By Samantha Seneviratne
- Total Time
- 2½ hours, plus chilling
- Rating
- 5(182)
- Notes
- Read community notes
A pretty-in-pink version of the classic favorite, these éclairs are filled with a raspberry cream made with fresh and freeze-dried raspberries for concentrated flavor and a rosy hue. Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods carry freeze-dried raspberries, as do many online stores, but you can leave them out if you can’t find them—the cream will be less intense, but still tasty. These éclairs are a labor of love, best enjoyed the day they’re created.
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Ingredients
Yield:12 to 14 éclairs
- 1tablespoon cold water
- 1teaspoon gelatin
- 1½cups/180 grams fresh raspberries
- 8ounces/225 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3tablespoons honey
- 2tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- 1½teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½cup/10 grams freeze-dried raspberries, ground to a fine powder in a spice grinder
- ¾cup/175 milliliters heavy cream
- 6tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter (¾ stick)
- 2teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾cup/95 grams all-purpose flour
- 3large eggs
- 1cup/120 grams fresh raspberries
- 2cups/245 grams confectioners’ sugar
- ¾teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of kosher salt
For the Raspberry Cream
For the Puffs
For the Glaze
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (14 servings)
285 calories; 16 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 25 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 147 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Make the raspberry cream: Add 1 tablespoon cold water to a small bowl; sprinkle the gelatin evenly on top. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, smash ½ cup fresh raspberries in a large bowl. Add the cream cheese, honey, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and half the freeze-dried raspberry powder and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Step
2
Heat ¼ cup heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-high. Stir in the gelatin mixture and cook until the gelatin is completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly, then stir into the cream cheese mixture until combined. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Step
3
Prepare the puffs: In a medium saucepan, bring the butter, granulated sugar, salt and ¾ cup water to a simmer over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon to encourage the butter to melt. As soon as it comes to a boil, add the flour, stirring constantly, until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring the dough occasionally to cool.
Step
4
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Off heat, add the eggs to the pan, one at a time, stirring vigorously between each addition with a wooden spoon. The dough will break apart and slide around in the pot before it comes back together. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large round or star tip.
Step
5
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pipe the dough into 4½-inch-by-¾-inch lengths about 3 inches apart. With a damp fingertip, flatten any points. Bake until deep golden brown and puffed, rotating the sheets halfway through, 20 to 24 minutes. They should be very light and crisp. Turn the oven off. Poke each éclair on either end with a toothpick to allow some steam to release. Return the puffs to the oven and prop the oven door open slightly with the handle of a wooden spoon. Allow the puffs to dry out completely, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Step
6
Prepare the glaze: Mash the fresh raspberries and run them through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving all the juice and discarding the seeds. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and salt to the reserved juice and whisk until smooth.
Step
7
Finely chop the remaining 1 cup fresh raspberries. Whip the remaining ½ cup cream to soft peaks. Gently stir the chilled raspberry cream to loosen it, then fold in the raspberries and the whipped cream. Transfer the cream to a pastry bag fitted with a large fluted tip. Slice the top third off each éclair and fill the lower portion with cream. Dip the top of the top piece in the glaze, letting any excess drip off, and replace it. Sprinkle with the remaining raspberry powder. Serve immediately.
Ratings
5
out of 5
182
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Cooking Notes
Noor
These absolutely delicious. BUT careful if you are following the weight measurements. 3/4 a stick of butter is 0.75*113=84.75g, which is HALF the amount listed currently in the recipe (170g).Also, the recipe yields twice as much glaze and nearly twice as much filling as you'll need. I was making these for a crowd so I doubled the puffs measurements, and ended up with exactly the right amount of filling and glaze using their measurements as written.
Ale
I have a major sweet tooth, so my taste might be a bit different, but I feel like the filling isn’t sweet enough. Still good though. I made the glaze exactly as the recipe stated and found myself with pretty much all of it left over. If you don’t want to waste, I’d make half of the recipe only.
Hanna
This recipe I made for a science project. Tastiest science ever! I cut down the glaze recipe to 1/3 of the original and got no waste, and only about a teaspoon left over, which I gave to my brother to eat :)
Felicia R.
Lydia: I made this for my staff. With one person on the team being vegetarian, gelatin was a no go. To substitute the gelatin, I used agar agar powder—available online or usually at your nearest whole foods-type grocer. (It’s a red algae derivative and lends a slightly firmer, a tick less less creamy texture than gelatin). Skip the blooming step and, moving quickly, add the agar agar directly to the 1/4 cup of cream in the cooking stage, stirring vigorously to get it dissolved.
fig
I filled them by making a little hole in the end and poking the piping bag tip inside and filling them that way instead of cutting the the tops off. It worked pretty well, and these are absolutely delicious! (I love putting raspberry dust on things. So tart and yummy!)
Amanda
The raspberry filling was really yummy. I think it would taste delicious in crepes. Overall, this recipe was yummy, but I wanted something more from it. I'm not sure what exactly. Maybe a white chocolate drizzle, or a raspberry, white chocolate buttercream? I'm not sure, just more richness. Also, I doubled the amount of freeze dried raspberries in the filling.
Meredith
The directions say to turn the oven off, then prop the door open to let the puffs dry.
Tracy
Can defrosted and drained frozen raspberries be used instead of fresh?
Nicole
I reduced the amount of honey to 1 tbsp, I found it too strong otherwise, used an additional tbsp of sugar in the cream instead. Like another of the commenters on this recipe I too taste the cornstarch in powdered sugar so the glaze was an issue for me. That being said my family loved these, had no complaints, and said my criticism was because I tasted each part separately and wasn’t appreciating how each element balances together in the final product. Still tweaking that glaze though.
Mike
450 waaaaaaayyy to hot they were burnt after 10 minutes and very dry
Deb
For 4-5 eclairs, cut the puff dough in 2/3, make 1/3 the filling and less than 1/3 the glaze. Add the raspberry juice slowly and stop when the glaze is still thick.
AA
Don’t open oven while choux is cooking - try 21 minutes
Catherine
These were delicious and enjoyed by both young and old. I had leftover filling and glaze, as some others have mentioned. The solution? Brioche French toast spread with filling and drizzled with glaze-a decadent breakfast!
Margaret
The filling needs 2 T more sugar. Add it to the cream when whipping. Otherwise, this is a perfect and impressive dessert to serve guests.
The Foodsmith
This eclair recipe has waaaaaaaaay too much butter. I wish we had seen Noor's comment about the use of half the butter before we launched into this test batch for Valentine's Day.
Noor
These absolutely delicious. BUT careful if you are following the weight measurements. 3/4 a stick of butter is 0.75*113=84.75g, which is HALF the amount listed currently in the recipe (170g).Also, the recipe yields twice as much glaze and nearly twice as much filling as you'll need. I was making these for a crowd so I doubled the puffs measurements, and ended up with exactly the right amount of filling and glaze using their measurements as written.
Conner
Excellent! I could only find freeze-dried strawberries at my grocery store, so I did strawberry eclairs. I also reduced the oven temperature to 350 after 10 mins and never opened the oven door to rotate. Half the glaze is adequate and maybe 1/3 of the filling -- lots leftover!
Levana
How to use pectin instead of gelatin?
Isa
I have a pretty inconsistent oven in a rental unit. I looked at a bunch of other choux pastry recipes and found cooking them at 400 degrees for 30-40 mins worked much better. Prick them when the smell of pastry fills your apartment. The filling was yummy! Didn't love the glaze. I can always taste the cornstarch from the powdered sugar in these type of glazes. Also there seems to be an error in the metric conversions. For the puff, 6 tablespoons doesn't equal 170 grams of unsalted butter.
Christina
These were fantastic. I doubled the amount of freeze dried raspberries in the filling. Also, I had a bunch of leftover filling and glaze (which was fine bc they are DELICIOUS).
Amy
I followed this recipe exactly and they turned out perfect! I did try one eclair before sprinkling the raspberry powder on top and it was lacking compared to the final product. The powder adds a tartness that goes beautifully with the sweetness of the pink icing and the light, fruity raspberry cream inside. It truly is a “labor of love” but it’s worth it!
Liz
I know it says serve immediately but I wonder if they would freeze well. I’d like to make them the day before a July 4 gathering. Any thoughts?
Taylor
In my experience, choux pastries (like these) don't often freeze well. They tend to get soggy very easily. You could take them to a party un-assembled and put them together at the destination, though.
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