Pumpkin Churro Cheesecake Cups (Printable Version)

Creamy pumpkin filling in spiced churro cups offers a crunchy, flavorful autumn dessert.

# What You'll Need:

→ Churro Cups

01 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
02 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
04 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
05 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

→ Coating

09 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
10 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

→ Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling

11 - 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
12 - 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
13 - 1/3 cup brown sugar
14 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
15 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
16 - 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
17 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
18 - 1/4 cup heavy cream

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray or butter.
02 - In a mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, melted butter, egg, vanilla, and cinnamon until a soft dough forms.
03 - Divide dough evenly among muffin cups, pressing gently into the bottom and up the sides to form cups.
04 - Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden and puffed. Cool 5 minutes, then carefully remove cups while warm.
05 - Mix sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Roll warm churro cups in the mixture to coat. Allow to cool completely.
06 - Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and vanilla; beat until fluffy.
07 - Gradually fold in heavy cream until the filling is smooth and slightly thickened.
08 - Spoon or pipe cheesecake filling into cooled churro cups.
09 - Refrigerate cups at least 1 hour before serving to allow filling to set.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It’s like getting the best of churros and cheesecake in a single, perfectly portioned bite—layers of flavor and texture that surprise you.
  • They chill beautifully, so you can make them ahead and let guests believe you spent all afternoon fussing over them.
02 -
  • The first time, I rushed the cooling and the churro cups crumbled—be patient and let them cool completely before filling.
  • Discovering how much better the texture is with cold heavy cream in the filling changed my game for good.
03 -
  • Pressing the dough up the sides of the tin makes a deeper cup that can hold more filling.
  • Try dusting extra cinnamon over the finished cups right before serving for the warmest, freshest aroma.
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