These Vanilla Eclairs are a great French dessert, made from choux pastry, filled with cream and then topped usually with fondant icing. For topping there are many variations, but making a simple and quick chocolate ganache seemed just perfect for me.
For the choux pastry and pastry cream I’ve used the recipes from Sucre book I bought from Laduree last year when visited Paris. It is probably one of my favorite sweets book I have so far.
The recipe for choux pastry is the same as the one for profiterole (cream puffs) just that eclairs are piped in long strips. While baking they create a hole inside which allows filling after they cool enough.
Even if the recipe is quite easy it may take a bit of time and you need to pay attention to some important steps, otherwise something might get wrong.
When making eclairs it is important to know what you are looking for. The eclairs must not deflate due to improper baking, they must keep their shape even after removing from the oven as they need to be filled. You will know they are done when they are light and get a dark golden color. Good eclairs must not have very large cracks and when icing there should be a clear delimitation between the glaze on top and the rest of the pastry. The eclairs must be served the same day after filling to enjoy the different textures the cream and the pastry bring together.
With all these in mind I suggest you to try this vanilla eclairs recipe, it is a true delight and worth all the effort involved. Once they are done they will disappear in a matter of seconds, therefore the name “eclairs” which means flash of lightning as they are are eaten really fast:)
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Recipe adapted after Laduree: Sucre The Recipes
Vanilla Eclairs
Ingredients
For the choux pastry
Vanilla Pastry Cream
- 2 cups (480 ml) milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup (70g) sugar
- 1/3 cup (40g) cornstarch
- 1 tbsp (15g) unsalted butter
Chocolate Glaze
- 7 oz (200 g) chocolate (55-70 cocoa) , cut in smaller pieces
- 2/3 cup (155 ml) whipping cream
Instructions
- First prepare the pastry cream to have it ready by the time the eclairs are baked.
- Whisk the egg yolks with sugar until slightly pale.
- Incorporate the cornstarch. Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Pour about a third of the hot milk over the egg yolks mixture. Pour the whole mixture into the saucepan over the milk. Bring to a boil while stirring and thickens. Keep enough over heat to cook all the cornstarch. Add vanilla extract.
- Pour the cream into a clean bowl and allow to cool for 10 minutes then incorporate the butter while stirring. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent forming a skin on the surface. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
- Prepare the choux pastry. Sift the flour. In a saucepan bring the milk, water, sugar, salt and butter to a boil.
- Remove from heat and add flour all at once and incorporate mixing energetically with a wooden spoon until homogenous.
Return the saucepan over low heat and while stirring cook for 1 minute or two to pull out the moisture from the batter and until it pulls away from the sides of the pan. You will see some of the dough sticks to the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer batter to a large bowl and allow to cool slightly. Add the eggs one at a time, carefully incorporating each into the batter, using a wooden spoon or even a stand mixer. It will result in a smooth, homogeneous batter which still holds its shape.
- Fit a pastry bag with a large ½ inch (1 cm) round or star tip and pipe the dough into 4 or 5 inch (10 -12 cm) long strips on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Dust with powder sugar and bake for about 40 minutes. After the first 10 minutes, open the oven door slightly, about 1/8 inch (2-3 mm), to let the steam escape. Bake for the rest of 30 minutes with the oven door slightly ajar, until golden. (Use a wooden spoon to keep the oven door ajar)
- Remove eclairs from the oven, prick each with a skewer to release steam and allow to cool on a wire rack. Poke 3 holes in the base of each eclair using a 1/4 inch (5-6mm) plain or star tip.
- Remove pastry cream from refrigerator and whisk until smooth. Transfer the pastry cream into a piping bag fitted with 1/4 inch (5-6 mm) plain or star tip.
- Fill the cooled eclairs by piping cream into the holes.
- Prepare the chocolate ganache. In a small saucepan, place cream over medium-low heat for a few minutes to get hot. No boiling or simmering needed. Remove from heat, pour over chopped chocolate and let rest for 1-2 minutes. Stir until dissolved.
- Dip the tops of the eclairs into the chocolate and allow to set. You won’t need all the chocolate but needs to be more to be able to dip them well.
- Eclairs are best eaten the day they are made but they keep quite well in the refrigerator overnight.
Video
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @homecookingadventure on Instagram and hashtag it #homecookingadventure.
How lovely Ella! These eclairs look absolutely perfect! I adore French pastries!
Now these are a dessert I could definitely sink my teeth into!
These look so perfect, I love the step by step photos. The filling is the perfect amount too, I always am saddened by under-filled eclairs 🙂
I lived in France for a few months and Eclairs were one of my favourite French pastry. I saw the pictures on instagram and looked beautiful.
Great job!!!!!
thank you:) even though it is an easy recipe they can be quite tricky sometimes..
omg I am due for some eclairs! yummm
I made eclairs recently and my husband is still asking when I’m going to make them again. He inhaled them and he’d do the same with yours.
Eclairs have been on my list of foods to make for the longest time! Yours look fabulous!
I am in awe of the fact that you made choux paste by hand! Get it girl!! These eclairs look textbook perfect! Pinned!
I made these and loved it! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe 🙂
So glad they turned good for you Connie:)
hello it is very delicious and I tried with my sister and it turns good thank you 🙂 as we tried previous recipes and results was awful but I need to ask about the possibility to replace butter in the choux pastry with any vegetable oil and the exact measurement if possible
thanks in advance.
Never tried making choux pastry using vegetable oil.. In some recipes I like not to make too many changes and stick to what worked for years. If I would like to use something else instead of butter I wouldn't add vegetable oil.. I would rather try with same amount of coconut oil which becomes solid as butter when cold.
hello Ella I made éclair with my sister and it turns good as we previously tried many recipes and results was awful thanks for your wonderful and easy one
pls. advise if we can replace the butter in the choux pastry with any vegetable oil and what is the quantity should be ?
have a nice day 🙂
hello Ella, I made this with my sister and results was perfect 🙂 thank you but I need to ask if we can replace the butter in choux pastry with any vegetable oil it will give us same results or not and I need to know the equivalent quantity.
thanks again for your support 🙂
Never tried making choux pastry using vegetable oil.. In some recipes I like not to make too many changes and stick to what worked for years. If I would like to use something else instead of butter I wouldn't add vegetable oil.. I would rather try with same amount of coconut oil which becomes solid as butter when cold.
They look great I guess my only question is what kind of flour you used? I thought for something so delicate like an eclair I would have to use some specific flour instead of all-purpose? Correct me if I’m wrong please?
All purpose is fine… hope you will try the recipe.. and let me know if you do so
They look great I guess my only question is what kind of flour you used? I thought for something so delicate like an eclair I would have to use some specific flour instead of all-purpose? Correct me if I’m wrong please?
whats the temperature of the oven?
It is 350F (180C).. mentioned on step 5.. let me know if any other questions and hope you will try the recipe.
Thank you so much for the recipe. I just made them and they’re fantastic! Greetings from Australia ????
So glad to hear that.. Eclairs can be pretty challenging so I am really happy they turned great for you
Thank you for taking the effort and share. Eclairs, one of our favs. 🙂
2 thumbs up
that's good to hear.. thank you 🙂
Hi Ella.. I just made this eclairs.. They are just amazing..!! ????????thank you for the lovely recipe.. These eclairs are yummy and soft..i’d like to try your other recipes too..I tried soo many eclair recipes but they never worked .. This turned out soo good.. Thanks again..
I just made this eclairs…!! They are just amazing…?? Thank you for the lovely recipe..:) these eclairs are yummy and soft.i love the taste..it turned out sooo good.. Thanks again,,I’d love to try your other recipes..I tried soo many eclairs recipes, but they never worked..thank you soo much
I am so glad this recipe worked for you and that you enjoyed them .. thank you so much for your comment:)
Hi Ella,
What a wonderful recipe. Any idea on how to make a chocolate version pastry cream?
Het was echt zo lekker ik en mij dochters hebben het gemaakt
No baking powder is needed for the reciepe?
no.. eggs are simply enough:)
The Choux seems as though it could be used for a cream puff also. If so, should I use a certain tip to get them into a round puff or just drop a measured amount from a spoon dipped in water? Would the baking time change??
In the meantime, I’m thinking of making the eclairs mini for a little dessert tasting party.
Yes.. you can use same choux for cream puffs.. as you said.. time for baking shouldn't change too much.. I would check them after 30 minutes though
We loved your recipe, but we had to make the pastry twice as the first time they turned out thin and runny. They came out looking like lady-fingers. Second time was a bit better but we ended up putting the pastry in the fridge to make it thicker but when they cMe out they turned out flat underneath and it expanded a bit.
Hi,
Did you uses self raising flour in this recipe?. As it doesn’t specify whether you used all purpose flour or self raising flour.
I loved your recipe. Also can you tell the names of the songs you used in your video please ?
My choux pastry just wouldn’t rise and I had done it twice!
Yummmmmmyyyyyyy
You are Great .
Great Presentation , great recipe , great look , great work
Fikrat
glad to hear that:) hope you will have the chance to try some of the recipes
Need to try these!
Also where is that white plate from?
glad you like them:) just bough the tray from a local store.. nothing fancy actually
Hi, if my oven cannot bake multiple trays at one go. Should I keep the other trays in the fridge or room temperature? I’m living in a country with room temperature of about 35 degree celcius.
I would refrigerate the second tray if possible
Hi, i was having a great time making the recipe, but once I put them in the oven they didn’t rise.
Hi, i followed the recipe however it was way too runny and when it baked it was extremely thin. What could be the problem?
Thank you so much for your video and step-by-step recipe. I made eclairs earlier this year after discovering a recipe for pate de choux recipe and realizing just how simple it was to make. Along with the recipe for the choux was a recipe for chocolate eclairs, or vanilla. I made the vanilla as that is what I have eaten my whole life. Though messy (I didn’t have quite the right tips and bags) they turned out beautifully and tasted exactly like they were supposed to. Sadly I don’t seem to have saved the recipe or links. So I went looking and found yours. I’m thrilled to find them and look forward to making these in the next few days. Maybe even a couple of batches so I can share with friends.Thank you again, for such perfect details about equipment, ingredients, baking and creating these.
Hi,
I can only say with three words, Oh la la
Thank you for the easy recipe, my eclairs became wonderful delicious.
Thank you
I made this today, absolutely amazing <3 I also did some with a caramel ganache glaze, so delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Bonjours ! Merci pour la recette je vais la tester avec ma Grand-Mère je pense, j’ai déjà envie de manger les éclairs au chocolat !
I really want to make these however I’m in Canada and I’m not sure if the measurements vary because your tablespoon of butter looks like three of ours..
Hi Nicole.
For a better precision try using metric measures.
I gave this recipe a try. The pastry cream and chocolate ganache came out nicely but the choux pastry is what I am having real difficulty with. And it happened twice.
The first batch came out deflated on the tray as soon as I started piping them on the tray. It looks like it’s starting to melt on the spot. I did what the recipe tells me like make sure the dough leaves the sides of the pan, cook the flour for 2 mins let it cool before adding to four eggs, one at a time,
The second batch, I cooked the choux for up to 5mins to ensure the flour is cooked. Cooled it for a few minutes. I added the eggs one at a time again and incorporated it. But it still came out runny when I scooped the mixture in a piping bag. I don’t know what’s wrong. Could you help me if you can?
Maybe next time try to use smaller eggs and make sure you use all purpose flour (typo 550) or even bread flour typo (650) and indeed make sure you cook the batter enough to reduce moisture and cool before adding the eggs….Happened to me once too and since then I make sure all these conditions are respected.. Hope you will try it again..:) as you can see I''ve been using this recipe to all my choux recipes and works each time
Fab recipe which I can not wait to use. I just wondering when the pastry is cooked & cooled instead of putting holes in the bottom & filling when the cream could or can you just slice them in half & fill with cream or will they flatten?
Hi Kath.
You can cut them in half and there should be no problems.
I tried this recipe few days ago. It is just amazing! I followed all the steps, there was no difficulties at all, and my eclairs became soooo delicious. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this awesomeness! Looking forward to make them again… 🙂
Hi..i made exactly half of the recipe given and used 2 eggs. The batter was very runny. Can i use 1 instead the next time ? Wil it work ?
Hello.
Yes, you can and make sure you chill the flour mixture before adding the eggs.
Hello. What size eggs do you recommend? I normally keep large eggs in my fridge.
For this recipe I would recommend small to medium. if you have l=only large eggs you may try with only 3 eggs.
Hello! Thank you for this adorable video (even the music is perfect). I received the Sucre cookbook as a gift awhile ago and totally failed making these. Your video inspired me to open up that little book and try again. Result: the eclairs were so so lovely. I think that cooking the dough a little extra in the pan is what made a difference (as well as leaving the oven ajar, using real piping bags, etc). Thank you. <3
Hello!
Thank you very much for a great video. Made them already twice, and I love it. I love your instructions and good music :). I am still a little bad with piping the dough, but I will get there …
Maybe one question. Is it good to store it imidiatel after the topping in the refrigirator, or they can be good outside (just not through the night)
Again, thank you!!
What temperature do these go in for a convection oven?
Hello. Thank you for the video and recipe. Very interested in trying to make eclairs but I don’t have all the necessary equipment.
Do you have any recommendations for what piping bags and tips to get? Hard to evaluate quality online and hard to run to the store in current circumstances.
Also there should be no problems using vanilla from fresh vanilla beans instead of extract right?
Thank you!!
Hi! Tried out this and the choux pastry got very runny, and i think ive might have done something wrong in the step from the pan to adding the eggs. But I baked it anyways and got some nice once 🙂 Tastet really good!
With Love From Ester, Norway
why does the shell have a soft dough inside after baking ?
Hi, on the internet I see lots of recipes of choux pastry that are based on same amounts of milk, water, butter and flour. What’s the difference in result with your recipe and why do you prefere this version? They look delicious 🙂
Hi Ella! These eclairs look so delicious, I can’t wait to try it. Can I make the shell like a day in advance ? Thank you
Hi Ella! These eclairs look so delicious, I can’t wait to try it. Can I make the shell like a day in advance ? Thank you
Does anyone have another vanilla Eclair flavor variant?