I really am not convinced that maple is truly a fall flavor, but after asking you all on Instagram you convinced me that it was!
Cream puffs can be an intimidating dessert, but I promise that they are truly easy to make! It is a simple dough with few ingredients. It should not scare you!!!
These cream puffs will remind you of fall days spent at the pumpkin patch with the smells of autumn. They have warm spices and plenty of maple syrup that add a wonderful sweetness!
Choux Dough
½ Cup butter
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Cup all purpose flour
4 Eggs
1 Cup water
Filling
2 Cups whole milk
⅔ Cup maple syrup
2 Teaspoons cinnamon
½ Teaspoon cloves
4 Tablespoons cornstarch
4 Egg yolks
¼ Cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
Begin by making the creme patisserie, as it will need to cool for a couple of hours before you fill the cream puffs.
In a sauce pan, warm the milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, and cloves over low heat. While the milk is heating whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, and brown sugar until lighter in color.
When the milk begins to bubble along the edges, remove from the heat and pour about ¼ cup into the egg mixture. Whisk vigorously until incorporated. Once fully mixed, pour the rest of the milk into the eggs while whisking constantly. THIS STEP IS VERY IMPORTANT, if you do not continuously whisk, the eggs will curdle.
Once fully incorporated, pour the mixture back into the pot and whisk until it starts to thicken. Once it thickens, pour into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap by placing the plastic wrap directly on top of the filling.
Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
To make the choux dough, begin by melting the butter in a pot with 1 Cup water and 1 Tablespoon brown sugar. Heat over medium low heat until the mixture begins to boil. Once boiling, stir in the flour and continue to cook over heat for 2-4 more minutes, stirring continuously.
Remove from the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl. Let cool for about 5 minutes. After five minutes, using a wooden spoon or very strong spatula, mix in the eggs one at a time. After each addition, the dough will take a minute or two of stirring to come together. Once all of the eggs are mixed in, spoon the dough into a piping bag.
Pipe the dough into 1 inch circles onto a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Pipe each cream puff about 1 inch apart.
To make sure that the puffs rise evenly, wet your index finger and press down any pointy bits of the dough before baking. Bake for 30 minutes. Make sure to keep the oven shut while baking or they will not puff correctly!
Once baked, let cool completely. While the cream puffs are cooling, spoon the filling into a pastry bag with a piping tip.
Shove the piping tip into the bottom of the cream puff and fill.
These need to be served the day that they are made or frozen to be eaten at a later date! If you are freezing, you can freeze them after they are filled.
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