Pumpkin Cream Puffs

Classic choux pastry puffs filled with a sweet pumpkin cream cheese filling.  The perfect dessert for the holidays!

I’ve been watching the most recent season of The Great British Bake Off on Netflix (season 8 which is the latest in the US, those of you in the UK are ahead of us…).  I love the show and the contestants – they bake amazing sweet and savory dishes and consistently impress me with their creativity, artistry, and technical talent.  The most recent episode I watched was patisserie week.  The bakers all started with choux buns (pronounced “shoe”), the same dough that’s used for cream puffs in the US.

Growing up in Wisconsin, cream puffs were a staple every year at the Wisconsin State Fair.  They were monstrous cream-filled delights.  I only recently started experimenting with choux pastry.  While it sounds difficult and impressive, it’s actually not a very difficult dough to put together.  For these Thanksgiving inspired cream puffs I’ve filled mini choux buns with a pumpkin cheesecake filling.

How to Make Pumpkin Cream Puffs

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Start by preheating the oven.  Then line two baking sheets with parchment paper and print off a 1 1/2″ macaron template.  I used the template from this blog post.  You could also just pipe free form with no template or trace a 1 1/2″ circular object on one side of the parchment paper and flip it over so the side you wrote on is facing down.

Then you’ll start on the choux pastry: Place the butter, salt, and water in a medium saucepan. Heat over low until the butter is melted, stirring occasionally. While waiting for the butter to melt, measure out the flour and set aside. Also set up a stand mixer for use later.

When the butter has melted, increase the heat to medium and bring to a rolling boil (you don’t just want a simmer here).  Then remove the pan from the heat and stir in all of the flour. Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together around the spoon.  Place the pan back on the stove over medium heat and continue to cook, stirring vigorously, for another minute or so. The pan will end up with a thin film of dough on the bottom.

Pour the dough in the bowl of the stand mixer and beat on medium for about a minute to help the gluten to develop and to cool the dough.  Add in the eggs, one at a time, while continuing to beat the dough.  Allow each egg to mix in before adding the next one.  Stop the mixer once or twice to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is mixing in.  When all the eggs have been added, mix for another 30 seconds or so. The mixture should be shiny and stretchy and should stick to the sides of the bowl.  You can make the dough a day or two ahead of time, just store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Spoon the dough into a pastry bag or large Ziploc bag and snip off the tip or use a large round piping tip like the 1/2” round Wilton 1A tip. Pipe the dough into 1 1/2” circles. To use the paper as a template, position it under the parchment paper on one side of the baking pan.  Hold the bag vertically just above the parchment paper in the center of a circle on your template and apply steady pressure so the dough fills out from the center to the edge of the circle (no cupcake swirls here).  Then lift up the bag to move to the next circle.  Don’t worry if you end up with a point in the center, we’ll fix that in the next step.

Fill a small bowl with water and using a damp finger, flatten out the points in the centers. Don’t use much water, just enough so your finger doesn’t stick to the dough. You should be able to do several before needing to wet your finger again.  If you used a paper template, be sure to remove it before baking.

Put the trays in the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees F, switch the racks and rotate from front to back and bake for 15 more minutes. Then switch the racks again, reduce the heat to 300 degrees F and bake for 10-15 minutes until light golden brown and dried out.  Then remove from the oven and allow to cool.

While the cream puffs are baking, start on the pumpkin cream cheese filling. Add the cream cheese to a stand mixer bowl and beat for about 2 minutes on medium until smooth. Add in the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, brown sugar, and the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt.  Beat for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, then beat for another minute. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag or large Ziploc bag.

When the cream puffs have cooled, cut them in half horizontally by poking a paring knife in gently around the sides until it comes apart (slicing like bread will crush the cream puff).  Snip off the end of the piping bag and pipe in the pumpkin cream cheese filling.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  If not serving immediately, then refrigerate until ready to serve.  The cream puffs are best served the same day but can be made and assembled the night before if desired

Looking for more seasonal desserts?  Check out these Mini Caramel Apple Cheesecakes or this Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake.  If you try this recipe for pumpkin cream puffs, leave a comment and review below and let me know how it worked out for you!

Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Pumpkin Cream Puffs

Classic choux pastry puffs filled with a sweet pumpkin cream cheese filling.  The perfect dessert for the holidays!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, French

Servings: 36 mini cream puffs

Author: Cardamom & Coconut

Ingredients

Profiteroles

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (5 oz)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (4 oz)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling

• 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
• 8 oz pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons real maple syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Position your oven racks in the top and lower thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Print off a 1 1/2” macaron template (see note below).
• Place the butter, salt, and water in a medium saucepan. Heat over low until the butter is melted, stirring occasionally. While waiting for the butter to melt, measure out the flour and set aside. Also set up a stand mixer for use later.
• When the butter has melted, increase the heat to medium and bring to a rolling boil.  Then remove the pan from the heat and stir in all of the flour. Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together around the spoon.
• Place the pan back on the stove over medium heat and continue to cook, stirring vigorously, for another minute or so. The pan will end up with a thin film of dough on the bottom.
• Immediately transfer the dough to the bowl of the stand mixer.  Beat on medium for about a minute to help the gluten to develop and to cool the dough.
• Then, while continuing to beat on medium, add the four eggs one at a time. Allow each addition to mix into the dough before adding the next egg. After adding two eggs, turn off the mixture and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Then continue beating on medium speed.
• When all the eggs have been added, mix for another 30 seconds or so. The mixture should be shiny and stretchy and should stick to the sides of the bowl.
• Spoon the dough into a pastry bag or large Ziploc bag and snip off the tip or use a large round piping tip like the 1/2” round Wilton 1A tip. Pipe the dough into 1 1/2” circles. The easiest way to pipe is to hold the bag vertically just above the parchment paper and apply steady pressure so the pastry fills out from the center to the edge of the circle (no cupcake swirls here). Don’t worry if you end up with a point in the center, we’ll fix that in the next step.
• Fill a small bowl with water and using a damp finger, flatten out the points in the centers. Don’t use much water, just enough so your finger doesn’t stick to the dough. You should be able to do several before needing to wet your finger again.  If you used a paper template, be sure to remove it before baking.
• Put the trays in the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees F, switch the racks and rotate from front to back and bake for 15 more minutes. Then switch the racks again, reduce the heat to 300 degrees F and bake for 10-15 minutes until light golden brown and dried out.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• While the cream puffs are baking, start on the pumpkin cream cheese filling. Add the cream cheese to a stand mixer bowl and beat for about 2 minutes on medium until smooth. Add in the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, brown sugar, and all of the spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt). Beat for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, then beat for another minute. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag or large Ziploc bag.
• When the cream puffs have cooled, cut them in half horizontally by poking a paring knife in gently around the sides until it comes apart (slicing like bread will crush the cream puff).
• Snip off the end of the piping bag and pipe in the pumpkin cream cheese filling. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  If not serving immediately, then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

*I used the template from this blog post. They’re 1.5” circles. To use the paper as a template, position it under the parchment paper on one side. Pipe to the outer edge of each circle. Then gently slide the paper out and place under the other half of the parchment paper and continue piping. If you’re good at estimating size you can also just pipe by hand with no template. If you don’t have a printer but want to use a template, you could also find a 1.5" circular object and just trace it on one side of the parchment paper. Then flip the parchment paper so the side you wrote on is down. If you choose to make larger cream puffs, then you’ll need to increase the baking time.
**You can make the dough and the filling a day or two ahead of time, just store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. The cream puffs are best served the same day (store completed ones in the refrigerator) but can be made and assembled the night before if desired.