Description
Patriotic Éclairs are a festive dessert featuring crispy choux pastry, rich chocolate pastry cream, and colorful red, white, and blue decorations. Perfect for celebrating the Fourth of July!
Ingredients
For the Choux Pastry:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
For the Chocolate Pastry Cream:
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 large egg yolks
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Decoration:
6 ounces white chocolate or white candy melts
Red gel food coloring
Blue gel food coloring
Optional: melted dark chocolate for base coating
Small fondant stars or star-shaped sprinkles
Instructions
- Prepare the Choux Pastry: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cook the Dough: In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, water, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil, remove from heat, and stir in the flour all at once. Return to medium heat and stir continuously until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
- Add the Eggs: Transfer the dough to a large bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition until the dough is smooth, thick, and glossy.
- Pipe the Éclairs: Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe 4 to 5-inch-long lines onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them a couple of inches apart.
- Bake the Éclairs: Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the éclairs are puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make the Chocolate Pastry Cream: In a medium saucepan, heat the milk until steaming but not boiling. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks until smooth.
- Thicken the Cream: Gradually pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until it thickens to a pudding-like consistency.
- Finish the Cream: Remove from heat and immediately stir in the chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla until completely smooth. Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface to prevent a skin from forming, then chill until cold.
- Fill the Éclairs: Once the éclairs are completely cool, use a skewer or small knife to poke a hole at each end. Transfer the chilled pastry cream into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip and fill the éclairs from both ends until full.
- Prepare the Decoration: Melt the white chocolate or candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring every 20 seconds until smooth. Divide the melted chocolate into three bowls: leave one bowl white, color one red, and color one blue with gel food coloring.
- Base Coat (Optional): If using dark chocolate for a base layer, dip the tops of the filled éclairs into melted dark chocolate and let set before proceeding.
- Decorate the Éclairs: Spread the blue-colored chocolate over one-third of each éclair. Pipe alternating red and white stripes over the remaining two-thirds. Add small fondant stars or star sprinkles to the blue section for a festive finish.
Notes
For a flavor twist, you can use vanilla pastry cream instead of chocolate pastry cream.
If you don’t have fondant stars, star-shaped sprinkles or edible glitter can also be used.
You can swap the food coloring for different colors to fit other celebrations.
For extra freshness, you can top the éclairs with fresh berries before serving.
The éclairs should be filled and decorated just before serving to maintain the crispness of the pastry.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 éclair
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 27g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 95mg
