Adventures in Cooking

I am really enjoying cooking right now so I decided to make some desserts yesterday.  I made eclairs and key lime cupcakes.  The cupcakes were just a mix from a box, but I made the eclairs from scratch.  So I'll tell you about that recipe. 

I had made these once before for a foods day in my french class in high school and I kind of just winged it and did my own sort of recipe, so here is my improvisation taken from a cookbook and a youtube video. 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of water
3 oz butter, 6 tbsp
1 cup flour
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4-5 eggs
1 box Instant Vanilla Pudding, jello brand (any flavor with do)
1 conatiner chocolate icing





*Picture - two of the eclairs, and one of the cupcakes (that is a pot of gold on the cupcake for St. Patrick's Day)*
Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees (Fahrenhiet).  Bring milk, water, and butter to a roiling boil.  Add salt, sugar and flour once boiling. 
2.  Stire with a wooden spoon until the dough rolls into a ball shape. 
3.  Remove from heat.
4.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, and mix until a thick mixture.  (You may not need all 5 eggs, you may only need 4)
5.  Put mixture into a plastic bag with one corner cut out and form into "fingers" (about the length and width of a finger) on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
6.  Put into oven at 450 for 10 minutes.
7.  Turn pan around, lower temperature to 375, put in for 15 minutes.
8.  Let cool.
9.  Make instant pudding for filling. 
10.  Add chocolate, or other desired topping, on top. 

I have a few extra tips for making these because it can be tricky, especially the first time.
1.  After the eclairs have cooled, use a straw, such as one you would get at a McDonald's. to poke a hole through one end of the eclair, but do not push the straw through the other end, this make filling the eclairs with the filling much easier.
2.  When you are ready to add the topping, if it is icing, I reccommend heating up the container of icing, without the lid, for 15 seconds.  This loosens it up just enough to make it easier to spread on, but doesn't make it too runny so that it runs off the top. 
3.  You can also add fruit to the top of the eclairs, I used strawberries this time. 
4.  You can also make substitutes for the pusing inside, you can use a jam or jelly as well as any flavor of pudding. 

If you try it out, leave a comment and let me know how it turns out!