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Light, crisp choux pastry, a creamy vanilla filling, and a rich brown butter ganache—all finished with a sprinkle of crunchy pecans. These brown butter eclairs look and taste amazing, but they’re surprisingly easy to make, even if you’re new to choux pastry.

Recipe Info

This recipe:

Rich and nutty. Brown butter ganache gives these eclairs a deep, caramel-like flavor that pairs perfectly with the smooth vanilla pastry cream.
Surprisingly straightforward. Don’t let the multiple steps scare you—if you follow them carefully, you’ll end up with professional-looking eclairs (even if you’re a beginner).
Crowd-pleasing and impressive. A sprinkle of pecans adds both texture and a fancy finishing touch, making these eclairs perfect for showing off.

Making brown butter eclairs for the first time? Read the ingredients notes, step-by-step instructions, and tips. If you’re familiar with the recipe, feel free to jump to the recipe card.

Dessert Anatomy

Here’s how this dessert is put together and why it works:

Eclairs. Standard eclairs, acting as the base of the dessert.
Vanilla pastry cream. Traditional eclairs are usually filled with pastry cream. Vanilla keeps the flavor profile fairly neutral, letting the brown butter ganache really shine.
Brown butter ganache. This is the main flavor booster—don’t skimp on topping!
Pecans. A rough chop gives them a crunchy texture that stays crisp in the fridge. You can swap them out for hazelnuts or almond slivers if you want to change things up.

Extra Learning

Before we jump in, here’s a few handy resources to help you nail this recipe:

How to Temper Eggs. My quick guide to tempering eggs, a technique you’ll use when making ginger pastry cream, the filling in these eclairs. If you’ve never heard of or tried it before, be sure to give this a read.

Ingredients and Substitutes

Eclairs

Water and milk: Full-fat milk works best, but skim should work in a pinch.
White bread flour. White bread flour tends to work best for eclairs, but you can use all-purpose flour instead.
Unsalted butter.
Eggs.
Salt and sugar: Sugar alternatives are perfectly fine.

Vanilla Pastry Cream

Milk: Whole milk works best for a creamy consistency, but lower-fat options will also work.
Egg yolks: Help thicken the cream and add richness.
Cornstarch: The main thickener. You can substitute potato starch (using half the amount), though it behaves slightly differently.
Sugar: Regular white sugar works well, but feel free to use any sweetener you like. Brown butter could be an interesting option here, since it meshes well with brown butter.
Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract is what gives this pastry cream its flavor. I typically use the extract because it simplifies the workflow compared to using vanilla beans (which many other recipes recommend).
Unsalted Butter: Plain unsalted butter is all you need.

Brown Butter Ganache

Milk chocolate. A decent-quality milk chocolate is all you need. Melting chocolate (callets) also works well.
Heavy cream. I use regular 30% fat heavy cream, but a 36% version is fine if you want a slightly firmer ganache.
Butter. Regular ol’ butter. I use unsalted and add salt to taste.
Salt. A pinch or two can enhance the overall flavor and balance the sweetness. Skip it if you’re using salted butter.
Honey. Adds a bit of extra sweetness and helps keep the ganache smooth.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Brown Butter Eclairs

Here’s the big-picture plan:

Cook vanilla pastry cream. Make the pastry cream, then cover and set it aside to cool.
Make choux pastry and bake the eclairs. They’ll need around 35–40 minutes in the oven.
Make the ganache. While the eclairs bake, brown the butter and prepare the ganache. Let it cool on the counter while everything else finishes up.
Combine. Once the eclairs are cool and the pastry cream is at room temperature, fill and top them.

Ready? Let’s do this.

Step 1: Cook Vanilla Pastry Cream.

(Check out my vanilla pastry cream recipe for tips and a more detailed writeup.)

Boil Milk: Measure the milk into a pot and stir in the vanilla extract and sugar. Bring the mixture close to a boil.
Prep Yolks: While the milk heats, whisk the yolks, cornstarch, and about 2 tablespoons of the milk mixture (while it’s still lukewarm) in a large heatproof bowl. The addition of the milk mixture loosens the yolks and cornstarch, so exact measurements aren’t critical here. Set the bowl aside.
Temper Eggs: When the milk is close to boiling, remove it from the heat. Gradually pour a couple of tablespoons of the hot milk into the yolk mixture, constantly whisking to prevent the yolks from curdling. Repeat this process 3 to 4 times until you’ve incorporated all the milk. Keep stirring throughout.

Mix the egg yolks, cornstarch, and sugar
Gradually pour warm milk into the egg mixture

Cook Until Thick and Bubbly: Return the combined mixture to the pot you used for the milk. Cook it over low or medium heat, stirring constantly, until it noticeably thickens and starts to bubble. This typically takes 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the pot and heat intensity. Avoid rushing the process to prevent the yolks from curdling.

Pour the mixture into the pot
Cook and stir until it thickens

Take Off the Heat and Whisk: Once the mixture is thick, remove the pot from the heat and continue whisking for about a minute, bringing the mixture past the point of maximum thickness.
Stir in Butter: Add the butter to the pot and stir until it melts and integrates into the cream.

Add butter to the pot
Stir until butter melts into cream

Taste Test: Sample the cream (be cautious, it’s hot) and add more sugar or vanilla extract if necessary.
Cover and Chill: Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a crust from forming. Leave it at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to cool slightly. Then refrigerate (covered) until you’re ready to use it.

Cover with plastic wrap
Place in the refrigerator to chill

Step 2: Make and Bake Eclairs

(Read my articles on choux pastry and eclairs for more tips.)

Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 390°F (200°C).
Combine and bring to a boil. In a pot, combine butter, milk, water, salt, and sugar, then bring the mixture to a boil, ensuring the butter is fully melted.
Add flour. Take the pot off the heat, add all the flour to the mixture at once, and stir until it roughly combines. Bring the pot back to the stove and continue stirring with a spoon over low heat. The dough will thicken and clump quickly, but you should continue stirring the mixture for 2-3 minutes, ensuring all the flour is incorporated and no white floury spots are inside. While stirring, scrape the dough from the sides and bottom to prevent sticking. After 2-3 minutes, the dough should be glossy and easy to detach from the pot, and a thin layer, or film, should form on the bottom.

Stages of cooking choux pastry — Add flour to the mixture, stir, and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes until the dough thickens and forms a thin layer on the pot’s base

Transfer. Move the dough to a mixing bowl and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Spreading it across the bowl can speed up cooling.
Prepare the eggs. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and whisk them.

Whisk the eggs — Crack and whisk the eggs

Make the dough. Once the dough has cooled slightly, start mixing it with a hand mixer at medium speed. After 20-30 seconds of mixing, add half the eggs to the dough and mix until incorporated. Repeat by adding half of the leftover egg mixture. Now it’s time to get the dough to the right consistency: you want it thick enough to hold its shape but still pipeable. The V-Shape test is the best way to check for that: Dip your mixer whisks or spatula into the dough and lift it. The dough should slowly fall off, eventually leaving a piece of dough hanging that forms a characteristic ‘V’ shape or a triangle at the end of the whisk or spatula. If the dough is not there yet, continue adding the eggs bit by bit and checking the consistency.

Before and after adding eggs — Mix the dough at medium speed, adding the whisked eggs in two batches until fully incorporated.

Choux pastry consistency — Once the dough falls off, it should form a V-shape at the end of the whisk or spatula. If not, continue adding eggs and checking the consistency.

Prepare the baking tray. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat. If you could use a guide for piping, draw straight 4- to 5-inch long lines (or 2.5- to 3-inch ones for mini eclairs) on the underside of the parchment paper as a guide, spaced about 2 inches apart. That will help you make the eclairs straight and of uniform length. Some baking mats already have the eclair shape on them, so consider buying one if you often bake eclairs.
Piping preparation. Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large tip. I use a Wilton 6B, which has an opening of approximately 15mm in diameter (a bit more than half an inch). Alternatively, use a plastic food bag with a corner cut off.
Pipe. Pipe the dough onto the prepared baking tray, forming strips about an inch wide and 4-5 inches long (or 2.5 to 3 inches for mini eclairs), leaving more than an inch of space between each strip to allow for expansion. Hold the piping bag at a 45-degree angle and pipe the eclair in one slow and smooth action. If the end of the eclair has an irregular shape that bothers you, you can smooth it out using wet fingers.

Eclairs graphic — Eclairs pastry size and spacing

Brush with melted butter. Melt a small knob of butter and brush the eclairs with the butter using a pastry brush.
Bake. Place the tray in the preheated oven, then immediately reduce the temperature to 356°F (180°C). Bake for 40 minutes (35 for mini eclairs). Open the door a tiny bit (and leave them open) for the last 5 minutes for any buildup steam to escape. If the eclairs start to brown before the 35-minute (25- for minis) mark, lower the temperature to 320°F (or 160°C).

Leave a space between strips for expansion
Bake the eclairs for 40-45 minutes

Cool. Remove the eclairs from the oven, let them cool for 10 minutes, then carefully detach them from the parchment paper or silicone mat and let them cool on a wire rack for another 10 minutes before piping and filling.

Step 3: Make Brown Butter Ganache

(Check out my brown butter ganache recipe for more details and tips.)

Melt the butter. Cut the butter into cubes, place it in a saucepan, and set it over medium heat. Stir occasionally as it melts.

Melting butter over medium heat — Place cubed butter in a saucepan

Melted butter — Place cubed butter in a saucepan

Listen for the sizzle. As it heats up, the butter will start to sizzle around the edges, and there will be a gentle sizzling sound. Keep stirring occasionally, especially if it starts to foam.

Butter starts foaming — stir occasionally as the butter heats and sizzles

Crackling begins. The sizzling will turn into a crackling sound—tiny, sharp pops instead of a continuous sizzle. Keep stirring. You’re on the right track.
Crackling fades. That pleasant crackling sound you got used to? It will slowly die down, and things will get quiet. You’re almost there.

Melted butter foaming — The sizzling turns to crackling, then fades as it quiets—keep stirring, you’re almost there.

Check the aroma. Start watching closely, stirring as needed. You’re looking for a nutty smell and brown specks forming on the bottom of the pan. There will likely be a lot of foam at this point, so use a spoon to check underneath. If it smells rich and nutty and you see brown specks, it’s done.

Browned butter — Check for a nutty smell and brown

A spoonful of browned butter — Check for a nutty smell and brown

Brown butter is ready. Take it off the heat. It’s now ready to use.
(Optional) Strain the butter. If you prefer a smoother texture, pour the brown butter through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the toasted milk solids. I pretty much never do that – those toasted specs are where the flavor is.
Prep chocolate. Chop the milk chocolate.

Chopping the chocolate — Chop the milk chocolate

Warm the cream. Heat the heavy cream on the stove until it’s hot but not boiling—small bubbles form around the edges and pop back up after stirring. Stir in the hot brown butter (including all the dark bits) and continue cooking until it bubbles. Take it off the heat.

Adding the brown butter — Heat the heavy cream, then stir in

Brown butter and heavy cream — Heat the heavy cream, then stir in

Combine with chocolate. Add the chopped chocolate to the pot and let it sit for a minute. Stir until it’s fully melted. If any bits refuse to melt, return the pot to low heat and stir continuously until everything is smooth.
(Optional) Blend. For an ultra-smooth texture, use an immersion blender for about 10–20 seconds. Keep the blade below the surface to avoid whipping in air.

Adding the chopped chocolates — Add chopped chocolate, let sit for a minute, then stir until

Mixing in the chopped chocolates — Add chopped chocolate, let sit for a minute, then stir until

Add honey and salt. Add the honey and salt (if using unsalted butter). Taste and add more salt if needed.
Cool. Let the ganache rest at room temperature, stirring now and then, until it’s the consistency you want—pourable for glazing or firmer if you need more control. To speed things up, set the pot in cold water and stir.

Adding salt — Stir in honey and salt. Adjust seasoning if needed

Stirring in the honey and salt — Stir in honey and salt. Adjust seasoning if needed

Step 4: Combine

With your eclairs cooled and your pastry cream at around room temperature, it’s time to put it all together:

Prep the eclairs for piping. Using a small round piping tip, poke three holes (two if they’re minis) in the bottom of each eclair. You can also use a paring knife.

Eclairs pierced with holes — poke two holes in the bottom of each eclair

Whisk the pastry cream. If it’s chilled, it might look like thick pudding—no worries. Break it up with a fork, then whisk it for a minute or two until smooth.

Chilled pastry cream
Chop it up with fork
Whisk until smooth

Pipe pastry cream. Fill each eclair gently until pastry cream emerges from the other holes or any cracks.

Stuff the eclairs with
vanilla pastry cream

Prep nuts. Give pecans a quick chop (a one or two passes in each direction should do).
Top with ganache. The ganache should be thick but still pourable—like syrup or honey. If it’s too runny, cool it in a cold water bath. If it’s too stiff, gently warm it until you get a honey-like consistency. Dip the top of each eclair, smoothing off any excess with your fingers.

Dipping the eclair — Dip the top of the eclairs

Eclair dipped in ganache — Dip the top of the eclairs

Eclairs coated in ganache — Delicious eclairs coated in brown butter ganache

Sprinkle pecans. Do this while the ganache is still soft so the nuts stick.
Serve or refrigerate.

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Storage

You can store these eclairs in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Make sure the container is sealed tightly so they don’t absorb any smells.

The eclair shells with soften after a couple of hours after piping, but the nuts will stay crunchy for much longer.

Brown butter eclairs filled with creamy vanilla pastry cream — Brown butter eclairs filled with luscious vanilla pastry cream

Similar Recipes to Try

Looking for more? Check out the following recipes:

Dulce de leche eclairs. Simple yet impressive, with a similar caramel-like flavor profile—great for beginners.
Caramel eclairs. A step up from the dulce de leche version, where you make caramel sauce from scratch (or use a store-bought one).
Snickers eclairs. Both impressive and delicious, though a bit more work. Perfect if you want a weekend project or to really wow someone.