Go Back
+ servings

Strawberry White Chocolate Eclairs

Homemade pate a choux is piped into strips, baked, and then stuffed with homemade strawberry pastry cream. They're finished with a dip into white chocolate and a sprinkle of strawberry dust. 
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Resting time2 hours
Total Time3 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 15 eclairs

Ingredients

For the strawberry pastry cream:

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup sugar divided
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 4 tablespoons butter unsalted, cut into pats
  • 2 ounces freeze dried strawberries
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • red food coloring optional

For the eclairs:

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup butter unsalted, cut into pats
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • 4 large eggs
  • egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water)
  • 10 ounces white melting chocolate
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream

Instructions

To make the strawberry pastry cream:

  • Start your eclairs by making the pastry cream first so it has time to chill in the fridge. In a medium saucepan, add milk and place over medium heat until steaming but not boiling. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks by whisking together.
  • Once milk is warm, ladle in a little milk into egg yolk mixture and stir together vigorously to combine. Ladle in a little more and repeat until all of milk is in the egg yolk mixture. Pour mixture back into saucepan and place over medium heat. and whisk frequently.
  • Once it reaches a boil, turn off heat and whisk quickly to help it thicken. Add butter and whisk until melted. Place into medium bowl and add vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Set aside. 
  • Place freeze dried strawberries in food processor. Process until they have turned into a dust or powder. Measure 1/3 cup and add to pastry cream. Save the rest of the strawberry powder for later. Whisk to combine. If you'd like, add a couple drops of red food coloring to make the filling more pink. Cut a piece of plastic wrap and place directly onto pastry cream to help prevent a film from forming on top. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2-3 hours.

To make the eclairs and assemble:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mats. Set aside.
  • In a medium saucepan, heat butter, sugar, salt, and water together over medium-high heat until it boils. Immediately add all of the flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir over heat until a firm forms on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and transfer dough to a medium bowl to cool down for 3 minutes.
  • Once slightly cooled, add 1 egg to dough and stir vigorously until combined into dough. Repeat with rest of eggs, one at a time.
  • Transfer mixture to a large pastry bag fitted with a large piping tip. Slowly pipe 4-inch logs onto prepared baking sheets. Make sure to space out about 2 inches apart. Dip your finger into water and smooth out the ends of each log of dough.
  • Gently brush each log with egg wash. Bake eclairs for 30 minutes until they've risen and turn golden brown on top. They should not be foaming on top. If they are, continue baking. Once finished, remove from oven. Poke each eclair with a sharp knife to allow steam to vent. Let them cool completely before filling.
  • Once the eclairs are cooled and the pastry creme is chilled, it's time to assemble! Place pastry cream in a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. Using a pairing knife, punch a slit into each end of the eclair. Stuff each slit with the tip of the pastry cream bag and squeeze the pastry cream into the puff until you feel that it's full. Repeat with the rest of the eclairs.
  • Once all eclairs are filled, heat the heavy cream in the microwave until scalded, about 30 seconds. Add the 10 ounces of melting white chocolate to a small bowl and pour in heavy cream. Do not stir. Let chocolate sit for 10 minutes and then stir until smooth. Dip the tops of each eclair into melted white chocolate and place onto a plate. Sprinkle remaining strawberry powder onto the tops of each eclair. Serve immediately or within 24 hours.