This mini cream puffs are made with choux pastry, filled with a bourbon spiced pumpkin custard, and topped with whipped cream! They're the perfect fall dessert!
You might also like these brown butter pumpkin meringue cupcakes or these chocolate cream puffs!
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Ingredient Notes
Pumpkin Pie Spice - You can buy pumpkin pie spice at most grocery stores, or just make your own!
Pumpkin Puree - I almost exclusively use Libby's Pumpkin because it really is the best of the best! A ton of people have run blind taste tests comparing different brands of pumpkin puree, and Libby's is always the winner! But you can also always make your own!
Bourbon - This is optional, but I love the extra flavor it adds to the pumpkin cream!
Egg Yolks - I always have leftover egg yolks from making these pumpkin spice macarons!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Pumpkin Custard
I always make the pumpkin custard the night before I make the cream puffs to save time!
Whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, salt, heavy cream, and egg yolks in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture is thickened, about 1 minute.
Remove from heat. Stir in the pumpkin puree, butter, bourbon and vanilla until smooth and silky.
Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (place the plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pumpkin cream so a film doesn't form). Chill for at least 1 hour!
what is choux pastry (pâte à choux)?
Choux pastry (or Pâte à Choux in French) literally translates to "cabbage paste" because the pastry resembles little cabbages when baked. But choux pastry is so much more than that! It's a thick "paste" that falls somewhere between a dough and a batter. It's stiff enough to hold it's shape, but also thin enough to be piped which is part of what makes it so versatile!
When baked, choux pastry puffs up into a hollow shell that has a soft interior and super crispy shell. This is what makes it perfect for filling!
If you want a super in-depth explanation of all the science behind choux pastry, I recommend this article from Serious Eats!
How to Make Choux Pastry?
A lot of people making choux pastry seem super complicated but I actually find it quite easy! At it's core, all you're doing is bringing the liquid and butter to a boil, then adding in the flour to form a thick paste. Let it cool slightly and then beat in the eggs. Then pipe and bake. That's it!
The only special tool you really need is an instant read thermometer so that you can ensure the choux pastry is at the proper temperature.
The main ratio you need to follow is:
- 1 cup liquid
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup flour
- 4 large eggs
I also add a little bit of salt and sugar but that doesn't change much.
For the liquid component you can use water, milk, or a combination of both. Milk will cause the pastry to brown much more quickly in the oven, so it works fine for these mini cream puffs. However, if you're making something larger with a longer bake time, you might want to use water instead. I prefer using half water and half milk.
How to Make Cream Puffs
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Combine the water, milk, butter salt, and granulated sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir until the butter has melted. Bring the mixture up to a rolling boil and remove from the heat.
Immediately add in the flour and stir for about 1 minute until it's completely incorporated and the dough clumps together into a smooth ball.
Place the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Let rest for about 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the dough is below 125°F using an instant read thermometer.
Turn the mixer to low and add in the eggs one a time. Wait until each egg is fully incorporated before adding in the next. Beat the dough until the mixture is shiny, thick, and smooth with a pipeable consistency.
Transfer the choux pastry to a pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch round piping tip. Pipe 1 inch wide mounds of dough onto your lined baking sheet, about 2-3 inches apart. Lightly dip your finger in water to smooth down the tops of the mounds.
Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the pastries are puffed up and golden brown. DO NOT open the oven while the puffs are baking!!
Remove from the oven and immediately cut in half to allow excess steam to escape (this keeps the shells nice and crisp). Allow to cool completely before filling.
Fill with the chilled pumpkin cream and homemade whipped cream if desired. Then top with powdered sugar!
Recipe Notes
These pumpkin cream puffs are best eaten the same day!
Cover and store leftover filled pastries in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store the unfilled pastries in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze the unfilled puffs for up to two months.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Pumpkin Cream Puffs
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Choux Pastry
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup whole milk
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
Pumpkin Cream
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 3 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon bourbon, optional
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Serve with
- homemade whipped cream
- powdered sugar
Instructions
Pumpkin Cream
- Whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, salt, heavy cream, and egg yolks in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture is thickened, about 1 minute.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the pumpkin puree, butter, bourbon and vanilla until smooth and silky.
- Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (place the plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pumpkin cream so a film doesn't form). Chill for at least 1 hour!
Choux Pastry
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Combine the water, milk, butter salt, and granulated sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir until the butter has melted. Bring the mixture up to a rolling boil and remove from the heat.
- Immediately add in the flour and stir for about 1 minute until it's completely incorporated and the dough clumps together into a smooth ball.
- Place the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Let rest for about 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the dough is below 125°F using an instant read thermometer.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the eggs one a time. Wait until each egg is fully incorporated before adding in the next. Beat the dough until the mixture is shiny, thick, and smooth with a pipeable consistency.
- Transfer the choux pastry to a pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch round piping tip. Pipe 1 inch wide mounds of dough onto your lined baking sheet, about 2-3 inches apart. Lightly dip your finger in water to smooth down the tops of the mounds.
- Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the pastries are puffed up and golden brown. DO NOT open the oven while the puffs are baking!!
- Remove from the oven and immediately cut in half to allow excess steam to escape (this keeps the shells nice and crisp). Allow to cool completely before filling.
- Fill with the chilled pumpkin cream and homemade whipped cream if desired. Then top with powdered sugar!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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