Recipe: Miniature Chocolate Eclairs (makes 12)

Miniature Chocolate Eclairs (makes 12)
rec.food.recipes/Alice Ferris, Madison, Wisconsin/1996

Filling:
1 package chocolate pudding mix
2 cups milk

Pastry:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
4 medium eggs

Frosting:
2 Tablespoons butter
2 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For filling:
Prepare pudding according to package directions. Chill for 1 hour.

For pastry:
In a heavy saucepan, heat butter, water and salt over medium-high heat until mixture boils and butter melts. Reduce heat to low. Vigorously stir in flour all at once until mixture forms a ball.

Transfer pastry to a bowl; cool for 5 minutes. Stir in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment.

Drop dough into 12 mounds, about 5 inches apart, on prepared sheet. Spread each mound into a 4 by 1/2 inch rectangle with a moistened finger or paper towel, piling dough on top and slightly rounding sides. (You could also use a pastry tube with a medium tip.)

Bake until golden, 35 minutes. Remove from oven; make a 1 inch long slit on side of each eclair.

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

For frosting:
Heat butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.

Assembly:
Slice eclairs in half. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling onto each bottom half and replace tops. Spread tops with frosting.