Preheat oven to 200C/400F/gas 6. Lightly grease 2 baking trays with a thin spread of butter.

Melt the milk, water, butter and xylitol in a saucepan over medium-high heat and then bring to the boil. Just as it starts to boil, take the saucepan off the heat and dump in all of the flour in one go. Mix it all together until combined, then return to the heat for 30 secs-1 min just to dry out the flour. Allow to cool for 5-10 mins.

Add the eggs, a little at a time, stirring until combined between each addition. The dough should be shiny and a bit wet, and it should break cleanly off a spoon if you hold it up.

Fill a piping bag fitted with a wide nozzle (or a disposable piping bag/freezer bag that has the end snipped off) and pipe 12-20 small eclairs (you could also pipe some (or all) as little ball shapes to make profiteroles if you prefer), depending on the size of the nozzle. Get a little water and dip your finger in it, then smooth the tops of the eclairs with a little water.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 mins, then prop the oven door open slightly with a wooden spoon to let it ventilate for another 5 mins. The eclairs should be puffed up, golden and hollow. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few mins, then pierce the bottom of each eclair with a skewer once or twice to allow the steam to escape. Allow to cool completely.

Once cool, whip the cream with the vanilla seeds, extract and sweetener, then fill a piping bag with the filling and make the small piercings on the base of the eclairs a bit bigger so you can pipe the filling through it. Alternatively, you can cut each eclair in half lengthways and pipe or spread the filling onto the bottom half then top with the other half.

Melt the chocolate and butter until completely melted, smooth and glossy, then dip the top of each eclair into the chocolate to cover the top half in a line of melted chocolate. Allow to cool until the chocolate hardens (I like to put them in the fridge for about 15 mins).