Okay, let’s get indulgent. First off, to enjoy these S’mores Éclairs you’ll have to bypass the classic expectation of a pastry cream-filled éclair. The set up for this classic turned sideways is a roasted marshmallow center and a pate choux that is made with finely crushed graham crackers for a Smores profiling.
Smores Eclairs
Sound good? I thought so, and as it turned out, it was.
I’m keeping this short and sweet once more because life is piling on me like the three-week-old laundry in my closet that is now growing in circumference since it can’t grow any higher.
Smores Eclair
Ingredients:
Pate choux
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 stick butter (6 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoon sugar plus
- 4 3/4 ounces bread flour
- 1 cup finely crushed graham crackers ( about 12 crackers)
- 1 cup eggs, about 4 large eggs and 2 whites
- 2 cups mini marshmallows, set aside for assembly
Chocolate glaze
- 4oz dark chocolate
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
- 4-5 tablespoons water, warm
White chocolate glaze
- 4 oz white chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Directions:
To make pate choux:
- Place water, butter and sugar in a medium size sauce pan and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat and add flour, using a wooden spoon or a sturdy spatula stir mixture until it comes together. Then return pan to heat. Continue stirring and working the mixture until all flour is incorporated and dough forms a ball. Transfer mixture into a standing mixer bowl and let cool for 3 or 4 minutes.
- Fit stand mixer with a whisk attachment and set mixer to low. Add 1 egg at a time, making sure each egg is completely incorporated before continuing. Once all eggs have been added and the mixture is smooth put dough into piping bag fitted with a round tip. Immediately pipe into golfball-size shapes, 2 inches apart onto parchment lined sheet pans. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and bake for 10 more minutes or until golden brown. Once they are removed from the oven pierce with a paring knife immediately to release steam.
To make chocolate glaze
- Place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Then slowly stir mixture to combine.
- Add powdered sugar and mix to combine.
- Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until pouring consistency is reached.
- Set aside and let sauce cool to warm.
To make white chocolate glaze
- Place white chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl. Boil heavy cream. Pour boiled heavy cream over chocolate and let sit. Do not stir for 3-4 minutes. Then using a sturdy spatula gently stir and fold chocolate, continue until chocolate is completely melted. Chocolate may appear lumpy for the first few stirs, but will melt into smoothness. Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a number 2 round tip or a place mixture in a Ziploc bag and cut a small hole in one corner.
Assembly
- Cut eclair in half horizontally. Remove tops and place on a cooling rack. Pour chocolate glaze on top. Pipe white chocolate horizontally across. Use a toothpick and starting at the top drag the toothpick vertically through horizontal lines. Draw second line with toothpick start in the opposite direction (from the bottom) and drag it vertically from bottom to top. Continue to alternate starting points for the vertical lines.
- Take bottoms of éclair and fill it with mini marshmallows. Place filled éclairs on a bake sheet. Turn on oven broiler and roast éclair filled bottoms for 2-3 minutes. Make sure to keep the door open and watch the éclairs closely as the marshmallows quickly move from golden to burnt. Turn bake sheet as needed to keep marshmallows from burning. Cool slightly, place éclair top on marshmallow.
A few notes:
- The pate choux recipe for the eclair is adapted from Alton Brown. It's the same pate choux recipe I used for the Snickers Profiteroles. The changes I made were: (1) decreasing the bread flour by one cup and replacing it with finely crushed graham crackers (2) increasing the sugar from 1 tablespoon to 2 for a little more sweetness.
- Don't worry too much about piping perfectly shaped eclairs, they look just fine once they are finished with the chocolate glazing.
- You will have more white chocolate glaze than you need. But to take the ratio down any lower doesn't work, so save the remainder and reheat it slowly in the microwave for future use.
Pate choux (adapted from Alton Brown)
Your swirls or marble effect or whatever that is called is just…called breath-taking! They’re stunning, Naomi!
This looks freaking unreal!
SO AWESOME that you made the choux pastry with graham cracker! I’m amazed 🙂
These look gorgeous and sound delicious. Saw them a few days ago on instagram and could not wait for the post on them! I am a fairly new reader to your blog and am in much love with your photography.
Naomi replied: — August 24th, 2012 @ 2:23 am
Danielle- thank you so much for the kind compliment!
What a clever idea, and so yummy sounding!
You astound me. Seriously. Whoa.
you are amazing beyond words.
Naomi replied: — August 24th, 2012 @ 2:25 am
Jessica-girl no way! I just like baking crazy sh*t!
love the swirls that you have created, making the eclairs look double attractive.
I wish I could bake like you do. But that’s why I’m not verses from my bakery. Or the bakersroyale. Another stunner, Naomi!
Naomi replied: — August 24th, 2012 @ 2:57 am
Mike- if only I could shoot with your eye, style and precision.
I always thought Pate Choux was a bit bland, but the inclusion of graham cracker crumbs is genius. I’m sure the flavor is great and I can’t wait to try it.
this is what too much awesome would look and taste like.
Oh Naomi you have REALLY outdone yourself here, these looks amazing!
You do this every time- come out with something extraordinary!
These look so good. I also just want to say I love the photography of the food. It looks so yummy all the time!
Carlee
Almost Endearing
These are ridiculously pretty. You’re so talented and creative!!
Saw these last night on my phone! LOVE! Pinning now!
You have no idea how happy this makes a pregnant lady!!
Oh my! Just. Incredible.
Can you make anything that’s not amazing???!!! Once again, this looks SO SO fantastic. I’m hooked. Seriously. hooked.
Trish
http://www.jellybonesblog.blogspot.com
How do you make those swirls? They look so lovely!
Hellooooo…these look amazing!! 😀
I fear that if I lived in your house, I’d become fat… well, fatter than I already am.
Wow, so creative and such a beautiful result! I’m so impressed with the zebra stripe pattern of the icing – just wow. I’m featuring this post in today’s Food Fetish Friday (with a link-back and attribution as always). Thank you so much for keeping me inspired with such delicious creations…
Wow, wow and more WOW! I don’t think I’d ever have thought of a S’more eclair (and Snickers profiteroles). I’m actually speechless on how good these look. I’m a huge eclair and profiteroles fan so both of these bad boys are going on my ‘to make & bake’ list and stat!
So creative, inspirational and just damn delicious!
I found your recipe on Pinterest and couldn’t figure out when the graham crackers went in but I see in your notes what you did, however I can’t seem to find out about the temp … it says to turn it “down” to 350 after so much time but what did you start it on? Sorry if it is in there I did read it couple of times and may have missed it. Thanks!! These look & sound amazing I must try them 🙂
The instructions do not say when to add in the graham cracker crumbs, I just assumed it was with the flour. Also, you say the recipe calls for 4 3/4 ounces of flour but the Alton Brown recipe (which you said you took off 1 cup of flour) calls for 5 3/5 ounces. I think there is an error in your ingredients list. 425 was too high for my oven to start with, so I only kept it there for 5 minutes. All in all delicious eclairs, just confusing instructions!