These are too cute!!!
It seems like whenever I find a recipe online, there is always something I want to change in it. So, I end up going to other websites to look for variations. That happened with this recipe – I found so many different versions of it that I decided to share my own and to include some of the many variations I found. (I limited it to the no-bake versions because there are as many ways to bake them as there are cakes mixes to make them from.)
Bonus! The absolute easiest idea I found for making these truffles: Go to the store and buy a pumpkin cheesecake with a crumb crust. Break it up into pieces and roll them into little balls. Dip them in melted chocolate and, voila, you have truffles. They aren’t officially “no-bakes” but they are no-bakes for you!
Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Truffles
My Version:
Makes: 20
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cup white chocolate melting wafers
1/3 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree (with nothing added)
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of fine sea salt
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
red gel tube for eyes
Method:
Make cookie crumbs from gingersnaps by using food processor.
Melt 1/2 cup of the chocolate. If you do it directly on the stove, stir continually to keep the chocolate from burning. Or, use a double boiler or microwave.
Transfer to a large bowl and add gingersnap crumbs, pumpkin, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, zest, cinnamon, salt and cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
Transfer to a shallow bowl, cover and chill until just solid enough to roll into balls, about 2 hours. Cover a cookie sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper and roll the dough into whatever sized truffles you want.
Put balls back into the refrigerator for 1/2 hour. Meanwhile, line another cookie sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper.
Melt remaining 2 cups chocolate and transfer to a small, deep bowl.
Take a few balls out of the refrigerator at a time and dip them into the chocolate. (Use a toothpick or a spoon to lift them out of the chocolate onto the cookie sheet. Dollop a bit of extra chocolate on any parts that remain exposed (or on the hole made by the toothpick).
Repeat the process with remaining pumpkin mixture and chocolate, then chill truffles until chocolate is completely set, about 1 hour.
Break or cut off the excess chocolate beneath the truffles.
Reheat the remaining white chocolate and pipe it over the truffles, leaving room for the eyes on top.
Use a red gel tube to make the eyes.
Keep refrigerated until serving. (You can make the dough ahead of time, stored between layers of wax paper in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to three months.)
A Few Variations:
Photo from Whole Foods Market
Original from Whole Foods
I believe this was the original recipe, although I couldn’t find the date:
Ingredients: Calls for white chocolate chunks for the filling and the coating.
Method: Sprinkle with gingersnap or graham cracker crumbs.
Photo from A Bajillian Recipes
Rolo Stuffed Pumpkin Truffles from A Bajillian Recipes
Ingredients: Pumpkin Spice Oreos, cream cheese, Rolos, unwrapped
Coating: orange candy melts, green candy melts
Photo from Catch My Party
Cookie Dough Mummies from Catch My Party
Ingredients: Chocolate chip cookie dough
Eyes: Wilton candy eyes
Other Variations:
Ingredients:
Crumbs: Use only gingersnap cookie crumbs, use only graham cracker crumbs, use Pumpkin Spice Oreos
Spices: Add 1/4 tsp ginger, add 1/8 tsp nutmeg
Sweetener: Coconut sugar or Swerve (low-carb) instead of melted chocolate
Coating: Adds 1 T vegetable oil or shortening or coconut oil to white chocolate, almond bark, white chocolate chips
Drizzle: Uses pumpkin spice melting chips (orange)
Sprinkle: Cookie crumbs, pumpkin spice
Eyes: Mini chocolate chips, edible candy eyes, red food coloring-dabbed on with a Q-tip
Chocolate Versions:
Photo from I Can Cook That
Variation from I Can Cook That
Ingredients: Dark chocolate chips, shortbread cookie crumbs, many more spices
Coating: Chopped pecans
Photo from All Day I Dream About Food
Variation from All Day I Dream About Food
Ingredients: No crumbs, adds 2 eggs and vanilla extract and used more cream cheese
Coating: 2 tbsp butter, and 6 ounces sugar-free such as Lily’s, chopped, or low sugar dark chocolate such as Lindt, chopped
Photo from Confessions of a Confectionista
Variation from Confessions of a Confectionista
Ingredients: Golden Oreos, crumbled and semi-sweet chocolate chips
Coating: Crushed gingersnaps
