Carefully remove the shells from the boiled eggs. This is an important step because you don’t want any gouges or scrapes in the cooked white since it will be on display. Once they are peeled, rinse and pat dry with paper towels, then slice them in half lengthwise.
Gently remove the yolks and place in a small bowl. Mash the yolks with a fork until there are no more large chunks.
To the yolk mixture, add mayonnaise, mustard, pepper and paprika and mix until nice and smooth. Add salt sparingly, stirring thoroughly after each addition, until you reach the desired flavor.
Pipe egg yolk mixture into egg white centers. I used a round tip, but you can just as easily spoon the mixture into the eggs as well.
Use a toothpick to gently create ridges on top of the piped egg yolk mixture to mimic the look of a pumpkin. Add snipped chives to the top of the deviled eggs to make a pumpkin stem.
Lightly sprinkle the eggs with paprika.
If you are taking your deviled eggs to a gathering, pop them into a deviled egg tray secured with a lid.
Notes
There are two methods that I have found work really well for boiled eggs. I always suggest using an egg cooker first as it has never failed to leave me with perfect boiled eggs that ere easily peel-able. If you do not have an egg cooker, you can boil the eggs in a saucepan for 3 minutes, turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let it sit for 12 minutes. Whichever method you use, always end with a plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
I use regular, full-fat mayonnaise but low-fat or light mayonnaise will also work. Dijon mustard is my favorite choice for these eggs, but if you prefer the sharpness of yellow mustard, feel free to use that instead.
This yolk filling can easily become very salty. Once it does there's no saving it. Therefore, I suggest making the filling completely, then adding salt to taste.