Cream puffs are easier to make than you might think. These slightly oversized pastry shells are filled with a pumpkin cheesecake cream for a perfect dessert!
Make easy choux pastry into delicious fluffy shells and fill them with pumpkin cheesecake filling. It is easier than you think and oh so good!
Cream puffs have been on my mind for a while now. They have come up in various conversations and I just knew I needed to make a batch sooner rather than later.
The problem is what to fill them with? There are so many options; delicious sweet filling, beautiful savory fillings. I mean the possibilities go on forever!
Plus they seem like they should be made for an event of some sort, not just because it’s cloudy and I feel like it.
Then there is pumpkin cheesecake. Ever since I found my new favorite way to make a no-bake cheesecake filling, I have been dying to make a pumpkin version.
The issue was whether or not it could hold all of the liquid of the pumpkin puree. I had only ever added more solid stir-ins. That’s when it hit me! The batch of pumpkin butter would be perfect!
I would add some of the necessary sweetness and some of the excess moisture had already been cooked out. And you know what would be an even better shell than lady fingers? Cream puffs! Voila!
Just like that a plan was born! I love it when a good plan comes together. Don’t you?
So all I needed after that was an event to make them for. There are plenty of things coming up on the calendar, but they all seemed so far away.
But with #PumpkinWeek around the corner, that was all the impetus I needed to just go for it.
It was so much fun to serve these puppies. MiMi and Pops came over for dinner and I whipped these out. As I was taking pictures they were guessing what the filling was made of.
They couldn’t decide from the color if it was caramel, peanut butter or pumpkin. Of course it was pumpkin… though don’t those other flavors sound wonderful too?
Now I need to make a bunch more cream puffs!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cream Puffs
Cream puffs are easier to make than you might think. These slightly oversized pastry shells are filled with a pumpkin cheesecake cream for a perfect dessert!
Ingredients
Cream Puff Shells
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup flour
- 4 eggs
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 egg yolk
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- 8oz block cream cheese, softened but still chilly
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 recipe (about 2 cups) maple pumpkin butter, cold
- 2/3 cup heavy cream, cold
- A dusting of powdered sugar (or a drizzle of caramel!) for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and grease to baking sheets.
- Bring water, butter and salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the full cup of flour at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until the mixture is smooth and shiny.
- Scoop large dollops (about 3 T each) of dough onto prepared pans. Whisk together milk and egg yolk. Brush dough with egg yolk wash.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until puffed and golden. Remove to wire racks and immediately cut a sit for steam to escape. Let cool completely.
- To make filling, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add brown sugar, vanilla and pumpkin butter and beat until completely incorporated. With the mixer running on medium, drizzle in cream until completely incorporated. Turn mixer to high and beat until light and fluffy.
- Pipe or spoon into cream puffs just before serving or store in refrigerator until ready to use.
- Dust filled shells with powdered sugar then serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 270Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 132mgSodium: 196mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 0gSugar: 7gProtein: 5g
All nutritional information is estimated and will depend on the exact ingredients you use.
Anonymous
Tuesday 18th of October 2016
Do you use self ricing or ap flour
Carlee
Tuesday 18th of October 2016
All-purpose. There isn't any leavener needed.
Unknown
Tuesday 18th of October 2016
hi is the flour self rising or ap
Carlee
Tuesday 18th of October 2016
Just regular old all-purpose flour will do it!
Unknown
Sunday 16th of October 2016
Carly, can I come live with you? Pretty please? I won't take up much room, promise! And one more mouth won't be that much, right?
You have the best ideas with food! Pumpkin butter filling? In a cream puff? Girl, I am now starving, I wasn't before I read this! This is right up my alley! So creative.
Carlee
Monday 17th of October 2016
Please do! We could have a lot of fun together and I'd love an extra mouth to feed... the hardest part is waiting for one treat to disappear before I can make the next! These were especially fun to make, especially when it actually worked more or less like I had envisioned it. I wasn't positive the cheesecake filling would hold up with the pumpkin butter, but luckily it did! Thanks as always =)
Jessica Jarrell
Saturday 15th of October 2016
You are on top of the pumpkin recipes this year Carlee! This one looks so yummy and decadent! I haven't had a cream puff since I was a kid, what's wrong with me?? I must get on that ASAP! These look absolutely amazing! 😍 I love the addition of pumpkin!
Carlee
Saturday 15th of October 2016
I hadn't had one in a while either, but I had been really wanting to make some. This version really worked well. It was fun to mix up the filling like this. You should totally make some! Thank you =)
Jess
Friday 14th of October 2016
OH goodness...YUM!
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Carlee
Saturday 15th of October 2016
Thank you!