Caramel Apple Cream Puffs

Caramel Apple Cream Puffs have a soft, pastry shell with a creamy caramel apple whipped cream filling and caramel syrup on top.

We recently shared a recipe for pumpkin spice cream puffs but couldn’t leave out the other autumn star: apples! These light and airy pastries filled with delicious caramel apple whipped cream are perfect for fall.

How To Make Cream Puffs

Cream puffs are made with a choux pastry (or pâte à choux). The pastry is made with four kitchen staples: water, butter, flour, and eggs. This same pastry can be used to make other treats such as eclairs and profiteroles. It looks fancy but is actually easy to make.

First bring water and butter to a boil over medium-high heat.

Turn the heat to low and stir in all of the flour at once. Remove from the heat and allow the dough to cool for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the eggs one at a time until the dough is smooth. Each time you start mixing in an egg, the dough will separate but keep stirring and it will come together again.

Transfer the cream puff dough to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe two-inch circles of dough onto a parchment-covered baking sheet.

Do I have to pipe the pastry dough?

No, another option is to scoop the dough onto the parchment using two spoons rather than pipe it. This is how my mom made cream puffs for us when I was a kid.

Bake the cream puffs at 400˚F for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown. Allow them to cool on the pan for several minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

How should caramel apple cream puffs be stored?

Once the cream puffs shells have cooled, store them in an airtight container for 1-2 days at room temperature. Or store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How To Make Caramel Apple Whipped Cream

Beat the whipped cream until thickened.

Add the caramel syrup, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, and vanilla extract.

Beat until soft peaks form.

Transfer the caramel apple whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a large closed star tip. Pipe the whipped cream onto the bottom half of the puff pastry and then add the top half. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and drizzle with caramel syrup (find my recipe here).

Where are the apples?

There aren’t any actual apples in these caramel apple cream puffs but rather there is the flavor of apple desserts that comes from the spices. That being they are amazing with a layer of apple pie filling (find my recipe here) underneath the whipped cream!

When should the caramel apple cream puffs be filled?

These caramel apple cream puffs should be filled close to serving time for the best results. Prepare ahead of time by making the shells and the filling but keep them separate. They can be filled an hour or two before serving time and stored in the refrigerator.

There are two ways to fill them. The first option is to cut the cream puffs in half lengthwise (remove the excess dough inside if desired) and fill the bottom half with creamy pumpkin filling.

The second option is to poke a hole in the side or the bottom of the cream puff with the icing tip. Pipe the filling into the shells.

Want more apple desserts? Try these next:

Apple Cider Doughnuts are fried cake donuts that are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and packed with apple flavor!

This four ingredient Apple Cobbler Recipe is super easy to make with apple pie filling, cake mix, pumpkin pie spice, and butter!

This recipe for Dutch Apple Pie is so easy to make! Instead of having a double crust like a traditional apple pie this recipe has a fabulous crumble on top.

Easy Apple Crisp recipe with sweet, tender apples topped with a crunchy crumb topping. Apple crisp is best served warm with vanilla ice cream and caramel!