Eclairs - Fool Proof Recipe

Ian is basically not a cake person, he doesn't really have sweet tooth - unlike his sis. Having said that, there are some sweet treats which he consistently enjoys having. One of them is éclairs
So, for his 9th birthday last week, when I asked him what he wanted me to bake for him, he said no cake. I asked, éclairs? He nodded in full excitement LOL

My family and I love it too, actually, but I do not really bake it often. As far as I remember, this was only my third time and in fact my first time using different recipe. Previously I always used this recipe

This time I attempted another recipe, from Kenneth of Guai Shu Shu
Ingredients are more or less the same, the only difference is his method is using electric mixer while my usual recipe is not. Result is very similar taste and texture. Love it :)

This recipe is more fool proof as the mixing is done by the machine, which I like
I was forgotten to take pics of the pretty hollow inside of the puff as well as how it looked inside with the filling, hope I remember the next time I bake this again :P

What you need:

For the choux pastry:
4 eggs
125g butter
125g plain flour
250g water

For the filling:
I used the same recipe as I did previously. Click the link I wrote above

For the chocolate coating;
I used the easy way, I melted 200g dark chocolate over double boiler. After melting while it's still hot, add in about 1 heaped tbsp of butter. Stir well

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200degC. Grease and line 2 cookie sheets
2. In a sauce pan over medium low heat, bring to boil water and butter. Add in flour while stirring vigorously until well mixed. Keep stirring til the dough doesn't stick to the pan and start to form a ball like shape. Let cool briefly about 5mins or so
3. Transfer the dough into a mixing bowl. Beat for 30 seconds. Add in eggs, one at a time and make sure to add the next one after it's really well mixed (to be safe, add the next egg after at least 30 seconds of beating) Dough will be smooth and glossy but not runny
4. Transfer dough into a large piping bag. Snip the tip to make about 1.5cm hole (or you can use piping nozzle with round tip) Pipe dough to your preferred length, about 10cm, onto lined cookie sheet
5. Bake for 15mins and then reduce the temperature to 180degC and bake for another 20mins or so til it's golden and firm to the touch (Do not open oven door during baking especially the first 20mins to avoid puffs to deflate)
6. When it's done, remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Poke each puff at both ends with a toothpick to release trapped moisture inside
7. When the puffs are completely cooled, you can either slit lengthwise at one side to slather the filling in it, or you also may use piping bag with small tip to poke into one end of the puff and pipe the filling
8. Last step is to dip the top of each puff with melted chocolate topping. Store in an airtight container. If need to stack, layer with plastic or parchment paper in between. Keep refrigerated

For the special birthday boy, I presented the éclairs a little differently. I stacked them to make it like a pyramid and drizzled with homemade easy chocolate sauce

The birthday boy was delighted to see the éclairs pyramid! :)