Mini Eclairs Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare pudding with milk according to package directions. Chill 1 hour in refrigerator.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease baking sheets.
• In a heavy saucepan, combine 1/2 cup butter, water and salt over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Pour in flour all at once and stir vigorously until fully incorporated and mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat, let rest 5 minutes. Then beat in eggs, one at a time, until well combined.
• Drop dough into twelve equal mounds on baking sheets. Spread each mound into a 4x1/2 inch rectangle.
• Bake in preheated oven 35 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven and make a one-inch slit in the side of each eclair. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Return eclairs to oven for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Prepare icing while eclairs are cooling. Heat 2 tablespoons butter with chocolate in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until melted. Remove from heat and stir in confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla. Set aside.
• To assemble: Slice each eclair in half lengthwise. Spoon about 1 tablespoon chocolate pudding into the bottom half of each eclair. Replace tops and frost with chocolate icing. Chill until serving.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, add the butter, water, and salt over medium heat. Allow all the butter to melt and bring the mixture to a boil.
• As soon as the mixture begins to boil, reduce heat to medium-low and add in the flour and graham cracker crumbs. Using a wooden spoon, mix thoroughly to combine.
• Continue stirring (about two minutes). The dough should form into a ball and easily pull away from the sided of the pan. Remove the mixture from heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
• Add in the eggs to the cooled dough, one at a time, being sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding the next. (The eggs will initially be difficult to incorporate into the dough - but continue stirring vigorously and they will eventually come together to form a smooth shiny dough)
• Preheat oven to 425˚F (220˚C)
• Once the dough comes together, transfer it to a piping bag and pipe onto a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet into 2-3 inch (5-7cm) logs.
• Smooth out any peaks/tails caused by piping with a wet fingertip (this will ensure your eclairs cook evenly and maintain an even shape)
• Brush the eclairs with beaten egg.
• Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes at 425˚F. Then, without opening the oven, reduce heat to 350˚ (175˚C) and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
• Remove eclairs from oven. Using the tip of a knife, cut a small "x" into the bottom of each eclair and transfer ("x" side up) to a cooling rack. (this will allow any excess steam/moisture to escape ensuring your eclairs maintain their shape).
• Fill a piping bag fitted with a narrow tip with marshmallow fluff.
• Just before serving, pipe the fluff into the cooled eclairs.
• Break apart chocolate and add to a small microwave safe bowl.
• To a separate, small microwave safe bowl, add the heavy cream.
• Microwave the cream for one minute. Remove and immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate pieces. Stir until the chocolate has melted and a nice ganache has formed. (if necessary place the bowl with chocolate and cream in the microwave for 10 second increments, stirring after each until smooth).
• Dip the top side of the filled eclairs into the melted chocolate.
• Sprinkle with additional graham cracker crumbs and top with mini marshmallows (if you have a kitchen torch you can "toast" the marshmallows to make them super cute). Best served immediately!
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Bring milk, water, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, and stir in flour. Return to heat, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan, about 4 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed to cool slightly, about 1 minute. With machine running, add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip.
• Pipe twenty 2 1/2-inch-long eclairs onto each sheet. Bake until eclairs rise and are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
• Split eclairs in half lengthwise using a serrated knife. Pipe vanilla cream onto eclair bottoms. Spoon macerated berries on top of cream, and sandwich with eclair tops. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately.
• Bake the mini eclairs the day you plan on serving them.

Steps:

• To make the buns, heat the milk, butter and 150ml water very gently in a medium-sized saucepan until all the butter has melted. Get the flour and some salt ready, then increase the heat and bring the liquid to the boil. As soon as it is boiling, remove from the heat and beat in the flour and a pinch of salt with a wooden spoon. Keep beating until the mixture is smooth and comes away from the sides of the pan. Cool for 5 mins.
• Gradually add the eggs, mixing well between each addition until the mixture reluctantly drops off the spoon. Don't add all the egg unless you need to. Spoon into a piping bag with a 1.5-2cm star or round nozzle and set aside until ready to bake.
• To make the filling, bring the milk just to the boil in a saucepan with the vanilla paste or split pod. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and flours in a mixing bowl. Pour on the hot milk while continuously whisking the egg mixture. Discard the pod (if using) and return the mix to a wiped-out saucepan. Cook over a gentle heat, stirring, until the mix is thicker than a custard - it will get lumpy, but just carry on stirring and beat out the lumps. Transfer to another mixing bowl and lay cling film directly on the surface. Leave to cool, then chill.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Line a couple of baking sheets with baking parchment. Pipe on 8-10cm long lengths of the dough, about 2cm wide - leaving space to expand between each one. Put in the oven for 5 mins, then reduce heat to 200C/200C fan/gas 6 and bake for 10 mins more until golden, puffed and crisp. Using a skewer, poke 3 small holes along the base of each bun. Put back on the baking sheets, base up, and return to the oven for a further 8-10 mins until slightly crisper. Cool. Can be frozen for up to a month, or stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days - just crisp up in a hot oven again when ready to fill.
• Add the cream to the thick custard filling and beat with an electric whisk until it holds its own shape again. Put into a piping bag with a tiny nozzle, then pipe some filling into the bottom of the buns using the skewer holes you made before (see Secrets of success, below). When it squirts back out, that bit is probably full.
• Stir the liqueur, if using, into the icing sugar, plus just enough water to make a pretty thick icing. Divide among as many bowls as you want colours, and colour each batch as you like. (Depending on your colouring, you may need to add a drop more water to icings so that they are thick but runny.)
• Dip the top of each eclair in icing to cover, or use a teaspoon to spread a little on - use less at first and wait for it to spread and settle. Add sprinkles and decorations, then gently sit on wire racks to set. Eclairs are best eaten on the day they are filled and decorated, before they go soggy.