Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup pureed pumpkin
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan, bring ½ cup of butter, or one stick, and one cup of water to a boil. Quickly stir in ¼ teaspoon of salt and one cup of flour until the dough forms a ball. Next, pull the pan off of the burner and beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, until the dough is shiny, smooth, and a golden yellow color. After that, you just drop the batter in large spoonfuls on an ungreased baking sheet, and put it in that hot oven for about 20-25 minutes.
While the puffs are baking, make your whipped cream. Start by pouring about 1 cup of heavy whipping cream into a bowl (it works best in a chilled, metal bowl) and whisk it with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes, until it’s thick, creamy, and standing in firm peaks – it’s worth taking an extra minute to make sure it holds its shape – you don’t want it to be melting off the puffs later. Whisk in powdered sugar to taste, I usually do about 1 tablespoon, and a big spoonful of pureed pumpkin. Start with about ¼ cup, and add more until it’s just how you like it – you’re the cook, and you’re gonna have leftovers, so it’s important that this is just how you want it when you dollop it on your coffee later.
When the cream puffs are done, they’ll be golden brown and puffed up. Don’t take them out of the oven right away, just turn off the heat, prop the door open, and leave them in there to dry out while the oven cools. This keeps them fluffy and crispy on top, which you want for the next step.
When they’re cooled off, cut them in half, spoon some whipped cream on the bottom halves, and replace the tops. Dust everything with a little sifted powdered sugar, pretend like the whole thing was a lot was a lot harder than it actually was, and bask in the compliments, baby.
Happy holidays!