Chocolate Eclairs

Happy 2014 everyone! I can't believe another year has flown by! Instead of being sad about the happenings of the past year, and being angry about a New Year dawning, I am going to take it... One day at a time. I will love each day, give each day, and bake... Often.

I started off with these delicious chocolate eclairs! They are a little time consuming but are made up of easy, every day ingredients.

Let's get to baking, shall we?

For the dough:
1 cup water
1/2 cup (or 1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs

For the filling:
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the frosting:
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons butter
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3-4 Tablespoons boiling water

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, lightly grease with cooking spray, and set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine the water and cubed butter and heat over medium. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring continuously as to melt the butter. Once the mixture is boiling, turn heat to low, and stir in the flour and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until a thick dough ball forms. Remove pan from heat and stir in eggs, one at a time, being sure to work quickly so the eggs do not scramble.
Once the eggs are completely incorporated you should have a thick and sticky dough, like this:

Spoon dough into piping bag or plastic bag, fitted with a large tip and pipe onto prepared baking sheet in oblong 1 1/2" by 4" shapes.

Place on the middle rack in the preheated 450 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. When the time is up, lower the heat to 325 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes or until the pastries are puffed and golden, and when the bottom is tapped sound hallow.

IMMEDIATELY when the pastries are removed from the oven, pierce with a sharp knife or chopstick almost completely through. This allows for steam to escape and for the interior to not be soggy. Let the pastries cool for 30 minutes while you make the frosting.

In a large microwave safe bowl, place the chocolate chips and butter for the frosting. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir, and microwave in 10 second increments until the butter and chocolate chips are completely melted and smooth. Stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla, the frosting will be very thick. Slowly add in the boiling water, one Tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is slightly runny and has a shiny appearance, almost like a ganache.
One at a time, dip the tops of the pastries into the chocolate, wiping away any excess and place on your baking sheet to cool completely.

While the chocolate is cooling, prepare your whipped cream filling.

Place all filling ingredients in a bowl and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Place filling into a pastry bag fitting with a tip the size of the hole you created in your pastry. Slowly fill your pastries, moving the tip back and forth as you go to fill them completely.

And that's it! Time consuming yes, but delicious and sooo worth it. I might have had 4... but who's counting, right? New Years resolutions don't go into effect until the 2nd in my book.