Pumpkin Cheese Puffs

I think it's funny that you all believed that pumpkin week would only last one week.  We obviously aren't well acquainted.

The pumpkin recipes that I've made many times before (pumpkin snickerdoodles, pumpkin chili and pumpkin biscuits) took up the majority of the first week which only left time for me to try 2 new pumpkin recipes and that simply wasn't acceptable.  Therefore, pumpkin week continues...

Today's pumpkin recipe is the last savory recipe in the pumpkin series - it's all sweets from here on out.  I chose these pumpkin cheese puffs because I definitely wanted another savory option to share on the blog and CA is partial to all things cheese.

I've made cheese puffs before and the process is like making pate a choux (in fact there is a cheese puff recipe in the pate a choux chapter of the Bouchon Bakery cookbook that I still need to get to).  Pate a choux is used to make cream puffs and eclairs and these delicious peanut butter concoctions. 

These cheese puffs are made by cooking milk, butter, salt and flour together and then whipping in a bunch of eggs (standard puff stuff).  Then you add the goodies...  pureed pumpkin, cheese and maple syrup.  I was worried the syrup would make them sweet which would defeat the entire purpose of my sharing a savory recipe with you, but it was just a couple of tablespoons which didn't add sweetness so much as a rich flavor... because cheese and eggs and flour isn't rich enough.

The mixture gets piped onto a baking sheet and topped with a little more cheese and some crispy proscuitto.  Whatever you do, don't skip the proscuitto - the addition of that salty element is absolutely perfect!

Once baked these puff up due to all the moisture in the dough that creates steam inside the pastry.  I wish they had been a little bit more puffy - but that's just me being picky.



























I really enjoyed these puffs and so did CA.  We had them as an appetizer before dinner and I don't remember what we ate for dinner... all I remember are the puffs.  That must mean they're good.  They are light and cheesy and salty which is all you can ask for.  I'm not entirely sure that I can taste the pumpkin in these but I do think it gave them a nice color.

Pumpkin Cheese Puffs
from Go Bold With Butter
Makes 40-45 puffs

Ingredients
1 cup Whole Milk
1/2 cup Butter
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Flour
6 Eggs (divided)
1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
2 T Maple Syrup
1 cup + 2 T shredded Gruyere or Swiss Cheese
2 T Water
4 slices Proscuitto, chopped and cooked until crispy
 Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, bring milk and butter to a boil. Add the salt and flour, reduce heat to low and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the edges of the dough pull away from the sides of the pan.

Remove the mixture from the pan and add it to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Add 5 of the eggs, one at a time, mixing well before adding the next egg. Add pumpkin, maple syrup and 1 cup cheese and mix to combine.

Put mixture in a piping bag or a gallon sized ziploc bag.  Snip the tip of the bag by ½ inch.  On a large baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper, pipe the mixture into rows of balls about ¾ inch high and about 1 ½ inches apart.

Make an egg wash with remaining egg and 2 tablespoons water, whisking to combine. Brush the tops with egg wash and garnish with remaining cheese and crispy prosciutto.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.


Enjoy!
Julie