Bourbon Ball Eclairs
Move over donuts, It's time to celebrate your fancy French friend the Eclair. This deliciously delicate pastry typically has an oblong shape and can be filled with pastry cream, whipped cream or chiboust cream (pastry cream that is lightened up with stiffly beaten egg whites and is traditionally used in fancy Millefeuilles) and topped with frosting. Ooh la la! So much excitement in one perfect little elegant eclair! Its name means 'flash of lightening' en francais, and like our friend the donut, it has its very own day of celebration.
So in honor of National Eclair Day, today, I decided to whip up a batch of eclairs with a very Kentucky twist!
Bourbon Ball Eclairs
Pastry
- I am not a baker, so I used Paula Deen's recipe for the pastry.
- 1 cup water
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Bring water and butter to a boil and add flour. Stir your mixture constantly until it is smooth and forms a ball when tested in cold water. Remove mixture from heat and let cool and beat in your eggs, one at a time. Pipe or drop* your eclairs onto a greased baking sheet and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until light brown.
*I used a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to make mine because I wanted them to look like bourbon balls. They also expanded more than I expected so I would use a smaller scoop if you want them to look more petite.
Bourbon Whipped Cream
- 1 cup extra creamy whipped topping
- 1/4 cup Makers Mark Bourbon
- 1/2-1 cup of powdered sugar
Combine bourbon and whipped cream in bowl and add powdered sugar until it stiffens to the consistency of a pastry cream. Apparently, pastry cream does not enjoy when you upset its delicate balance by adding alcohol. I tried a few times to make it work and alas, it did not. I came up with this solution which I like even more! The powdered sugar really makes it taste like the inside of a bourbon ball!
Bourbon Chocolate Ganache
- 1 bag of milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons or more of Makers Mark Bourbon
In a double boiler, combine 1/2 of the bag of chocolate chips with with the heavy cream and stir until melted. Remove double boiler from heat and add bourbon and remaining chocolate chips. Stir until smooth and dunk your eclairs. Top with a pecan half, chill and serve!
