Best Bakery Style Eclairs Recipes

ECLAIRS II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet.
• In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring until butter melts completely. Reduce heat to low, and add flour and salt. Stir vigorously until mixture leaves the sides of the pan and begins to form a stiff ball. Remove from heat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to incorporate completely after each addition. With a spoon or a pastry bag fitted with a No. 10, or larger, tip, spoon or pipe dough onto cookie sheet in 1 1/2 x 4 inch strips.
• Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and bake 20 minutes more, until hollow sounding when lightly tapped on the bottom. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• For the filling, combine pudding mix and milk in medium bowl according to package directions. In a separate bowl, beat the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Fold whipped cream into pudding. Cut tops off of cooled pastry shells with a sharp knife. Fill shells with pudding mixture and replace tops.
• For the icing, melt the chocolate and 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in hot water, one tablespoon at a time, until icing is smooth and has reached desired consistency. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and drizzle over filled eclairs. Refrigerate until serving.

BAKERY STYLE ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. In a medium saucepan, bring water, butter, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Add flour all at once and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat. Add 1 egg to mixture and beat hard with wooden spoon to blend. Add remaining eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; each egg must be completely blended before the next egg is added. While beating dough, its consistency will change from looking almost curdled to smooth. When dough is smooth, spoon it into a large resealable plastic storage bag and, using scissors, snip off one corner of bag, making a 1-inch-wide cut. Gently squeeze bag to form ten 1" x 4" dough logs about 2 inches apart on an ungreased large rimmed baking sheet. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until golden and puffy. Remove to a wire rack to cool. In a large bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in pudding mix and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar, cocoa, and milk to make a smooth icing. Cut eclair shells horizontally in half and spoon pudding mixture equally into bottom of each. Replace tops of eclair shells and spread cocoa icing over tops. Cover loosely and chill at least 1 hour before serving.