Cream puffs might not be the most “homesteader-ish” recipe, but I’m posting them anyway… Because quite honestly, they just might be the world’s most perfect dessert…. 😉
I’m far from a pastry chef, but I’ve found these rustic puffs to be pretty simple to make- and they are especially lovely when filled with real, raw, whipped cream… You can also fill ’em up with pudding– especially chocolate!
BUT. Considering it’s pumpkin-season and we are celebrating all-things-pumpkin, I couldn’t resist filling them with pumpkin-spiced whipped cream instead. Yeah– it’s hard to exercise self-control when you have these babies sitting in your fridge…
Pumpkin Cream Puffs
(some of these are affiliate links-just FYI)
Ingredients
Puffs:
1/2 cup butter (I tried using coconut oil and although it worked, the puffs turned out more biscuit-like. Still good, just not as “puffy”)
1 cup boiling water
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt (I use this salt.)
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter (I tried using coconut oil and although it worked, the puffs turned out more biscuit-like. Still good, just not as “puffy”)
1 cup boiling water
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt (I use this salt.)
4 eggs
Filling:
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup pumpkin puree (Here’s how to do puree the easy way!)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup pumpkin puree (Here’s how to do puree the easy way!)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
Bring the water to a boil and add in the butter and salt. Once the butter is completely melted, add the flour all at once.
Cook and stir the flour/water mixture until it forms a ball. Remove from the heat and let it cool for several minutes. (This is so you don’t end up with scrambled egg cream puffs… )
Add the eggs, one at a time. Stir in egg into the mixture very thoroughly before adding the next. Allow the dough to almost become “dry” between each addition. Don’t rush the eggs, people.
Drop the egg mixture mounds on an ungreased baking stone or sheet. I usually get 10-12 puffs from this recipe, depending on what size you would like. Bake in a 400 degree, preheated oven for 30 minutes or until they are golden brown and gorgeous, like this—>
Allow them to cool until you can pick them up without saying “ouch”. This is a great time to make the filling.
In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine the cream, syrup, vanilla, and spice. Whip it until it forms stiff peaks. Fold the 1/4 cup of pumpkin into the whipped cream. Now prepare to stuff your puffs.
Depending on your puff consistency, you may or may not have to gut the puffs. If they are dense, you’ll need to cut or break them in half and gently scoop out the “innards.”
These were pretty puffy, so I didn’t have to scoop out much.
Fill each puff with a generous spoonful of cream filling, and place the little “lid” back on top.
Store your puffs in the refrigerator.
These are best if eaten the same day that you make them- otherwise, they tend to be a little soggy. Of course, if you are a cream puff fanatic like me, you’ll eat whatever cream puff is available, soggy or not. 😉
How to Make Pumpkin Cream Puffs
Ingredients
- Puffs:
- 1/2 c. butter
- 1 c. boiling water
- 1 c. flour (like this)
- 1/4 t. salt (I use this one)
- 4 eggs
- Filling:
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 t. pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup (more or less to taste) (I like this syrup.)
- 1 t. vanilla (like this)
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil
- Add butter and salt
- Once butter is completely melted, add the flour all at once
- Cook and stir the flour/water mixture until it forms a ball
- Remove from heat and cool several minutes to prevent eggs from scrambling when you add them
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Add the eggs, one at a time to your flour/water mixture stirring throughly each time
- Allow the dough to almost become “dry” between each addition
- Form the egg mixture into 10-12 mounds on an ungreased baking sheet
- Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown and puffy
- Allow to cool and start your filling:
- In mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine cream, syrup, vanilla, and spice
- Whip until it forms stiff peaks
- Fold 1/4 cup of pumpkin into whipped cream
- Stuff your puffs by generously filling the cream puff shell with the pumpkin mixture
- Keep refrigerated until serving (best when served same day)
These look and sound lovely! What a great idea to use pumpkin – it's so seasonal!
Thanks for the step by step pictures It looks like something I could actually make(Cheryl@scrapaddict4sure)
These sound great! I just love pumpkin – I could eat it any time of year.
I love pumpkin recipes that break the mold! Pie is great but puffs are better. Thanks for sharing with the Hearth and Soul hop.
These look amazing. I have never made creme puffs because I thought they would be difficult to make. The pictures helped me realize that these look like something I can handle. thanks for the great idea.
I so agree! Thankful for making me believe I can do it too!
Thanks for linking up to our pumpkin blog hop! These sound so fabulous; I think I will have to get brave and try cream puffs. THey’ve always seemed so complicated:) Come back next week for Breakfast ideas!
I don’t have any pumpkin right now, but I think I’ll try them with butternut squash! These look delicious!
Have you tried making the puffs and freezing them? (Without cream of course.) Wondered if that would work and pull them out whenever needed.
Hmmm… Never tried that Emily. My concern would be that the freezing might mess up the delicate texture of the puff, but I can’t say for sure. Would be nice if it worked, though! 🙂
You can freeze them. I used to do that when I was catering. They are better fresh though. If you check your frozen dessert section in the market you will find frozen cream puffs, cream and all.
I just pulled another pumpkin dessert out of the oven, and I think my husband will implode if I make another-but these are gorgeous!
So I am writing down this recipe to try later and I found a discrepancy. At the start of the directions for making the cream, it says to combine cream, SUGAR, vanilla, and spice. Do we use the Maple Syrup as the sugar or is there supposed to be sugar as well?
Ah- whoops! Sorry! I had originally written the recipe as calling for sugar, but have since updated it to the maple syrup. Apparently, I missed that sugar mention. I’ll fix it ASAP. 🙂
Quick tip – If you like to get fancy (and make the puffs and fill them a bit faster), you can get a big old 16 inch pastry tube and use it to pipe both the puffs and the filling. They’re inexpensive and last for years, and don’t take up much room in the cupboard. We used to use them all the time when we had our family catering business, and I still keep a set in my pantry.
AWESOME tip Laurie!!
Thank you so much for link to “How to Make Pumpkin Puree, the Easy Way.” Every year we get pumpkins for the grandkids. Some go home with them, others stay. We are city dwellers, due to age, not choice. So I have no animals to feed leftover pumpkins to, except for squirrels which I do not like to encourage moving in with us. Being frugal, I usually chopped up the pumpkins and baked the pieces. Your way is so much easier and safer. I’ve often come near to impaling myself during the pumpkin chopping process. Lost a cutting board, too. Getting older, I need all the life saving tips I can get!!!
You are very welcome! I’ve come very close to impaling myself as well doing it the “other” way!
Jill, these look freaking AWESOME. Can’t wait to try them later this fall when cold weather drives me more indoors and we’ve got the sugar pumpkins harvested. We just AI’d our cow this AM for the first time…I am hoping it takes!
Whoohoo! Crossing my fingers for your cow to take!
I’ll be trying them with Einkorn wheat, so ce that’s the only kind of wheat I can eat. Hope it works!!!!
These taste wonderful. I made the puffs gluten free but made the filling as is. Instead of cutting the puffs in half I poked a hole in one side and using a piping bag squeezed the filling in. It helps to keep the filling where you want it. I also melted a little bit of chocolate and drizzled some over the puffs. I had to stop my husband when he went for a fourth one (in one sitting). This recipe is a keeper.
Thanks for another great recipe.
Excellent! I love that you were able to convert it to a gluten-free recipe!
How did you make it GF? When I saw the recipe, I was SO disappointed that it had white flour, but I’d like to try it. I thought about using rice flour and arrowroot??
Hi Lisa,
I used King Arthur’s gluten free multi purpose flour mix. It contains rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, whole grain brown rice flour. Since the recipe only uses 1 cup of flour it might be worth trying it out with rice flour and a starch like you suggested.
I have had good success replacing regular flour with almond flour if the recipe only calls for up to 1 cup of flour. With this recipe I just think it needs that fine texture you wouldn’t get from almond flour.
I’m glad I tried this recipe when I did since I won’t be able to make it in the near future. My husband is on an elimination diet. NO butter, milk, eggs, almonds or gluten.
Thank you so much! I learned from a former pastry chef that the “golden ratio” for gluten free substitution is 2/3 whole grain flour to 1/3 starch, and it works like a dream *most* of the time, but since cream puffs are so delicate, I wanted to ask what you had success with before I jumped in! I’m going to try this. Thanks again.
That’s good to know. I’ll have to keep that in mind.
Thanks.
Thanks so much for sharing your expertise Claudia! 🙂
Awesome recipe, thank you. When I was catering many, many moons ago, I used cream puffs stuffed with seafood salad, chicken salad, tuna, egg salad and other things as hors d’oeuvres. They are yummy. I can’t wait to try this recipe.
They look amazing! I will have to give these a try.
This recipe also fits into my *perfect* recipe category because of the few number of ingredients and short/easy instructions.
Thanks!!
These are so delicious! Mine turned out so nicely!
Yay! Glad you enjoyed them!
I was wondering if there was a “soaked” version of the puff mixture, before adding eggs? I would love to try this, but haven’t had any grains that have not gone through the soaking process in quite a while, so I’m a little hesitant. These do look delicious! Thank you!
No, I haven’t tried soaking the grains for this recipe– I quit doing the soaking thing a while back after it actually gave us more digestive-upset than regular unbleached flour. 🙁
Is there an alternative to the unbleached flour? Coconut flour? Almond, etc? thank you!
I don’t have much experience with grain-free flours- sorry!
Thank you for this recipe! Made it for our New Year’s day breakfast. Very delish! Look forward to making this again.
What a perfect way to start the new year! 😉