Gluten-Free Chocolate Éclairs (with Fresh Choux Pastry)

Step 1: Make the chocolate pastry cream first

This stuff needs to chill. If you skip this step, you’ll regret it later when your filling slides out like warm pudding.

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk until just steaming.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl until it looks pale yellow and thick.
3. Slowly add the hot milk to the yolk mixture while whisking like your life depends on it (tempering is the goal here).
4. Pour it all back into the pot and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until it bubbles and thickens. It’ll look like pudding when it’s ready.
5. Turn off the heat. Stir in the vanilla, salt, and chopped chocolate. Mix until smooth and glossy.
6. Scoop it into a bowl, press plastic wrap directly on the surface (so it doesn’t get that weird skin), and chill for at least 2 hours.

Step 2: Choux pastry time!

This is the part people get nervous about, but you’re not going to mess it up. Trust me — I’ve burned, underbaked, and overmixed choux in every way possible. You’ve got this.

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil. As soon as the butter melts, take it off the heat.
3. Dump in all the flour at once and stir quickly with a wooden spoon. It’ll look weird and gloopy — keep stirring until it pulls away from the sides and forms a ball.
4. Put it back on medium heat and stir for about 1–2 minutes. This cooks the flour a bit — helps the éclairs hold their shape.
5. Transfer the dough to a large bowl (or stand mixer with paddle attachment). Let it cool for 5 minutes.
6. Beat in eggs one at a time. It’ll look like it’s separating after each egg, but just keep going — it comes together in the end. The dough should be smooth, shiny, and thick enough to hold its shape but soft enough to pipe.
7. Scoop the dough into a piping bag fitted with a ½-inch round or star tip. Pipe 4–5 inch strips onto your lined sheet, leaving some space between.
8. Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes, then reduce to 350°F and bake for 20–25 minutes more — don’t open the oven door or they’ll collapse.
9. When they’re golden and feel hollow, pull them out. Let cool completely on a rack.

Step 3: Fill ‘em up

Once the shells are cool, take a small sharp knife and poke a little hole on the bottom or both ends of each éclair.

1. Load your chilled pastry cream into a piping bag with a narrow tip.
2. Pipe that chocolate goodness into each shell. If it starts oozing out, it’s full.
3. Wipe off any mess and resist the urge to eat them all before glazing.

Step 4: That shiny ganache topping

1. Heat the cream in a small saucepan or microwave until hot but not boiling.
2. Pour over the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Let sit 2 minutes, then stir until smooth.
3. Add the butter and stir again until glossy.
4. Dip each éclair top-down into the ganache. Let the extra drip off, then place back on a rack or tray to set.