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A plate of pumpkin crullers with caramelized maple glaze with pumpkins and fall flowers in the background.
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Pumpkin Crullers With Caramelized Maple Glaze

Fall brunch, anyone? These pumpkin crullers need a place on your seasonal menu. With that delicate, airy texture and those warm spices, these pumpkin crullers are covered with a rich caramelized maple glaze for the perfect fall treat.
Course Breakfast and Brunch
Cuisine French
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 12 people
Calories 238kcal

Equipment

  • Large pot
  • Frying thermometer
  • Parchment paper
  • Piping bag

Ingredients

Pumpkin Crullers

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg preferably freshly grated
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup butter diced
  • cup pumpkin purée
  • 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 eggs room temperature
  • Peanut oil for frying

Caramelized Maple Glaze

  • 1 cup maple syrup see note
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 4-8 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
  • Pinch of cinnamon

Instructions

Pumpkin Crullers

  • Stir together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger in a small bowl and set aside.
  • In a saucepan, stir together the water, butter, pumpkin puree, dark brown sugar and salt. Over medium-high heat, bring to a low boil. As soon as the butter melts, turn the heat to medium and stir in the flour mixture. Continue to stir for a minute or two to cook the flour mixture. Place in a mixing bowl and allow the mixture to slightly cool for a few minutes.
  • Beat in an egg, one at a time. Scrap down the side of the bowl as necessary to ensure everything incorporates. For easier piping, you can refrigerate the choux pastry at this point for 20 minutes, though this step is optional. See notes for make-ahead instructions.
  • Cut 12 4-inch-by-4-inch squares of parchment paper. Spoon the choux pastry into a pastry bag with a ½-inch star tip. On each sheet of parchment paper, pipe the choux pastry into a circle.
  • Clip a candy thermometer to a Dutch oven or large pot with a tall side. Pour in enough peanut oil to come up about 3 inches. Heat peanut oil to 360-365 degrees.
  • With the cruller attached to the parchment paper, carefully drop the cruller into the hot oil with the parchment paper facing up. When the crullers hit the hot oil, the parchment paper will release, and you can remove it with metal tongs. Depending on the size of your pot, you should be able to fry about three to four crullers at a time. Just make sure you don't crowd the pan or they won't crisp up correctly.
  • Once the crullers go into the oil, the temperature will drop. Keep an eye on the temperature, and if necessary, adjust the heat of the stove to keep the oil temperature between 350-360 degrees. Fry the crullers for two and a half minutes on one side. Using metal tongs, flip the crullers and fry for another two and a half minutes. Remove the fried crullers from the pot and transfer to a wire rack with paper towels underneath to catch the grease.

Caramelized Maple Glaze

  • After frying the pumpkin crullers, it's time to make the caramelized maple glaze. In a small saucepan, bring the maple syrup to a boil over medium heat. Cook until slightly reduced, about four to five minutes.
  • Turn off the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar. It will look like a clumpy mess but pour in a little heavy cream or milk at a time and keep whisking. The mixture will smooth out. Whisk in a pinch of cinnamon.
  • Pour the glaze into a dinnerware bowl. The shallow size makes it easier to dip. Dip one side of the cruller into the glaze. Repeat with remaining crullers. Keep in mind, the glaze is designed to harden, so if it starts to harden while dipping, just stir in a few drops of cream or milk. You can even zap it in the microwave for a few seconds if it hardens if need be. Alternatively, you can drizzle the glaze onto the crullers with a spoon. Allow the glaze to set. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Make sure you use real maple syrup and not the fake pancake syrup.
  • If you'd like to make the choux pastry ahead of time for easy entertaining, you can cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to two days. You could even go ahead and pipe the crullers onto parchment paper. Just make sure they'll well covered with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from drying out.
  • Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cruller | Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 127mg | Sugar: 21g