudbug]

Alix, I'm sorry they didn't turn out well for you. I' I don't think you can overbeat this pastry - ya hafta beat the eggs in one at a time, fer crissakes, so that can't be it.

Maybe they were in the oven too long? They're supposed to be kinda crispy, but not hard as granite. Sorry, luv, don't know what else to tell ya. Maybe some expert pastry person will respond.

You could have at least squirted a little Hershey's in the Kahlua.....

 

[jasonr]

Just a question: what is a "stick" of butter? The grocery store sells butter in either half a pound or full pound "sticks". Is it possible you used the wrong type of stick? (I hate recipes that use airy fairy terms like "stick" and "pinch"; why can't it just say the specific amount?) That's just the only thing I could think of. I would imagine that using a full pound, where only a half pound was required, (or vice versa) could seriously impair your pastry.

Anyway, here's the recipe I have always used for choux pastry; since the first time I made it, it has always worked perfectly. This recipe always goes by the book, although the one quirk is that for some reason, my paste has already seperated and reached 140 F or less after mixing in the flour, and there is never any need for the additional cooking.

1/2 Cup (125 ml) Whole Milk
1/2 Cup (125 ml) Water
6 TBSP (3 oz / 90 g) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 tsp salt
1 Cup (5 oz / 155 g) unbleached ap flour
4 large eggs

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the milk, water, butter, and salt, and bring to a full boil. When the butter melts, remove the pan from the heat, add the flour all at once, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until blended. Return the pan to the heat and continue stirring until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Remove from the heat and let cool for 3-4 minutes, or until 140 F on an instant-read thermometer.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk 1 egg. When the batter has cooled to 140 F, pour the egg into the batter, and beat with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Add the 3 remaining eggs one at a time by whisking each one first, and then stirring it into the batter. After each egg is added, the mixture seperates and appears shiny, but it returns to a smooth paste with vigorous beating. Let the paste cool for about 10 minutes before shaping.

Preheat oven to 425 F. To shape logs for eclairs, use a piping bag with a 3/4 inch tip, and pipe out logs 4 inches long and 1 inch wide. Space the logs at least 2 inches apart on the pans.

Bake the logs for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 F, and continue baking until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes longer. Remove from the oven immediately and prick the side of each log with a sharp knife. Return to the oven, leave the oven door open, and allow the pastries to dry out for 10-15 minutes. Let the pastries cool completed on the pans on wire racks before filling.

Makes 10 logs

 

[Audeo]

Jasonr, fair point made. Here in the states, butter is sold in quarter-pound, separately-wrapped "sticks" within each box. Tis a colloquial term. In US measurements, a stick is 1/2 cup.

 

[Alix]

OK, butter is not it. I knew to use a 1/2 cup. Maybe I didn't beat well enough? I think perhaps I DID overcook them. Hmmm...maybe this is my issue. I still have some pudding in my cupboard, butterscotch though, maybe I will try this again. I am staying home to hand out candy tonight, and we don't get many munchkins so I will attempt it again. Same recipe...I will try Jason's if this one doesn't work.

WAIT A MINUTE! I used margarine instead of butter! Do you think THAT did it?