Chocolate Eclairs

... A Very Happy New Year to all my friends.....

I was longing to make this chocolate eclairs for a long time, but some how I always missed it. This time, I thought there is no better reason than enjoying these cute little eclairs on this new year than anything else. So staring my new year with this yummy and chocolatey treat for all of you... Enjoy!!!

This is not that difficult as you might think on reading the recipe. Its really simple. Actually, pastry cream is used as a filling for these eclairs. But I found it bit time consuming, so tried out using a simple whipped cream filling and take my word, it tasted awesome. My kids were totally enjoying them and it was cute to hear my little daughter saying on each bite... "Yummy, Awesome" (these words she learned from her sister) :)

My new year has started with big hugs and kisses from my daughters... What more should I get, other than the happiness of my family on this new year day!!!

Try this out friends, and let me know how you liked it.

Recipe Source :  Joy of Baking

Ingredients

For Choux pastry

1/2 cup Water
4 tbsp or 57 gms Butter
1/2 cup Maida/All purpose flour
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
2 Eggs (beaten)

For whipped cream filling

1 cup Whipped cream
3 - 4 tbsp. Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla essence

Using an electric beater, whip up the cream by adding sugar and vanilla essence to it, till it comes to stiff peaks. Keep this aside.

For Chocolate Glaze

55 gms Dark chocolate (finely chopped or grated)
60 ml Fresh cream
1 1/2 tsp Honey (optional)

Heat fresh cream till it starts to bubble. Pour it on the dark chocolate and let it stand for a minute. Gently, whisk it till it becomes a smooth ganache. Add honey to it and mix again. Keep this aside.


Method

• Pour the water in a deep pan. Add butter and place it on low flame till the butter is nicely melted and the water has started to boil. Don't let the water evaporate, ie. when the butter is melted take it off from the heat.
• Mix maida, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add this mixture into the melted butter and water mixture. Mix well till everything is nicely incorporated and no lumps are formed.
• Put it back on low flame and keep stirring for about 1 - 2 minutes or till it becomes a smooth dough and it comes away from the pan.
• Once done, take off from the heat and keep aside to cool a bit.
• In the mean time, beat eggs in a bowl.
• Add beaten egg little by little into the prepared dough and keep stirring either using a wooden spoon or an electric beater, till you get a smooth thick paste. (You may not require the whole beaten egg, so add it little by little. When you see that the paste stays on the spoon or the beater and then drops as dollops, then it is the right consistency we are looking for)
• Put this paste in a pastry bag with a big round nozzle or if you don't have a nozzle, just cut the tip of the pastry bag to get a slightly big hole.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degree Celsius.
• Place a butter paper on the baking tray. Squeeze the prepared paste through the pastry bag on the butter paper in any shape you like. (I squeezed in long lines ie. 8 1/2 cm long and in round shape)
• Brush the squeezed paste with egg wash (optional, I did not do this). This will give you a nice brown colour.
• Place the baking tray in the preheated oven at 200 degree Celsius for 15 minutes and then change the temperature to 180 degree Celsius for about 20 - 25 minutes till it becomes nice golden brown colour.
• Once done, take off from the oven and let it cool down completely.
• Cut each one of the choux pastry into half horizontally or lengthwise. Spoon a little bit of the whipped cream filling in one of the piece and close it with the other half. Do the same procedure with the rest of the choux pastries.
• Pour little chocolate glaze on top of each chocolate eclairs and decorate with some sprinklers.
• Enjoy either right away or keep in the fridge for 1/2 an hour and then enjoy!!!

Note:

1. By baking the choux pastry in high temperature first, will help it to rise a bit and form a crust and by decreasing the temperature, helps it to become dry and cooked from inside.
2. Usually, the chocolate eclairs are filled with a pastry cream. But I used a simple and easy whipped cream as the filling.

Thanks for visiting

Happy Cooking!!