Ingredients
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
Method
Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat water and butter in a medium saucepan until a rolling boil. Stir in flour. Reduce heat to low and stir vigoroughly for about a minute or until the mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Beat in eggs, all at one time and keep beating until smooth. I use a mixer at this point. Drop 1/4 cup of dough onto an ungreased cookie pan, placing the dough about 3" apart. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack (and here's the secret my teacher taught me 65 years ago) pierce the puff with a toothpick or sharp knife to allow the steam to escape, therewise the eclairs will go flat! Once the eclair is cooled...slice open with a sharp knife and remove any uncooked dough filament -- next fill with heavy whipping (that you have whipped until it stands in peaks) plus 1 tablespoon sugar and a few drops of vanilla essense. You can also fill with Vanilla Pudding or ice cream. Dust with confectioners' sugar or drizzle with chocolate icing. This recipe yields 12 eclairs.
Chocolate icing: Melt 2 ouces of sweetened chocolate and 1 teaspoon butter over heat. Stir in 1 cup confectioners sugar and about 2 tablespoons hot water. Spoon over the eclairs.
