Chocolate Caramel Eclair Recipe

Mmm..this chocolate caramel eclair recipe will melt in your mouth and get gobbled up as fast as you put them on the table.

Ingredients

Vanilla Pastry Cream
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
6 egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean
3 Tablespoons butter

Pastry
1/2 cup water
4 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3 eggs, room temperature

Chocolate Ganache
1 cup milk chocolate melting wafers
1 cup heavy cream

Caramel
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons butter

Makes about 10

Directions

Pastry Cream (make this the night before)

Whisk together sugar, cornstarch and flour. Add egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Set aside

In medium sized pot heat milk and scraped vanilla bean until it just comes to a simmer. Pour a bit of heated milk into egg yolks and whisk. Pour egg yolks into milk and bring to a simmer whisking the whole time. Once it starts to thicken turn off heat and whisk in butter. Pour into a heat safe bowl and let cool. Cover and chill overnight.

Pastry

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium pot bring to a boil water, butter, sugar, and salt. Add flour and mix until a dough forms and pull away from the sides.

Place dough in a mixer with a paddle attachment. Add eggs one a time and beat extensively after each addition. Let cool a bit.

Pipe a line about 1 inch long onto prepared baking tray. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Set to cool, once cool enough to touch let them cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Ganache

In a double boiler or a pot filled with water and a bowl, melt together chocolate and cream on low heat. Stir until smooth.

Caramel

In a medium size pot bring to boil sugar and lemon juice. Once sugar starts to turn an amber color remove from heat and add heavy cream whisking until well incorporated. Whisk in butter and set to cool.

Assembly

Cut cooled pastries in half lengthwise. Pipe some pastry cream into bottom half of eclair. Next take the top half and dip into chocolate ganache, let drip off excess chocolate. Place tops back on top of bottom part of eclair and let chocolate set. Pipe cooled caramel over top. Serve.