Eclairs, it is about high time for eclairs again! These eclairs contain a creamy peanut butter filling and some chocolate. If you are a peanut butter fan, these eclairs are for you. If you like eclairs, but are not that fond of peanut butter, I also have black forest eclairs, cappuccino eclairs or eclairs with raspberry filling on my blog. I do recommend all of them.
Eclairs are, even though many are intimidated by them, not that hard to prepare. Once you know how to make choux pastry, you have endless possibilities. Since my hubby is a huge peanut butter fan and he asked for eclairs on his birthday, I decided to make these peanut butter eclairs. The peanut butter cream is homemade, we are not going to use instant pudding, this is from-scratch cream. And I can assure you, I made these peanut butter eclairs in a different kitchen, they came out perfect. Choux pastry really is not that complicated, below are some tips for you so that yours will come out perfect as well.
These are my tips so that your eclairs come out perfect:
- Choux pastry means to “burn” the flour. This basically means that you will press down the dough once you have added the flour to the other ingredients on medium low heat. Depending on the pot you are using, you may see a white film on the bottom of your pot, this chemical reaction of gelatinizing the starch of the flour is pertinent so that your eclairs will puff during baking.
- Before you add the eggs, you need to wait until the dough has cooled off. I like to transfer the dough into a mixing bowl and press it down the sides as much as possible for it to cool off faster.
- How many eggs you will need depends on many factors such as the weather, humidity, etc. For that reason I recommend mixing in each egg separately. Whisk the last egg in a small bowl and only add little by little until you reach the right consistency. The leftover can be used as egg wash.
- Choux pastry should be a thick batter which you can pipe and appear to be glossy and shiny.
- When you pipe the eclairs onto the baking sheet, you can cut off any leftover with some scissors and press down the piping tip with a wet finger.
- I like to sprinkle the prepared baking sheet with some water. Eclairs like a humid environment while baking, similar to cheesecake.
- Eclairs need to be baked until they are properly brown. When I made my first eclairs, I didn’t bake them long enough. They will soon get mushy, so be sure that they are really crisp, they will also be sturdier once filled.
- Don’t open the oven door while baking or your eclairs will deflate quickly.
- Split them in half shortly after baking as otherwise it will be close to impossible.
- You may keep empty eclairs for up to two days in airtight container. However, eclairs taste best fresh and should only be filled shortly before consuming.
But let’s get going now, I hope you enjoy making eclairs!
Credit: Peanut butter cream as found in “Icing on the Cake” by Tessa Huff, p. 162
These peanut butter chocolate eclairs are a dream come true for any peanut butter lover. For the eclairs heat water, salt and butter in a pot and let the butter melt completely. Change temperature to low and add all the flour at once while still stirring. Stir until a ball forms. Be sure to press down the ball onto the bottom of your pan, there should be a thin white layer on the bottom of the pot. Move dough ball to a bowl and let cool off. Add first egg. Beat in one egg at a time. First the dough will appear crumbly. Depending on the size of the eggs, you will have to beat in between 3-5 eggs. Whisk the last egg into a small ball and only add a little at a time. The right consistency is reached if the dough slowly drops off a spoon and looks glossy. Save leftover egg for egg wash, if desired. Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and pipe stripes of about 2 centimeters in width and 12 cm in length on the baking sheet. Leave space between each as they will puff considerably. You can wet your fingers with some water to smooth away any inconsistencies. Sprinkle baking sheet with a few drops of water. Bake eclairs on medium rack for 10min, reduce temperature to 180 and bake for another 15-20min. Do NOT open the door while baking or eclairs will deflate. The crust should be a little darker and crunchy. Split eclairs in half while still warm. For the peanut butter filling heat the milk with two tablespoons sugar on medium-low to a simmer. Place the egg yolks and remaining sugar in another bowl and whisk together with cornstarch and flour until smooth. When the milk is hot enough, pour just a bit of the milk into the eggs while whisking. The idea is to slowing increase the temperature of the eggs, but not boiling them. Then pour the eggs into the pot with the milk and stir constantly while simmering on medium heat. The mixture should become thick after a few minutes. Add peanut butter and butter until melted, lastly add the salt. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and let cool. For the chocolate topping melt the chocolate with the oil on low. Dunk the top part of the eclair in the prepared chocolate and either spoon or pipe the peanut butter cream on the lower half before sandwiching together. Eclairs taste best on the same day they were made. However, you can keep them chilled for a few days in an airtight container. I recommend filling shortly before serving. No idea what to do with the leftover egg whites? Check out see this blog post including how to freeze them properly.Peanut Butter Chocolate Eclairs
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