Chocolate Eclairs

I made my eclairs last weekend for this month's Daring Baker's challenge. I made the glaze the day before and then the pastry and cream the next day. I was going to try a different filling other than pastry cream. I was thinking more along the lines of the white cream that is found in the Long John's donuts. Only my attempt at that filling didn't work out so well. I used some clear vanilla extact that had to over powering of alcohol taste that I couldn't serve it to anyone. I ended up makeing Dorie Greenspan's vanilla pastry cream. I did keep the chocolate glaze per the recipe given. I thought this challenge was relatively easy compared to other pastries. I'm glad it was chosen though so I could find out that I could make them. I think I would have been intimidated otherwise.

My dough rose well in most of the eclairs and puffs. I did have some in each batch deflate a little. I think had I had the proper size piping tip they would have been fine. I just used the coupler without a tip since it was the largest opening I had. I didn't want to chance using the ziploc bad method since I read others haven't had such luck with that way. So, mine were small but cute. You'll see in my pictures that I had nice spaces in some that I was able to put my pastry filling tip in and fill that sucker up. That was pretty cool to do. I thought they tasted fine. My co-workers seemed to enjoy them. I think I decided that it's just not the type of pastry I would choose first.

Thanks to Tony of .antoniotahhan.com/ and Meeta of whatsforlunchhoney.blogspot.com for hosting this month's challenge. I'm glad I have another French pastry conquered (somewhat).