Aunt Kathys Chocolate Eclair Ring Recipes

CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Filling: In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean to a boil over medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 15 minutes. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the saucepan. Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool slightly. Cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. The custard can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Refrigerate until 1 hour before using.
• Pastry: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt and sugar to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, immediately take the pan off the heat. Stirring with a wooden spoon, add all the flour at once and stir hard until all the flour is incorporated, 30 to 60 seconds. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Scrape the mixture into a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer). Mix at medium speed. With the mixer running, add 3 eggs, 1 egg at a time. Stop mixing after each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated. The dough should be thick, but should fall slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift them out of the bowl. If the dough is still clinging to the beaters, add the remaining 1 egg and mix until incorporated.
• Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, pipe fat lengths of dough (about the size and shape of a jumbo hot dog) onto the lined baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between them. You should have 8 to 10 lengths.
• Egg Wash: In a bowl, whisk the egg and water together. Brush the surface of each eclair with the egg wash. Use your fingers to smooth out any bumps of points of dough that remain on the surface. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake until puffed up and light golden brown, about 25 minutes more. Try not to open the oven door too often during the baking. Let cool on the baking sheet. Fit a medium-size plain pastry tip over your index finger and use it to make a hole in the end of each eclair (or just use your fingertip). Using a pastry bag fitted with a medium-size plain tip, gently pipe the custard into the eclairs, using only just enough to fill the inside (don't stuff them full).
• Glaze: In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat just until it boils. Immediately turn off the heat. Put the chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Set aside and keep warm. The glaze can be made up to 48 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, and rewarm in a microwave or over hot water when ready to use.
• Dip the tops of the eclairs in the warm chocolate glaze and set on a sheet pan. Chill, uncovered, at least 1 hour to set the glaze. Serve chilled.

AUNT KATHY'S CHOCOLATE ECLAIR RING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt your butter and water together in a medium saucepan over low heat, letting come to a boil. Add the flour and salt and stir the mixture rapidly until the dough starts to leave the sides of the saucepan, forming a ball. Remove the dough from heat, letting it cool for about 10 minutes, and then start adding the eggs one at a time, mixing them into the dough until it becomes smooth and shiny (this will take quite a bit of mixing - the eggs will initially give the dough a strange look but just keep mixing until it becomes dough-like again). Lightly grease a baking sheet or pizza pan/stone and start dropping heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the greased pan, overlapping them slightly so that they're connected. The dough will expand a bit while baking, but not a lot so depending on how large you would like the center of your ring to be, you can arrange the balls of dough accordingly. Bake the pastry ring in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, turn the oven off and then let it sit in the warm oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool completely before splitting it in the center.
• While the pastry ring is baking, you can prepare your filling. Start by preparing the vanilla pudding mixture - add the two packages of pudding mix with the 2 &1/4 cups of milk, whisking for 3-5 minutes until the pudding forms, and set aside. In a separate bowl, whip your heavy cream, white sugar and vanilla together until a light, fluffy whipped mixture forms (you'll know it's done when the mixture forms soft peaks). Gently fold your vanilla pudding mixture into the whipped cream mixture to form your custard filling. Chill until you are ready to assemble your ring. I recommend freezing your bowl and beaters for an hour or so before whipping the cream - the colder the better! When your pastry ring has cooled, split it down the center with a serrated knife (very gently). If it splits a bit, that's ok. The custard will hold it together. Remove the top half and start placing dollops of the custard filling onto the bottom half of the ring, replacing the top when all the custard has been used. Prepare your chocolate glaze by melting the semi-sweet chocolate and butter together over low heat in a medium saucepan. Gradually mix in your confectioners sugar and vanilla, stirring until combined. The mixture will appear clumpy. Start thinning it out tablespoon by tablespoon of hot water until the glaze reaches your desired texture (I used 2 total for a thicker glaze, but it really depends on your preference). Glaze the top of the eclair ring. Fill the center with candy and chill until ready to serve.

CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large saucepan, bring water, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. , Using a tablespoon or a pastry tube with a #10 or large round tip, form dough into nine 4x1-1/2-in. strips on a greased baking sheet. Bake 35-40 minutes or until puffed and golden. Remove to a wire rack. Immediately split eclairs open; remove tops and set aside. Discard soft dough from inside. Cool eclairs. , In a large bowl, beat milk and pudding mix according to package directions. In another bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar and vanilla; fold into pudding. Fill eclairs (chill any remaining filling for another use). , For frosting, in a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Stir in sugar and enough hot water to achieve a smooth consistency. Cool slightly. Frost eclairs. Store in refrigerator.

ECLAIR RING

Steps:

• 1. PREP: Preheat Oven to 400F Find a 7" plate and put top side down on greased and floured baking sheet. Trace the edge of the plate. Lift the plate and mark 12 spots (Like a clock) inside the ring
• 2. The Pastry Ring: Bring Water, butter and salt to a boil.Pour in all the flour all at once mixing to incorporate until it pulls away from the sides and forms a ball. Remove from heat and cool slightly.Add each egg one at a time beating each with a wooden spoon until dough is very smooth. Don't try to add them all at once or the batter will flow instead of holding it's shape Drop by tbs onto the marks INSIDE the ring until you have 12 mounds touching each other. Bake at 400F for 45 minutes. Do Not Open the door. Turn oven off and let sit for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool well. Slice horizontally with a bread knife.
• 3. Filling: Combine pudding, milk, heavy cream and vanilla and beat until it gets thick and holds it's shape. Spread on the bottom half of the ring. Replace the top half.
• 4. Chocolate Drizzle Frosting: Melt and combine the chocolate,karo syrup,butter, milk and vanilla until it's thin enough to drizzle. I put in the fridge for at least an hour and sometimes 2 in the freezer if I make them the day before.

EASY CHOCOLATE ECLAIR " RING SHAPED " DESSERT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• On a cookie sheet grease and flour a circle
• approx 7 inches.
• In a sauce pan, over high heat mix Water and Butter until boiling. Turn burner to Low and add Flour and Salt. Mix fast with a wooden spoon until dough leaves the sides of the pan.
• Transfer dough to a large bowl and mix with an electric beaters at Medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat until dough is smooth and slimy.
• Drop tablespoons of dough onto the cookie sheet to form a circle with an open center. Bake for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes turn oven off and leave in the oven for an additional 20 minutes.
• Put on a wire rack to cool. Once cool carefully cut in half (like a cream puff).
• For the Filling, mix BOTH packages Instant French Vanilla pudding with the 2 1/2 cups milk. Mix with an electric beater on Low for 1 - 2 minutes. Once pudding has set up, add Cool Whip and Almond Extract and fold in slowly until incorporated.
• Take the top of the "ring" off and set to the side. Spread the filling evenly on the bottom "ring". Once you have distributed all the filling evenly across the bottom "ring" replace the top of the "ring".
• For the frosting, make the Chocolate Fudge Frosting Mix as directed on the package and spread on the top of the ring. Let Frosting set up until ready to serve.

CHOCOLATE ECLAIR RING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In medium sauce pan, bring water and butter to a boil.
• Remove from heat and add flour and salt. Stir until it forms a ball.
• Add eggs, one at a time, and BEAT THOROUGHLY AFTER EACH ONE with a hand mixer. (The ring may not puff up if not thoroughly mixed.).
• Drop mixture by spoonfuls into a ring-shape on a greased cookie sheet.
• Bake 45 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.
• While ring is baking, beat pudding mix, cream, and milk until thick.
• When ring is cool, cut in half horizontally.
• Spread pudding mixture on bottom half and replace top.
• Spread chocolate frosting on top. (It may be easier to spread if softened in the microwave for a few seconds.).
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

AUNT MARY'S COOKIES

Steps:

• Place sheets of waxed paper onto a work surface.
• Stir sugar, cocoa, and evaporated milk together in a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil; boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir butter and marshmallow creme into cocoa mixture. Quickly stir graham cracker crumbs into mixture.
• Drop cookies by the spoonful onto waxed paper; let stand until firm. Store in airtight containers.

CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Start by making the custard filling. Heat the milk until almost boiling in a saucepan. Meanwhile, mix together the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla in a bowl, then stir in the flours, a couple of tsp at a time, to a smooth paste.
• Gradually whisk in the hot milk, pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over a high heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 mins until thick - it will go alarmingly lumpy but don't worry, just keep stirring it vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth
• Lay a sheet of cling film directly on the custard surface, then cool and chill until you're ready to fill the buns.
• To make the choux buns, heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Sift the flour with the sugar and a pinch of salt into a small bowl. Put the milk and butter into a medium saucepan with 125ml water and gently heat so the butter melts but the liquid doesn't bubble.
• Once the butter has completely melted, increase the heat until the liquid comes to a fast rolling boil. Immediately turn off the heat, tip in the sifted flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until you a have a smooth dough that comes away from the sides of the pan. Spread over a large dinner plate to cool to hand temperature.
• Allow to cool for a few minutes, then gradually add the eggs, mixing well between each addition until the mixture reluctantly drops off the spoon. Don't add all the egg unless you need to.
• Cut two large sheets of baking parchment. On each one draw two sets of 'track' lines with a 10cm gap - these will be your guidelines so your eclairs will all be roughly the same size. Use the paper to line two large baking sheets - penside down.
• Spoon your choux mixture into a piping bag with a 1cm star or round wide nozzle, or into a disposable piping bag with a similar-size hole snipped off for piping. Pipe two rows of well-spaced, squashed 'S' shapes on each sheet between the guidelines. Bake, one tray at a time, on a high-ish shelf for 25 mins, reducing temperature to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 as soon as they go in the oven.
• After 25 mins, poke a hole in the end of each bun, or using a small serrated knife, split down the middle and return to the oven, upside-down, to dry out for 5 mins until crisp and golden. Set aside to cool.
• While the buns are cooling, finish your filling. Whisk the cream until thick, then use your electric whisk to beat the cooled, set custard until just smooth again. Fold in the cream. Spoon your filling into a piping bag - use a small nozzle if you're filling the buns through the holes you've pierced, or a large nozzle if you've split the buns in half. Carefully pipe the custard into each cooled bun - they should feel heavy once full.
• To make the icing, melt 100g plain chocolate and 25g butter together in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Once melted, remove from the heat and stir in 75ml double cream and 1 tbsp sifted icing sugar. Once cooled a little, spread over the tops of the buns and leave to cool.