I’m in love with chocolate and peanut butter combination. I love how the sweetness of the chocolate goes just perfectly with the creaminess of the peanut butter, and I just can’t stop making desserts that combine these two fabulous ingredients.
These peanut butter chocolate eclairs are so delicious; it’s filled with smooth peanut butter cream, dipped in chocolate ganache and decorated with whipped chocolate cream and roasted peanuts. It’s the perfect dessert for chocolate and peanut butter lovers!
Photo: Natalie Levin
Peanut Butter Chocolate Eclairs
For the eclairs:
- 160 ml. water
- 5 grams sugar
- 70 grams butter
- 3 grams fine salt
- 15 grams cornstarch
- 90 grams all-purpose flour
- 2-3 eggs (beaten)
For peanut butter cream:
- 250 ml. whipping cream
- 100 grams smooth peanut butter
- 50 grams sugar powder
For the chocolate ganache (for both dipping and topping):
- 250 grams dark chocolate
- 250 ml. whipping cream
- Pinch of salt
Decoration:
- 50-60 grams of salted halved peanuts (roasted)
- Make the eclairs: preheat oven to 180c degrees.
- In a medium saucepan put water, salt, sugar and butter and heat to a strong boil.
- Add cornstarch and flour and stir while cooking, until it turns into a lump of dough.
- Transfer the dough to the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until it cools down a little.
- Add the eggs gradually while beating until dough is elastic and smooth. Check the readiness of dough by creating a “trail” with a wooden spoon in the center of the dough – if the track remains stable, add some eggs, and if it closes a bit – the dough is ready. It is important not to add too many eggs to the dough or it may become too soft and ruined.
- Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a serrated 2 cm piping tip. On a baking tray lined with baking paper pipe 8-10 cm long eclairs. It’s important to leave some space between the eclairs.
- Bake the eclairs for 20-25 minutes until golden and set.
- Cool completely at room temperature.
- Make 2 small holes at the bottom of each eclair.
- Peanut Butter Cream: in a bowl of a mixer with a whipping attachment, whip cream, peanut butter and powdered sugar on high speed until creamy and very stable.
- Fill the eclairs with the peanut butter cream, and keep them stuffed in the refrigerator until coating and decoration.
- Chocolate ganache: chop the chocolate and place in a bowl.
- Heat cream and salt in a small saucepan to simmer.
- Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate, wait a minute, and whisk well until uniform and shiny chocolate ganache is formed.
- Dip the top of the eclairs in the warm ganache and return them to cool in the refrigerator to set.
- Transfer the remaining ganache into a wide box and refrigerate for 2-3 hours until completely cold.
- Transfer the cold ganache into a bowl of a mixer with a whipping attachment and whip at high-speed until you stable and airy.
- Transfer the cream into a pastry bag fitted with 2 cm serrated piping tip and drizzle chocolate cream on top of each éclair.
- Decorate with roasted salted peanuts and serve.
- The eclairs are at their best on the day of preparation, but you can keep it in a closed container in the refrigerator up to 2-3 days.
- Instead of peanuts you can decorate the eclairs with any other nut you like.
- Instead of water, you can make the eclairs (the choux pastry) with the same amount of milk.
Photo: Natalie Levin
Photo: Natalie Levin