Chocolate Cream Éclairs or Puffs

 from Hershey’s Dessert Collector

 

Basic Puffs/Éclairs

1 cup water

½ cup butter

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup flour

4 eggs

 

Heat water, butter, and salt to a rolling boil in saucepan.  Add flour all at once; stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball.  Remove from heat; cool slightly.  Add eggs one at a time, beating until smooth and velvety.  For éclairs, shape by scant ¼ cupfuls into fingers 4” long and 1” wide, 2” apart on an un-greased baking sheet.  For puffs, drop by scant ¼ cupfuls.  Bake at 400 F for 35-40 minutes or until puffed and golden.  Remove from oven, slice off top, remove dough from inside, and cool.  Fill with Chocolate Cream Filling, sweetened whipped cream, replace the lid, and glaze with Chocolate Glaze. 

 

Chocolate Cream Filling

1 ¼ cups sugar                         3 cups milk

1/3 cup Hershey’s cocoa          3 egg yolks                              

1/3 cup cornstarch                    2 Tbsp. butter

¼ tsp salt                                  1 ½ tsp vanilla

 

Combine sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in heavy saucepan; add milk.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until boiling.  Stir 1 minute.  Remove from heat; gradually stir ½ of mixture into bowl containing egg yolks, return to pan.  Stir and heat to boil.  Blend in butter and vanilla.  Cover with saran wrap and cool. 

 

Chocolate Glaze

Melt 2 Tbsp butter in small pan, add 2 Tbsp cocoa and 2 Tbsp water.  Stir until thick.  DO NOT BOIL!  Add 1 cup confectioner’s sugar and ½ tsp vanilla.  Stir until smooth.