Choux buns can be incredibly humbling, even if you’ve made them many times. Every batch has me hoping they’ll hold their structure, stay crisp inside and that my piping skills will improve. When they turn out well, even if they’re a little misshapen, there’s a real sense of achievement.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Yields:
12
Prep Time:
45 mins
Cook Time:
35 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 20 mins
Ingredients
For the butterscotch:
50 g unsalted butter
150 g golden caster sugar
250 g double cream
90 g crunchy peanut butter
For the choux pastry:
110 g unsalted butter
110 ml whole milk
110 ml water
110 g strong bread flour
5 g sugar
2 g salt
140 g beaten eggs (we used GH Pantry Partner* St Ewe)
For the chocolate glaze:
250 ml double cream
250 g dark chocolate chips
Directions
Step 1Make the filling. Heat the butter and sugar in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Continue cooking until caramelised and darker in colour, gently swirling the pan. Carefully whisk in the cream and boil for 1min. Transfer to a bowl, cover the surface with clingfilm and chill until cold.
Step 2Whisk the chilled butterscotch with the peanut butter until light and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and chill until needed.
Step 3Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan) mark 3. Line two large baking trays with baking parchment. Put the butter, milk and 110ml water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the flour, sugar and salt and beat vigorously for 2–3min, until the mixture forms a smooth dough and leaves a thin film on the base of the pan. Transfer to a stand mixer or large bowl and beat until slightly cooled. Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well after each addition, until the mixture falls from the paddle in a smooth V shape.
Step 4Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 2.5cm opening. Pipe 12 x 8cm logs on to the prepared trays, leaving space between each. Bake for 35min. Do not open the oven door. Turn off the oven, crack the door open and leave the choux inside for 10min before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 5For the glaze, bring the cream to the boil and pour over the chocolate. Leave for 5min, then whisk until smooth. Dip the tops of the éclairs into the glaze and chill until set. Slice each éclair horizontally and pipe in the whipped peanut butterscotch filling before serving.
GH tips:
Use strong bread flour for the best structure, helping your choux buns to rise well and hold their shape.
Whisk the eggs before adding them to the dough to ensure they're incorporated evenly.
Never open the oven during baking. Once the choux are baked, crack the oven door open slightly for a few minutes to let the steam escape and help prevent them from collapsing.
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
Frankie is the Junior Food Content Producer, developing, testing and refining recipes, as well as creating fun, educational content across the GH Kitchen’s print and digital platforms. While studying Communications and Media, her passion for bringing people together through food quickly found its place in the kitchen, leading to a career shaped by hands-on experience in the hospitality industry. Now, she brings that same energy and creativity into the world of food publishing. Previously, Frankie trained as both a baker and chef at Landrace Bakery and Upstairs restaurant in Bath, Somerset. She has also worked as a freelance assistant food stylist and private chef in London, combining a love of beautiful presentation with flavour-led, seasonal cooking.
