Chocolate eclairs are the next challenge in the Guernsey Press Bake Off

THIS week’s challenge is chocolate eclairs.

If that sounds daunting, don’t be put off. ‘These sound hard to make but they’re not,’ said Tim. ‘They are super quick and well worth it at the end. They are not hard and you will surprise yourself.’

Here’s how to take part:

1. Have a go at recreating Tim’s chocolate eclair recipe (below), or use your own eclair recipe if you’d rather. Feel free to channel your creativity to find a way to make your creations stand out.

2. Send in pictures of your eclairs to features@guernseypress.com by 9am on Thursday 18 March. You can also post on social media with the tag #GSYBAKEOFF.

3. Tim will select the best eclairs out of all the entries and the winner will receive a £50 prize.

All your culinary delights will be featured in print and online next week.

Good luck!

Tim’s chocolate eclairs

Preparation time: 30 mins

Baking time: 30 mins

Eating time: seconds

For the choux pastry:

50g diced butter

150ml water

65g plain flour

2 large eggs

For the filling:

300ml double cream

For the icing:

50g chocolate

(you choose, plain or milk)

15g butter

3tbsp water

75g icing sugar

• Preheat oven to 200C/180C Fan/400F.

• First of all line a baking tray with greaseproof paper for you to pipe onto later on

Making the choux pastry:

Pop your butter and water into a small saucepan and melt over a low heat and then slowly bring it to a boil.

Once the butter and water mixture is boiling, remove it from the heat and add the sieved flour. Beat it until the doughy mixture comes together in one large soft ball and leaves the side of the pan. Then set this aside and leave it to cool slightly.

Break your eggs into a bowl and give them a quick little whisk. Once the eggs are whisked add them a little at a time into your saucepan. Make sure you keep beating thoroughly between each addition so you have a lovely smooth shiny paste (don’t put the eggs in while the mixture is too hot as they may scramble).

Fill a piping bag with the mixture from the saucepan. Snip the end of the piping bag so you have a hole around one inch. Now you are ready to pipe the eclair mixture onto your baking trays in straight lines that are about 12cm.

Leave space between them to allow for spreading. You should get six out of the mixture.

Pop them in the oven for 10 minutes at the full temperature (see above) and then reduce the heat to 170C/150C Fan/325F and bake for a further 15-18 minutes. You will know when they are ready as they will have risen and will be crisp and golden brown.

Remove the eclairs from the oven and run a knife down the side to let the steam escape and so they are cut ready for the cream later. Leave to completely cool on a wire rack.

Filling your eclairs:

Whip the cream with a whisk in a bowl. Whisk it until it starts to stiffen but don’t over whisk as it will curdle. It needs to be just firm enough to pipe.

Pop the cream into a piping bag, and fill each eclair with one good sized line of cream in each (fill as much as you like if you want. You can also use, thick custard, creme patissiere or a chocolate mousse, be creative!).

Making the chocolate topping:

Melt your chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water on the hob (if you would prefer to microwave you can do this but don’t microwave for too long – keep an eye on it and do short bursts).

Add the butter and water to the chocolate and keep cooking it on a low heat until everything has melted. Keep stirring so nothing sticks

Add the sieved icing sugar and mix really well until it is all silky. Spoon the chocolate mixture over the top of each eclair in one long line and then pop in the fridge to set.

Enjoy.

Top Cookies

MORE than 30 islanders rose to the challenge of creating some scrumptious chocolate chip cookies for the third round of our Bake Off competition.

Tim Langlois of Cobo Bakes once again had the tough task of choosing the winners.

Hazel Seymour’s cookies, which used chocolate chunks, Smarties Buttons and hazelnuts, were Tim’s top choice.

‘Her cookies looked so delicious and even,’ said Tim. ‘They have a lovely depth to them which for me is how a cookie should be. I just know they are going to be lovely and gooey and chewy. I want to try one now.’

Hazel was delighted to discover she’d won the cookie challenge.

‘It was such a brilliant surprise,’ she said. ‘I think I may have done a little happy dance! There are so many fantastic bakers here on our island and #gsybakeoff with Cobo Bakes is such a fabulous way of getting more people into baking.

‘I’ve been baking since I can remember. I’m never happier than when I’m creating something, especially sweet treats, in the kitchen for my family or my friends. It’s definitely my happy place. It’s something that I love to do with my son, who is turning into a good little baker himself these days.’

Hazel will recieve a £50 voucher to spend at Le Friquet Garden Centre.

Tim also selected two runners up, who will each receive a voucher for a free box of cakes from Cobo Bakes.

Adele Prus impressed him with her double chocolate New York cookies and Nutella stuffed chocolate chip New York cookies. ‘They just look incredible. I can almost smell the chocolate from the photo. Really impressed with the runny chocolate centres. An excellent colour and a great bake,’ said Tim.

The second runner-up was Kaileigh Benford. ‘Her cookies are so consistent in size and shape that they would look perfect in a cookie jar,’ said Tim. ‘These are perfectly baked and looked so, so good. Feel free to drop one around for me to eat...’

Tim was pleased at how the local community has responded to the Bake Off competition so far.

‘Overall again this week the island has done an amazing job,’ he said.

‘It is lovely to see all ages enjoying baking and trying things that they may not normally do. I hope that everyone is enjoying baking and eating their tasty treats. Keep it up.’