Mini Eclairs

Last year, I blogged about my egg salad puff, using choux or puff shells as bread. I made changes to recipe to make them savory, but it got me thinking.

I really luv those eclairs at the café, filled with creamy goodness and chocolate ganache on top. I made the sweet version of cream puffs before, but Brek didn't like it. He said that the puffs tasted plain. I agreed.

After looking at the choux recipe, all of the sweet ones have such a tiny amount or no sugar at all. I decided to test several recipes and came up with my own dairy free version. Adding sugar to the choux dough really elevates the sweets in the eclairs. My kids actually prefer eating the baked choux without the filling or frosting. Hey, less work for me, right?

Make sure to use coconut butter and not coconut oil as the butter has more body than the oil. And have a hand towel ready as it can get pretty messy eating these little sweets.

Mini Eclairs
adapted from Martha Stewart's choux
makes 20-25

1/2 cup (4 oz.) water
1/4 cup (2 oz.) coconut butter (not coconut oil)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2.3 oz all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
pastry cream
chocolate ganache

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degree. Place a nonstick mat on a baking tray. Set aside.
2. In a small sauce pan, whisk together the water, coconut butter, salt, and sugar.
3. Bring the mixture to a soft boil.
4. Add the flour and whisk while the pot is over a low heat.
5. Once the flour mixture becomes a dough, turn off the heat.
6. Set aside to cool for at least 5 minutes.
7. Once cool, add an egg.
8. Alternating between a spatula and a whisk, mix the egg into the dough.
9. Once the egg is mixed into the dough, add the second egg and repeat step 8.
10. Transfer the choux dough into a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch round tip.
11. Pipe the dough on to the prepared baking sheet into 3-inch log.
12. Bake in a preheated oven until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
13. Remove the éclair puffs from the oven and immediately split them to let out the steam. 
14. While the éclair puffs are cooling, prepare the pastry cream and chocolate ganache as directed.
15. Spoon the pastry cream and sandwich the puff.
16. Drizzle with chocolate ganache. Enjoy!!! 

STORING: These mini eclairs taste best the day they are made. Keep the eclairs without the filling in a container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Allergy Info: These mini eclairs are free from dairy, corn, legumes (soy), nuts (not coconut), and fish.