Skip the doughnut shop. Satisfy any growling tummy with this homemade bear claw recipe with pumpkin pie filling and maple glaze.
Table of Contents
What is a bear claw?
Bear claws are pastries made out of yeast dough that are usually filled with marzipan or almond paste and topped with slivered almonds.
They get their name because of their shape. The dough is flattened and cut along the edge to resemble the foot or claw of a bear.
My version of a bear claw with pumpkin filling
I was watching Unique Sweets on the Cooking Channel and they featured a pastry made at Salty Tart in Minneapolis. The base was milk bread, and it was topped with strawberry jam, fresh strawberries, crumble and a powdered sugar glaze.
Milk bread is a sweet, tender bread made with milk (obviously), eggs and butter. I learned to create it while at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.
Pastry Chef Michelle Gayer’s strawberry tart inspired me to make a fall version, using pumpkin puree, cinnamon and cloves, quintessential flavors of the season.
Usually, milk bread is left to ferment overnight in the fridge, but I wanted this autumn brunch treat today. No time for fermentation. The recipe took two hours (15-20 minutes for the prep, 1 hour to rise and 40 minutes in the oven).
I divided my dough into eight servings. My husband thought they were a little large, although he had no problem eating a whole one and taking bites of mine. You can divide the dough into however many portions you want. You’ll just have to adjust your baking time accordingly.
These pastries bake at a low temperature (325F / 165C). You want them to be soft on the inside and barely (or should I say BEARly) golden on the outside. Enjoy!
✔️ PRO TIP
If you want to speed this recipe up even more, you can buy frozen yeast rolls and let them thaw. Then, you an skip the dough making steps all together.
Pumpkin Bear Claws
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 30 grams
- 1 cup milk, 250 grams
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 500 grams
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp table salt, 10 grams
- 1/4 cup butter, 50 grams, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Pumpkin Filling
- 1 can pumpkin
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
Crumble
- 3 tbsp butter, softened
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup pecans or walnuts, optional
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- pinch table salt
Maple Glaze
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Proof: Place yeast and sugar in a mixing bowl. Microwave the milk for 30 seconds. Add the warm milk to the mixing bowl and let the yeast proof for about 2 minutes.
- First Knead: Add the flour, egg and salt and knead by hand or with a stand mixer with a dough hook for about 2 minutes.
- Final Knead: Add the butter. Continue kneading for 2-3 minutes. The dough should be very soft.
- Shape: Turn the dough out onto the counter and divide it into 8 equal size pieces (about 110 grams each) and shape into rolls. Place on a silpat-lined baking sheet and let rise for an hour.
- Preheat oven to 325F (165C) degrees.
- Make Filling: In another bowl, make the pumpkin filling by combining the pumpkin, sugar, egg, cinnamon and cloves.
- Make Crumble: In another bowl, make the crumble by combining the butter, flour, brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon, cloves and salt, using a fork or pastry blender.
- Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over each roll.
- Shape: Press the center down to flatten. Using a sharp knife, cut four slits into each roll to create the bear’s claw. Spoon pumpkin filling into the center of each flattened claw. Top evenly with the crumble.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
- Make Drizzle: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup and milk. Drizzle over the baked claws. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Bear Claws
Dough
- Active Dry Yeast
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Milk: I prefer using whole milk for a richer flavor.
- All Purpose Flour: I have not tried this with any other types of flour.
- Large Eggs
- Table Salt
- Butter: You can use salted butter or unsalted butter. This is used in the dough and crumble topping.
- Canned Pumpkin: Look for the plain pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie filling. That already has sugar and spices mixed in.
- Pecans or Walnuts
- Cinnamon and Cloves
- Powdered Sugar
- Maple Syrup
Substitutions: If you don’t like nuts, you can leave them out.
See the full recipe card for servings and a full list of ingredients.
How to make bear claws
- Place yeast and sugar in a mixing bowl. Microwave the milk for 30 seconds. Add the warm milk to the mixing bowl and let the yeast proof for about 2 minutes.
- Add the flour, egg and salt and knead by hand or with a stand mixer with a dough hook for about 2 minutes.
- Add the butter. Continue kneading for 2-3 minutes. The dough should be very soft.
✔️ PRO TIP
For best results, use softened butter. It will blend more evenly into the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto the counter and divide it into 8 equal size pieces (about 110 grams each) and shape into rolls. Place on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper and let rise for an hour.
- In another bowl, make the pumpkin filling by combining the pumpkin, sugar, egg, cinnamon and cloves.
- In another bowl, make the crumble by combining the butter, flour, brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon, cloves and salt, using a fork or pastry blender.
- Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over each roll.
- Press the center down to flatten. Using a sharp knife, cut four slits into each roll to create the bear’s claw. Spoon pumpkin filling into the center of each flattened claw. Top evenly with the crumble mixture.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup and milk. Drizzle over the baked claws.
How to serve
These pumpkin bear claws are amazing when you serve them warm fresh out of the oven, especially with a cup of coffee.
They’re a fun treat for an autumn brunch or holiday breakfast.
Storage
Store leftover bear claws in an airtight container. If you don’t eat them within one day, be sure to refrigerate them. Reheat them in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most often, bear claws are filled with almond paste, but you can also fill them with fruit preserves or butter and spices.
This recipe doesn’t use a filling. Instead a pumpkin pie mixture is added on top, making this bear claw recipe easy to create.
No. Almond bear claws are pastries made with a yeast-forward dough. Croissant dough is much heavier on the butter.
In France, an almond croissant is called a croissant aux amandes. It’s created by taking a baked croissant, cutting it in half and filling it with almond paste.
More breakfast recipes
- How to make croissants
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Baked French Toast with Bacon Pecan Maple Syrup
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Doughnuts
