ECLAIRS WITH PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE AND DARK CHOCOLATE GLAZE
Notes: This recipe for eclairs filled with a simple peanut butter “mousse” topped with a dark chocolate glaze is divine. Eclairs are thought to have originated in the mid 1800s in Lyon, France, where they were originally called pain à la Duchesse. “Eclair” means flash of lightning and since this delectable pastry tends to get eaten “in a flash” it was fitting and soon became the common name. The dark chocolate glaze is finished with a touch of coconut oil, a pinch of salt, and a dash of maple syrup. The airy light “mousse” is made with creamy peanut butter, cream cheese, maple syrup, heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract. Peanut butter and chocolate have never been so elegant together.
Your eclairs will turn out beautifully (i.e., hollow and hold their shape) if you follow some important steps that I will outline in the recipe directions, but to sum up the key points: Use a high protein bread flour (not AP flour), the dough needs to rest and chill before and after piping, and the dough consistency needs to be thick but pipable. The weighed measurements provided, as usual, will be more accurate than the cup measurements.
A hollow eclair perfectly filled with peanut butter “mousse”.
Special equipment:
Digital kitchen scale (the linked scale is one I have tested for accuracy/precision and recommend, available on Amazon)
Stand mixer
French star nozzle tip (for piping), 1.5 cm diameter at the tip
Piping bags
*Optional perforated air baking mat (silcone/fiberglass). The silicone/fiberglass baking mat allows for air flow so that where the pastries contact the mat do not become soggy or accumulate moisture. If you don’t have this, then use parchment paper.
Ingredients:
Eclairs:
Unsalted butter: 60 g (⅓ cups)
Water: 60 g (1/4 cups)
Whole milk: 60 g (1/4 cup)
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Granulated sugar: 1 tsp
Bread flour, sifted: 70 g (1/2 cup)
Eggs, beaten: 110 g (1/2 cup); this is ~2 large eggs
Powdered sugar for dusting
Peanut butter “mousse”:
Creamy salted peanut butter: 235 g (1 cup)
Cream cheese, softened: 185 g (1 cup)
Maple or agave syrup: 150 g (1/2 cup)
Heavy cream: 245 g (1 cup)
Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
Dark chocolate glaze:
Dark chocolate (~70% cacao content): 125 g
Coconut oil: 1 tbsp
Pinch of salt
*Optional maple or agave syrup: 1 tsp
Directions:
Eclairs:
Sift and measure out flour and set aside for the next step.
Combine butter, water, milk, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. As soon as the mixture comes to a soft boil remove from heat and add the flour and mix in with a spatula until you get a cohesive dough.
Place the saucepan back on the stove and cook the dough for ~2 min over medium heat mixing constantly. Some water will evaporate thickening the dough.
Transfer the dough into the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and start beating the dough on low speed for a minute to allow it to cool a little.
Add a small amount of beaten eggs into the dough while continuing to mix on low speed. Let the egg fully incorporate before adding more. The dough will come together and should reach a smooth, pipeable consistency. You want the dough to be thick but pipable. You will notice in my instagram reel that my dough looked quite thick (perhaps a little too thick), but it was still pipable since it slowly fell off the paddle (see picture below). It’s better for the dough to be a little too thick (but still with some flow or movement) than on the wet side.
The dough is ready when it slowly falls down from the paddle attachment in a V shape. Slowly is key here. Depending on how much water evaporated from the dough in the saucepan and the type of flour you use (and it’s exact protein content), the final quantity of egg used may need some tailoring. I used all of the two eggs I had. Ultimately, you will look for that thick but pipable consistency as the dough very slowly falls off the paddle when lifted. If the dough is too wet and loose it will likely collapse during baking or not hold it's shape well after baking. *Conversely, if you find that after adding all the egg your dough is not falling off the paddle at all, it’s too thick because too much water was evaporated in the previous step. This can be remedied by adding a tsp of water and beating into the dough on low speed. Add one tsp of water at a time until you get that thick but pipable consistency.
Transfer the dough into a pastry bag fitted with French star nozzle tip (1.5 cm diameter at the tip) and rest the dough in the fridge for 1-2 hours. *This is a good place to stop, and come back the next day if you can’t come back in a couple of hours. In fact, the next day may be even better for allowing the dough to relax and create a more even (and hollow) product when baked.
Once the dough has chilled and rested in the pastry bag fitted with the French star tip, pipe 10 (possibly up to 12 depending on your piping technique and tip size) equal sized eclairs on a perforated air baking mat (or parchment paper) leaving a bit of space in between them as they will puff up.
Dust the piped dough with powdered sugar; this will help with color development and even baking. Place the tray into the freezer for ~30 min before baking (a little longer is ok). While the eclairs are in the freezer pre-heat oven to 400 F to get it extra hot to start.
Drop the oven temperature to 340 F right before placing the baking tray in the oven and bake the eclairs for at least 30 min. Do not open the oven door for the first 30 min. If this is your first time making eclairs, at the 30 min mark you can take an eclair out of the oven to check consistency. If it is a dark golden color, well puffed, and does not start to deflate as you examine it at room temp then you can assume that it’s done and take the rest out. You can go a few mins longer if not quite there.
Cool the eclairs on the perforated air mat or move to a wire rack to cool.
A thick but pipable choux dough, that is ready to chill in the fridge for a couple hours.
Peanut butter “mousse:
Using either a hand or stand mixer in a large mixing bowl, beat together the peanut butter, cream cheese, maple or agave syrup, and vanilla extract and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, beat together the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
Now add 1/2 of the whipped heavy cream into the peanut butter mixture and beat it in until incorporated. Fold or mix in the other 1/2 of the cream in until the “mousse” is well aerated and combined.
Transfer the mousse into a piping bag with small round tip.
With a small knife make two small incisions on the bottom of every eclair (about 3/4 inch or 2 cm from each end).
Hold each eclair with the bottom facing up in your hand and pipe in the peanut butter “mousse” into each hole until the eclairs feel heavy with cream. It’s ok if some cream/”mousse” oozes out of the holes. Wipe the holes off after you’re done.
Aerated and smooth peanut butter “mousse”.
Filling the eclairs to the brim with peanut butter mousse.
Dark chocolate glaze:
In a medium mixing bowl chop up your dark chocolate into pebble sized pieces, then add the coconut oil.
Place the bowl in the microwave and heat for 25-30 seconds. Then thoroughly mix the melted oil into the chocolate. Microwave again in 20 second bursts, mixing well after each burst until all chocolate that would melt from the residual heat has had a chance to do so. This process should only take a few bursts before all the chocolate is melted, mixed and glossy.
Add a pinch of salt and optional 1 tsp of maple or agave syrup and mix in.
Swirl the top of each eclair into the dark chocolate glaze and let the excess drip off each end before flipping the eclairs back over.
Refrigerate if not serving right away.
Glazing the eclairs with dark chocolate (with a touch of coconut oil, a pinch of salt, and a dash of maple syrup).