Easy Eclairs

I got this recipe ten years ago from ksl.com.  I haven't made them for about five years, and I had forgotten how EASY they are.  I am so glad I dug out this recipe and made them.  Even though they are easy (and you seriously won't believe how easy they are), they are sooooooooooo good.  Just as good as any eclair you can buy from a bakery, in my opinion. 

Easy Eclairs

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Pastry:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup water

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup flour

4 eggs

In a saucepan, bring butter, water, and salt to a boil.  Remove from heat and add flour.  With a wooden spoon (I used a silicon spoon), stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball and leaves the side of the pan.  Cool slightly.  Add eggs one at a time to flour mixture, beating well after each one.  Beat mixture until smooth. 

Using a pastry bag without a tip or using a tablespoon, make mounds about 4 inches long by 1 1/2 inches wide on a lightly greased baking sheet (I just used a spoon to make 8 mounds on my cookie sheet lined with a silpat baking mat).  Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.  Make a slit in the side of each shell and bake for 5 minutes more (I skipped this step).  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Yield 10 eclairs (as I said, I made 8).

Filling:

2 packages (3.4 oz) French vanilla instant pudding mix

3 cups milk

1 cup vanilla flavored yogurt (opt.)

(I have never added the yogurt.  I also like to fold in some Cool Whip after the pudding has set, about half a carton)

Combine ingredients and mix well.  Chill until set.  Using the handle end of a wooden spoon, poke into the end of each eclair shell.  Gently wiggle the spoon to loosen the insides of each shell.  Fill a pastry tube (with a large round or star tip) with the pudding filling.  Insert the tip into the hole in the end of the eclair and fill with pudding until shell feels heavy and is full.  Another way to fill the eclair shells is to cut the top 1/3 of the shell off and fill with the pudding and then place the top back on (I've done both ways, and the latter method is easier and faster).

Chocolate Glaze:

3 oz. semisweet chocolate

3 Tbsp. butter

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

4 1/2 Tbsp. milk

Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Stir in sugar and milk until smooth.  Frost tops of eclairs.  You can also use chocolate icing if desired.