Old-Fashioned Chocolate Eclairs

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Eclairs recipe is from my mother's famous collection of baked goodies. This is her own recipe that she passed on to me.

I would love to hear from anyone who has made Old-Fashioned Chocolate Eclairs recipe using gluten-free flour. That would be the ultimate!

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CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

Have all ingredients ready ahead of time:

• 1 cup of water
• Shortening or margarine
• Flour
• 5 eggs
• Cold milk
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Vanilla
• Yellow food coloring (optional)
• Cocoa, sweet or unsweetened
• Butter
• Powdered sugar
• Baking pan/cookie sheet

Preheat oven to 425°.

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Eclair Shells

1 cup water

1/2 cup shortening or 1 square margarine

Heat mixture in saucepan to boiling. When the mixture boils up, add:

1 cup flour

Stir in 3 eggs, one at a time to the mixture. Stir well after each egg.

Beat well for a few minutes. Mixture should leave the sides of the pan. Drop with a tablespoon onto a floured baking pan.

Bake about 15 minutes at 425° then decrease heat to 375° and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

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Filling

A) Heat in the top of a double boiler:

2 cups milk

B) Then mix the following ingredients in another bowl:

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup cold milk

Add some of the hot milk (A) to mixture B and stir out the lumps. Then add back mixture B to milk in pan (A). Stir constantly until it starts to thicken, then put top of double boiler over boiling water and cover for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Add a little of this mixture to:

2 beaten eggs in another bowl

Stir until smooth, then add back to pan mixture. Heat 1-2 minutes more. Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoons vanilla. Let cool. If desired and mixture is not yellow enough, may add 1-2 drops of yellow food coloring. Cool.

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Frosting

In another small pot, mix over low heat:

3 round tablespoons sweet cocoa or 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa

Drop of milk

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups powdered sugar

Dash of salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix until shiny.

When shells are cool, cut them crossways and fill with custard filling. Put back on cookie sheet and drip chocolate frosting over them. Allow frosting to set a little, then eat and enjoy!