These pumpkin pie cream puffs are the perfect dessert for your next Thanksgiving or fall celebration. With a fluffy pumpkin pie-esque filling and crisp, lighter-than-air pastry, these cream puffs are will be the hit of the party.
While it’s hard to top the classic pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, but that’s not the only way to enjoy pumpkin during the Fall months. Like these pumpkin cheesecakes, these pumpkin cream puffs have a whipped cream cheese pumpkin filling instead a pâte à choux puff.
What on earth is pâte à choux you ask? Pâte à choux, or choux dough (pronounced like shoe) is a pastry dough that puffs when baked – think eclairs, cream puffs, profiteroles. I go through all the details of choux pastry in another post.
Ingredients
The basic ingredients for the cream puffs shells are very standard – flour, water, butter and eggs – so let’s focus on the filling (the good stuff!)
- Pure pumpkin puree. Not to be confused with pumpkin pie filling which has extra ingredients added.
- Cream cheese. Use your favorite brand.
- Heavy whipping cream. Be sure to use heavy cream, or heavy whipping cream, for the fluffiest whipped cream.
- Confectioners’ sugar. A little sweetness.
- Pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have any, you can mix your own (heavy on the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves) or use just cinnamon.
Choux Cream Puff Shells
I go into full detail on making and troubleshooting choux dough in my basic recipe post, so I will not go through all the details here. A few of the highlights are below.
Twice baked. Choux dough is cooked twice to create the characteristic puff. Cooking the flour in boiling water and butter for 30-60 seconds gelatinizes the starch for puffing.
Adding eggs. Once cooked flour has cooled slightly, add enough beaten egg to create a silky, shiny dough that falls off the spoon or paddle in a “V” shape.
Don’t fret. As you begin adding the eggs, the mixture will look very gloopy and curdled. Keep mixing until the eggs incorporate.
Leave alone in oven. Avoid opening the door at all costs until the dough is cooked and browned or they will collapse.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
While the choux dough is baking, you can make the filling. Alternately, you can make the filling just before you are ready to serve – cream puffs are best when filled à la minute.
There’s two tricks to making this the best pumpkin filling ever:
- Remove the moisture from the pumpkin. Allow the pumpkin to sit in a mesh strainer for 30 minutes to let the majority of the liquid to drain away. Pat the remaining pumpkin dry with paper towels for any last bits of wetness.
- Immersion blender. For a very smooth and silky filling, I found an immersion blender was best. This really allows the cream cheese and pumpkin to really blend together before adding in the heavy cream.
This filling will also work with a hand-mixer though I preferred the immersion blender if you have one, but don’t skip the pumpkin draining to avoid a sloppy filling.
Filling Choux Shells
Once your cream puffs are cooled and you are ready to serve, simply slice them horizontally and add a heaping amount of filling. The puffs should be completely hollow when sliced open for major filling abilities.
Letting the filling sit will cause the shells to go soft. Not the end of the world, but it is better to enjoy immediately!
Frequently Asked Questions
Continue to mix the eggs until they incorporate. The mixture will look slightly slimy and gloopy until the eggs are well mixed.
If you have small little lumps, you may have added the eggs while the mixture was too hot and started to slightly set the eggs. Or the dough just needs another minute of mixing.
Likely too much egg was added at the end. Slowly add beaten egg in small additions until you have the right consistency. Avoid adding more flour directly as it will not have the same cooked properties as the other flour.
No, I recommend using 100% pure pumpkin puree. Pumpkin pie filling contains additional sweeteners and stabilizing ingredients and will give a different result.
It’s important to really drain the liquid from the pumpkin before adding to the filling or it will create a slightly wet filling. Not the end of the world, just be sure to eat over a plate!
The cream cheese needs to be very soft before mixing – leave on the counter until it is completely warmed from the fridge. An immersion blender is also helpful.
Pumpkin Pie Cream Puffs
Equipment
- Immersion blender or hand mixer
Ingredients
Choux Dough
- ¾ cup water
- 85 g unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 90 g bread flour
- 3 large eggs beaten, room temperature
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 305 g pure pumpkin puree strained and dried*
- 226 g cream cheese softened
- 113 g confectioners' sugar sifted, plus more for dusting
- 1 ½ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream cold
Instructions
- Choux dough. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine water, butter, and salt over medium heat. Stir with spatula or wooden spoon until mixture comes to a boil.3/4 cup water, 85 g unsalted butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Take pan off heat and pour in flour all in one motion (mixture will look clumpy). Return to medium heat and stir until the mixture forms a smooth dough and leaves a slight film on the bottom of the pan. About 30-60 seconds.90 g bread flour
- Transfer dough to the bowl of a stand-mixer or large bowl. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes – until mixture is barely warm.
- With stand-mixer paddle, or wooden spoon, add the beaten eggs in several small additions. Mixture will look gloopy until the egg is incorporated, keep stirring.3 large eggs
- Once the egg is added, make sure to keep mixing until the mixture is shiny and smooth, another minute or two.
- Spoon or pipe dough in 12 mounds – approximately 1.5" round. About 2 tablespoons.
- Use a finger dipped in water to smooth any peaks down.
- Bake for 15 minutes in a 425°F (220°C) oven. Turn heat down to 350°F (175°C) and bake another 8-10 minutes. Do not open oven until pastry looks browned.
- Remove pan and turn oven off. Pierce the sides of the cooked pastries with a small knife to release the steam. Return to the off oven and allow to cool with the door cracked for 15-20 minutes to allow the pastry to dry out inside.
- Pumpkin pie filling. While puffs cool, make filling. Place strained pumpkin puree*, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a large bowl. Blitz with immersion blend (or hand mixer) until smooth and no clumps remain.305 g pure pumpkin puree, 226 g cream cheese, 113 g confectioners' sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- Add heavy cream and continue to blitz until cream is whipped and filling is fluffy.2 cups heavy whipping cream
- Fill just before serving. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.
Notes
- *Allow pumpkin to strain for 30 minutes in fine mesh strainer. Pat dry with paper towels before adding to the filling.
- For larger cream puffs, spoon 8 mounds of dough, about 2.5″ wide. Bake for an extra 1-2 minutes at 350°F (175°C).
- Choux dough should be baked immediately after making.
- Baked, unfilled choux pastry can be stored in an air-tight container and frozen for up to 3 months.
- Fill pastry shells just before serving for best texture.
- Refresh shells in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 3-5 minutes if necessary to re-crisp before filling.
Disclaimer: We test all recipes using the metric weights shown, we cannot guarantee outcomes when switching to US measurements.
