Classic French Mini Eclairs

1. Make the Choux Pastry (Prepare the Buns)

• Heat the milk and butter: In a medium-sized saucepan, combine 150ml of water, the milk, and 100g of butter. Heat gently until the butter has fully melted.
• Boil and add flour: Increase the heat to bring the liquid to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling, remove it from the heat. Immediately add 200g of plain flour and a pinch of salt. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and comes away from the sides of the pan.
• Cool the dough: Let the dough cool for 5 minutes.

2. Add Eggs to Form the Dough

• Beat in eggs: Add the 4 large beaten eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. The dough should become smooth, shiny, and thick enough to hold its shape.
• Prepare the piping bag: Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a 1.5-2cm plain nozzle. Set aside.

3. Prepare the Vanilla Custard Filling

• Heat the milk and vanilla: Pour 200ml of milk into a saucepan. Add 1 tsp vanilla paste (or the split vanilla pod) and bring the milk just to the boil.
• Whisk the egg mixture: In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 large egg yolks, 4 tbsp caster sugar, 1 tbsp plain flour, and 1 tsp cornflour.
• Combine milk and egg mix: Once the milk has reached boiling point, gradually pour it into the egg mixture while continuously whisking to prevent curdling. Discard the vanilla pod if using.
• Cook until thickened: Return the mixture to the pan and cook gently over low heat, stirring constantly until the custard thickens. If it gets lumpy, keep stirring and beat out the lumps.
• Cool the custard: Transfer the thickened custard into a bowl, cover with cling film (touching the surface), and allow it to cool completely. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

4. Bake the Eclair Buns

• Preheat the oven: Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.
• Pipe the dough: Pipe 8-10cm long lines of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2cm wide. Leave space between each eclair to allow for expansion.
• Bake the eclairs: Bake for 5 minutes at 220°C, then reduce the heat to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 and bake for another 10 minutes, or until golden and puffed.
• Poke holes: When baked, use a skewer to poke 3 small holes along the base of each eclair to allow for the filling.
• Crisp up the buns: Turn the eclairs over, base up, and return to the oven for an additional 8-10 minutes to dry out and crisp up.
• Cool the buns: Let the eclairs cool completely. (They can be frozen at this stage for up to 1 month or stored in an airtight container for 3 days.)

5. Prepare the Cream Filling

• Whisk the custard and cream: Take the chilled custard and add 200ml of double cream. Beat with an electric whisk until the mixture thickens and holds its shape.
• Pipe the filling: Transfer the filling into a piping bag with a small nozzle. Use the skewer holes from earlier to pipe the filling into the centre of each eclair until it starts to squirt back out (indicating it’s full).

6. Prepare the Icing and Decoration

• Make the icing: Sift 500g of fondant icing sugar into bowls. Add just enough water to each bowl to create a thick, but pourable icing. Divide into separate bowls if you want to color the icing. Use food coloring to achieve the desired colors.
• Ice the eclairs: Dip the top of each eclair into the icing, or use a spoon to drizzle the icing over the top. Be gentle and use a small amount at first to let it spread.
• Decorate: While the icing is still wet, sprinkle with edible decorations like Smarties, Mini Smarties, or other cake sprinkles.

7. Chill and Serve

• Let the icing set: Place the decorated eclairs on a wire rack to set the icing.
• Serve: Mini eclairs are best eaten the same day they are filled and decorated, as they can get soggy if stored for too long.

Tips for Success:

• Piping the filling: Poking three holes in each eclair might seem like a small detail, but it ensures that the cream filling gets into the centre of the eclair properly, giving every bite a satisfying balance of pastry and creamy goodness.
• Make ahead: You can make the eclairs in advance, store them in an airtight container, and just fill and decorate them before serving to save time on the day.