Pumpkin Truffles

Pumpkin Truffles are a nice creamy bite of pumpkin pie flavor covered in rich dark or white chocolate. Perfect for a hostess or neighbor gift or even just a sweet lunch snack.

Pumpkin Truffles or Grateful Truffles as a friend named them, are sweet little bites of pumpkin goodness to satisfy any festive craving. They appear to be fancy but their method is anything but (yay!)- Creamy pumpkin pie-flavored centers with delicious  dark or white chocolate coating make them perfect for sharing as holiday food gifts or displaying at the table to be devoured openly.

What ingredients are in Pumpkin Truffles?

The truffle centers are a perfect combination of pumpkin puree, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, crushed graham crackers and pumpkin pie spice. The chocolate outer layer is nothing more than good-quality melting chocolate (easily found at local craft or specialty food stores, or online. Not pricey!). They’re beyond easy to make but require a little pre-planning because the truffles taste even better after a night in the refrigerator.

How do you make Pumpkin Truffles?

After the ingredients for the truffle centers are mixed in a stand mixer, the dough is chilled for a couple of hours or overnight before being rolled into bite-sized rounds, usually about 1-inch in size. Melt the chocolate in the microwave and then, using a fork so that excess chocolate can run back into the bowl, dip the truffles and place onto parchment paper to harden. For decorating, you can sprinkle a number of confections to make them pretty, or leave them plain.

I’ve added some flakes of Malden salt to mine but any coarse salt adds a nice sweet and salty contrast. Use a little edible gold leaf for extra fancy bites or add more of the melted chocolate into a sandwich bag with the corner cut, drizzling the chocolate over the truffle as desired. The finished truffles will harden quickly- if adding sprinkles, or salt to the tops, you should do so before the shine disappears to ensure the topping adheres well. After all the truffles are dipped and decorated, they’re best chilled overnight before serving or gift giving. This extra time in the refrigerator allows the flavors to really come out.

I’ve made these truffles many times over now to get the flavors and textures just right (I have a very critical tasting crew). The center is creamy enough with a sturdy texture thanks to the graham crackers. They’re just sweet enough without being too much so-  I kept reducing the amount of sugar until I was told they weren’t sweet enough and then added back in just a touch so the pumpkin flavor and spices could really shine.

Salted topping seemed to be the most popular for a good contrast of flavors and the gold leaf, though beautiful, adds no flavor to the Pumpkin Truffles. For extra festive holiday truffles, you could buy some red and green melting chocolate to melt down, drizzling over the top or using to create holly designs, etc. Add blue Star of David designs for Hannukah. My friend who named them “Grateful Truffles” is planning to give them as gifts to neighbors and family to show her gratitude for their love and friendship. I know I’d be grateful to receive them. Especially since if I’m wanting a nice little treat now and again, these satisfy that pumpkin pie or sweet chocolate urge after a long day of shopping, or cooking, or wrapping, or working… You get it. They are pretty addicting though, so pace yourself or share, or have someone else hide them! 😉

What are chocolate truffles?

A chocolate truffle is traditionally made with a creamy center, often a chocolate ganache, coated in chocolate, cocoa powder or chopped toasted nuts. Truffles are often a spherical shape. The name chocolate truffle derives from their resemblance to truffles, edible fungi related to mushrooms.

Tips for perfect truffles

• Do not skip the step where you chill the truffle filling for at least an hour before rolling into the truffle balls. This time in the fridge (even just for an hour) allows the ingredients to become just smooth and dense enough for successful balls.
• White chocolate is a little more temperamental than dark or milk chocolate wafers when melting, so here are a couple tips for you. I recommend melting white chocolate at no more than 50% power in the microwave. Test and stir the chocolate every 30 seconds. If the chocolate becomes brittle, you’ve heated it too much. Allow to cool a little and stir vigorously till smooth. Or melt the white chocolate slowly in a double boiler with a heat-proof bowl over a pot of softly boiling water, ensuring that the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
• If, when you dip your truffles in the white chocolate the chocolate isn’t nice and smooth upon lifting out of the chocolate, like if it kind of wrinkles across the truffle and seems thin, then it’s also too hot. Allow a minute or two for the white chocolate to cool and then dip again and it should work well.

Update: The other day someone commented to someone else she was with about how wonderful this recipe looks. The friend’s friend said “that sounds very complicated”. I cannot say enough that this recipe is SUPER easy. Just follow the instructions, read the above tips and notes in the recipe and you’ll have pretty looking, delicious tasting treats that are pretty too.

I made another batch over the course of a few hours yesterday for someone and they were truly blown away after taking their first bite. They let me know they’d be hiding the rest from their kids because they wanted them all to themself. So, make them already! You’ll see, easy and wow-worthy. 😉

Pin

Print Recipe

5 from 8 votes

Pumpkin Truffles

These sweet little bite-sized pumpkin treats can be fancy or plain. Great to make with kids. Plan ahead because they're better eaten the day after their made to allow all the flavors to continue to develop together.

Course Candy, Dessert

Cuisine Holiday

Keyword chocolate, holiday food, pumpkin, thanksgiving

Prep Time 3 hours hours

Cook Time 0 minutes minutes

Servings 36

Calories 64

Author Sally Humeniuk

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

For the Truffles:

• ¼ cup cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup canned pumpkin
• 1 ¾ cups finely crushed graham crackers, about 16 full crackers
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

For the Coating:

• 10 ounces melting chocolate, white or dark, or combination of both
• 1 Tbsp shortening, optional. See instructions.
• Coarse salt or sugar sprinkles for decoration, optional

Instructions

Make the truffles:

• In a large bowl or in bowl of stand mixer, beat ¼ cup softened cream cheese and 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add ⅓ cup pumpkin; beat until combined.
• Add 1 ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes or until thick and smooth. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop rounded teaspoons or cookie scoops of the chilled pumpkin mixture and roll into 1-inch balls or whatever size you like. Place pumpkin balls on the prepared baking sheet and chill 30 minutes.

For coating:

• About 5 minutes before removing the pumpkin balls from the refrigerator, place 1o ounces melting chocolate and 1 Tablespoon shortening in a bowl. (Some melting chocolate does not require shortening for success, so depending on the type you buy, if it doesn't say to add shortening during melting, then leave it out. If you're not sure, melt the chocolate without it and if it seems too thick, then add about a teaspoon of shortening, stir it into the melted chocolate until the shortening is melted/incorporated.) Microwave at 50 percent at 30-second intervals until melted and smooth, stirring after each interval. Cool slightly. If using two types of chocolate, repeat with second bowl. (See recipe notes for further optional instructions.)
• Remove pumpkin balls from the refrigerator. Using a fork, dip balls into the chocolate mixture, allowing excess chocolate to drip back into bowl. Place the dipped balls back onto the prepared baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with salt or sugar; whatever decoration you're adding, if any. 
• Continue with all the pumpkin balls, then return completed truffles to refrigerator to chill overnight before serving.

To Store the Truffles:

• Pumpkin truffles can be placed in cellophane bags, little candy boxes or small paper or foil candy cups. 
• Truffles keep in the refrigerator for at least a week or may be frozen for 2 months. Caution; frozen dark chocolate truffles may develop a white film that may not come off after returning to refrigerator.
• Truffles are excellent when served chilled.

Notes

1. I highly recommend using chocolate especially made for melting. The highest quality melting chocolates are usually sold online or at local gourmet food stores. Melting chocolate is usually packaged as the chocolate discs, also called apeels. Good quality  can be found at many craft stores. I used ChocoMaker Naturals (containing no hydrogenated oils, etc). I found them at JoAnn's. If you use regular chocolate chips etc., they may not melt very well and not harden to the desired level after cooling.
2. Do not skip the step where you chill the truffle filling for at least an hour before rolling into the truffle balls. This time in the fridge (even just for an hour) allows the ingredients to become just smooth and dense enough for successful balls.
3. White chocolate is temperamental when melting, so here are a couple tips for you. I recommend melting white chocolate at no more than 50% power in the microwave. Test and stir the chocolate every 30 seconds. If the chocolate becomes brittle, you've heated it too much. Allow to cool a little and stir vigorously till smooth. If when you dip your truffles in the white chocolate the chocolate isn't nice and smooth upon lifting out of the chocolate, like if it kind of wrinkles across the truffle and seems thin, then it's also too hot. Allow a minute or two for the white chocolate to cool and then dip again and it should work well.
4. As I mentioned, the truffles can be rolled into balls whatever size you like, but the truffles shown in my pictures were 1" in size before dipping.
5. I highly recommend letting the truffles sit overnight in the refrigerator before serving as the flavors of the filling and the coating seems to bloom overnight and compliment each other perfectly.

Nutrition Facts

Pumpkin Truffles

Amount Per Serving (1 truffle)

Calories 64 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Fat 3g5%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 1mg0%

Sodium 31mg1%

Potassium 53mg2%

Carbohydrates 7g2%

Sugar 4g4%

Vitamin A 340IU7%

Vitamin C 0.1mg0%

Calcium 10mg1%

Iron 0.6mg3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.