Chocolate Éclairs

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 5

Step 2

Into a saucepan, weigh out your milk and butter. Place on a high heat.

Step 3

Whilst it’s heating up, weigh the flour. Once your milk and butter have come to the boil, remove the pan from the heat and add all the flour at once, stirring into a (horrible looking) paste. It’s best to use a wooden spoon.

Step 4

Return your pan to the heat and turn it down to a medium flame. Keep stirring your mix until it comes together into a smooth lump and some of it starts sticking to the bottom and sides. Once it reaches this stage, try to keep stirring for a minute more just to be sure it’s right.

Step 5

It needs to cool slightly before you add the eggs, so at this stage remove from the heat and stir vigorously to speed the cooling up. Alternatively, use an electric mixer. You don’t want to see steam rising from your pan when you add the eggs.

Step 6

Add the eggs and then the egg white one at a time, beating vigorously until smooth after each addition.

Step 7

If you’ve got a piping bag, great. If not, use a freezer bag: add the mix to it, cut off the end and pipe tubes about 1cm in width onto a tray lined with non-stick baking paper. They can be as long or as short as you like!

Step 8 

Bake in your preheated oven for 10 minutes, then turn down to 180/160 fan/Gas 4 and bake for another 15 minutes until dark golden brown. Leave to cool whilst you prepare the cream and chocolate.

Step 9

Whip your cream until just stiff, adding a little sugar or vanilla to taste. Put this in a piping or freezer bag and squeeze it all into the corner. Cut a wee half-centimetre hole in the end and make little holes in your cooled buns using a knife. Fill each with whipped cream.

Step 10

Melt your chocolate in the microwave: place it in a microwave proof bowl and zap on full power for 15 second bursts. After each burst, open the door and stir the chocolate well. Stop when the chocolate is JUST melted. To finish your filled buns, just dip them upside down in the melted chocolate and leave to set.

Top Tip:

For a choux bun with a twist, try changing the chocolate topping to a caramel one. Just heat some condensed (not evaporated) milk in a saucepan over a medium heat (stirring) until it turns golden, then pour over the top. Be careful not to burn yourself! You can also try sprinkling the pastry with chopped nuts just before it goes in the oven.

Enjoy!