Description
These Maple Pumpkin Cream Puff Bites combine airy choux pastry with a pumpkin-spiced cream filling and glossy maple glaze. Light, elegant, and bursting with fall flavor, they’re the perfect bite-sized dessert for autumn celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Pastry (Choux Dough):
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
For the Pumpkin Cream Filling:
- 1 cup heavy cream (chilled)
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
For the Maple Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1–2 tablespoons milk (as needed)
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven:
Set your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. - Make the Choux Dough:
In a medium saucepan, combine water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Once boiling, add flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan (about 1–2 minutes). - Cool and Add Eggs:
Transfer the dough to a bowl. Let cool for 5 minutes before adding eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition until the dough is smooth and glossy. - Pipe or Spoon onto Sheets:
Use a piping bag or spoon to drop tablespoon-sized mounds onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. - Bake:
Bake for 20 minutes at 400°F, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for another 10 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Do not open the oven during baking, or the puffs may collapse. - Cool Completely:
Transfer the cream puffs to a wire rack and let them cool completely before filling. - Prepare the Pumpkin Cream Filling:
In a large mixing bowl, beat chilled heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice until soft peaks form. Chill until ready to use. - Fill the Puffs:
Once the shells are cool, slice them in half or poke a small hole in the bottom. Fill with pumpkin cream using a piping bag or spoon. - Make the Maple Glaze:
Whisk powdered sugar, maple syrup, and milk in a bowl until smooth and pourable. Adjust milk amount for desired consistency. - Glaze and Serve:
Dip the tops of each filled puff into the maple glaze, let excess drip off, and set them on a rack to dry slightly before serving.
Notes
The key to perfect puffs is cooking the dough long enough on the stove to remove excess moisture. This ensures they rise instead of collapsing.
You can make the pastry shells a day ahead and fill them right before serving.
For smaller gatherings, halve the recipe — they disappear fast, but you’ll still have plenty!