Chocolate Eclair Puff

I never seem to get away with making just one dessert for a party at my house. There is always something that someone won't eat, or doesn't like. I knew the kids wouldn't be into the strawberry dessert I made for my Mom's birthday last weekend so I made another dessert for the occasion. This Chocolate Eclair Puff. It was super simple to make and it really does taste like an eclair. A big giant chocolicious eclair.

The crust came together very quickly. Once you stir the flour in, it forms a ball. You let it sit for 5 minutes then add in the eggs one at a time. When you get to the final egg, the batter becomes smooth, really thick & almost dough-like. You'll want to use an off-set spatula to spread it into the pan. It really does puff and curl up in the oven. Kinda cool.

If you have an eclair lover in your house, this is the dessert for them. Next time I might try it with vanilla filling and real whipped cream on top. I like Cool Whip on some things, but I think this would have tasted even better with the real stuff.

This might have been a Taste of Home recipe, but I had hand written it, so I'm not totally sure. I can't remember the last time I have hand written a recipe, so it must have been a long time ago.

Chocolate Éclair Puff
Printable recipe
1 cup water
½ cup butter (do not substitute!)
1 cup all purpose flour
4 eggs

Filling:
1 – 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
3 ½ cups cold milk
2 packages (3.9 ounces each) instant chocolate pudding mix

Topping:
1 carton (8 ounces) whipped topping, thawed
½ cup milk chocolate or hot fudge ice cream topping
¼ cup caramel ice cream topping
1/3 cup chopped almonds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the water and butter to a boil. Add the flour all at once, and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth. Spread unto greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, milk and pudding mixes until smooth. Spread over the puff and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Spread with whipped topping and drizzle with chocolate and caramel toppings. Sprinkle with almonds. Store leftovers in fridge.

I didn't have chocolate topping on hand, but I did have hot fudge sauce so I used that instead. I think you could put just about any kind of topping you'd like on this. When I try this with a vanilla pudding I must just omit the toppings completely.