Mini Eclairs
Mini Eclairs are simply smaller versions of classic eclairs. These two-bite treats are made with classic, French pâte à choux pastry, filled with vanilla pastry cream, and topped with a chocolate glaze. They are easy to make and perfect for entertaining.
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Filling and Dipping Time20 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Servings: 50 mini eclairs
Calories: 64kcal
Preheat oven to 425°F.
In a medium sauce pan, bring the water and butter to a boil, ensuring that the butter is fully melted.
1 cup water, 1/2 cup unsalted butter
Stir in the flour and salt all at once with a wooden or silicone spoon until a ball of dough forms. Continue to cook until the dough starts to form a film on the bottom of the pan, about 30-60 seconds longer. The dough should be about 175°F at this point. 1 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt
Transfer the dough to the mixer bowl and turn onto medium speed for about 1 minute. The temperature of the dough needs to drop to 145ºF or less before adding the eggs to prevent the eggs from cooking. You can check the temperature with a food thermometer if you have one. Add the eggs one at a time and beat on medium speed until each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. When the batter is fully mixed, it will resemble more of a thick cake batter rather than dough.
4 eggs
Transfer the pastry dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip (like a Wilton #21). You could also use a circle tip if you don’t want the eclairs to have ridges. Hold the bag at a 45 degree angle about a half inch above a parchment or Silpat-lined (recommended) baking sheet and pipe a 2-inch line of batter. Repeat, leaving at least a half of an inch between each eclair, until the baking sheet is full. You may need to work in batches. Smooth off any points of batter with a wet finger so that they don’t burn while baking.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool.
Place the pastry cream in a second pastry bag fitted with a small, circle tip like a Wilton #7 tip. Fill the eclairs by poking a small hold into each side of the bottom with the tip. Squeeze the pastry cream in slowly until you just start to feel the eclair expand. Smooth off any excess. 2 cups pastry cream
Repeat with the remaining eclairs.
To melt the chocolate, fill a small pot about 1/3 of the way full with water and bring to a boil. Place the chocolate in a medium or large mixing bowl. The bowl needs to be big enough so that it can be placed on top of the pot without touching the water.
1 cup high-quality chocolate
Once the water is boiling, turn off the heat and place the bowl of chocolate on top of it. Let it sit for a minute or two, then use a spatula to stir until fully melted and smooth.
Dip just the top of the eclair into the melted chocolate, letting the excess drip off before turning it back over. Place on a cooling rack and allow the chocolate to set.
Dip just the top of the eclair into the melted chocolate, letting the excess drip off before turning it back over. Place on a cooling rack and allow the chocolate to set.
Tips and Techniques
- Use a high-quality chocolate for the glaze. If you need to use a lesser quality chocolate, you an add about 1 tablespoon of light corn syrup to give the chocolate more of a shiny finish.
- You can add a small dot of batter under each corner of the parchment paper, if using, to help hold the paper down as you pipe your eclairs.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Eclairs are best served the day that they are made, but will keep for a couple of days.
** Nutritional information is an estimate and may vary.
Serving: 1mini eclair | Calories: 64kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 39mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 98IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 0.4mg