Preheat oven to 425° F.

Lightly grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper. Measure flour and set aside.

Bring butter, sugar, salt, and 3/4 cup water to a boil in a 3-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Immediately remove from heat, and quickly stir in flour mixture all at once. Return to heat and stir with a wooden spoon for 1 to 2 minutes, or until dough is smooth and forms a ball. Transfer dough to the bowl of an electric mixer and let cool for 5 minutes.

Add 3 eggs, 1 at a time, beating until mixture is smooth and glossy. Spoon dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip. Pipe dough onto prepared pans into 1-1/2" rounds that are about 1-1/2" high. Smooth out peaks and round tops with a moistened finger.

Bake at 425° F for 5 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 375° and bake 30 minutes, or until puffy and golden brown. Turn oven off and let shells stand in closed oven for 10 minutes. Remove from baking sheets to wire racks. Let cool completely.

In a large saucepan, whisk together brown sugar, eggs, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Add pumpkin and evaporated milk, and whisk until smooth.

Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 5 minutes or until thickened. Let stand 30 minutes, and then chill for 4 to 24 hours.

Place cream and salt in a large bowl. Beat at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.

Add maple syrup and vanilla extract. If you like a sweeter whipped cream, add a few tablespoons of powdered sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.* Note: This will make quite a bit of whipped cream, enough to abundantly fill your cream puff shells, as shown in my photos. If you do not plan to use that much whipped cream, you should be good to cut the whipped cream ingredients in half.

Cut each cream puff shell in half horizontally. Spoon pumpkin pie filling onto bottom halves. Spread maple whipped cream on top of filling. Place tops of cream puff shells onto whipped cream.

Serve immediately or cover and chill until ready to serve. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Once assembled, these are best eaten on the day they are made. If you want to make these a day prior to serving, keep the cream puff shells, pumpkin pie filling, and maple whipped cream stored in separate containers in the refrigerator. Then assemble the pumpkin pie cream puffs the following day.