This is the best Homemade Eclairs Recipe! The pastry and frosting are made completely from scratch and the filling is irresistibly delicious. Eclairs are an elegant dessert, perfect special occasions! Make-ahead and freezer-friendly.
Mix together the French vanilla pudding and milk. Set aside in the refrigerator until it becomes thick (about 5 minutes).
Add the whipping cream, vanilla and powdered sugar into the bowl of a standing mixer and whip on high speed until firm peaks form and hold their shape.
Fold the pudding and whipped cream mixture together.
Cover and set aside in the refrigerator.
Make the Eclair Shells
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease three jelly roll pans and set aside.
Measure your water, salt and butter into a 4-quart saucepan. Heat water salt and butter to boiling. Continue to boil the mixture until the butter is melted.
Add the flour to the saucepan all at once and whip with wooden spoon. Mixture will form a ball in middle of the pan.
Cool for about 5 minutes stirring to cool faster.
Add eggs one at a time whipping with wooden spoon well after each. [Or transfer your mixture to a standing mixture and add eggs individually, beating well after each].
Check your batter, if it is not thick enough to hold a shape when piped, gradually add more flour until it reaches the desired consistency.
Put mixture into pastry bag and pipe out eclair shapes about 1 ½ to 2 inches long and 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets.
Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes or until lightly brown. Let cool completely before assembling the eclairs.
Make the Frosting
Melt chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave (60 seconds, then 30 second intervals until smooth), set aside.
Place softened butter in the bowl of your standing mixer.
Add chocolate vanilla and beat until combined.
Add salt and powdered sugar and beat until well combined.
Add milk and beat until the mixture reaches spreading consistency, wiping down the sides as you go. You may need to add more milk.
Set aside (but keep at room temperature).
Assemble
Put filling in a large piping bag fitted with a small, round tip. Gently pipe the filling into one end of the pastry puff. Repeating for each puff until they are all filled.
Fill a large piping bag with your chocolate frosting and frost the eclairs in any way you’d like!
Refrigerate until serving.
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions:The puffs and filling should not be changed. If you would like to try a homemade vanilla pudding instead of the packages, that would work. If you would prefer a chocolate frosting that uses cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate, use this Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe.
Chocolate: I love Ghirardelli baking chocolate. This frosting is a little dark but still sweet! If you like a sweeter chocolate frosting, use semi-sweet or milk chocolate.
Milk: I use whole milk in this chocolate frosting, but you can use 2%, half and half or cream if you'd like.
Butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter.
Store/Freeze
Store these eclairs in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month in an airtight container.
Simply remove from the freezer and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving!