These cute and delicious pumpkin truffles are sugar, spice, and everything nice! With pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice in the dough, these really deliver on the warm and cozy flavor. Serve the truffles in classic round balls or shape like mini pumpkins for an extra seasonal pop!
what makes these truffles so good?
These cuties were inspired by my pumpkin shaped cookies! I figured we needed another pumpkin shaped dessert, but with actual pumpkin in the dough. And might as well make them no bake so you don't lose any of the perfect pumpkin shape in the oven! Use these treats to decorate your fall cakes, cupcakes, and other bakes - or just enjoy as is for a pop of fall flavor.
I could go on and on about these truffles, but there are a few key details in this recipe that really makes them an extra special treat:
• white chocolate: adds a nice layer of sweetness in the truffle base without sacrificing the beautiful orange color from the pumpkin! The white chocolate also helps the truffle mixture set and firm up so they're easier to shape.
• pumpkin: a little goes a long way. It adds an earthy and sweet flavor, and GORGEOUS orangey color! Make sure you're using 100% pure pumpkin puree without any additives. Using a pumpkin blend that has additional sugar or spices will throw off the flavor and sweetness of the truffles.
• cinnamon sugar: Rolling these truffles in cinnamon sugar gives them some extra sparkle, crunch, and deliciously warm flavor. It's also a lot easier than dipping them in chocolate and felt more fitting for this recipe.
• adorable pumpkin shape! My favorite part about these truffles is shaping them like little pumpkins. I mean, how cute are these?? You can definitely leave them round, but I just love how adorable the little pumpkin shape is!
how to make spiced pumpkin truffles
These pumpkin truffles couldn't be any easier to make! The recipe starts with melting white chocolate until it's smooth and then setting it aside to cool slightly while you prep the other ingredients. That's probably the hardest part in the recipe!
Once the chocolate has slightly cooled, mix together pumpkin puree, sugar, and spice in a large bowl. Once those are combined, the white chocolate is mixed in followed by the graham cracker crumbs. And that completes the truffle mixture!
It will be too soft to scoop and shape at first, so the mixture needs to sit in the fridge for about 1-2 hours before portioning out the truffles. This chill in the fridge gives the white chocolate a chance to firm up and the graham crackers a chance to soak up the additional moisture. The graham cracker crumbs will soften as the mixture sits, so this chill time will also give the truffles a smoother and overall better texture.
Before you portion and shape the truffles, toss together the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl to combine. You can also melt chocolate or candy melts and dip the truffles into them if you prefer - but in that case, I would recommend freezing the truffle balls before coating in chocolate to make the whole process easier and less messy.
Once the dough has hardened enough for you to comfortably work with it, scoop out portions and roll them into smooth balls between your hands. I like to do 1 tablespoon sized portions, but you can make them slightly larger or smaller if you prefer. Drop the truffle balls into the cinnamon sugar and roll them around to coat all sides.
You can enjoy these truffles as is or shape them like mini pumpkins! To create the cute little pumpkin shape, use a toothpick, skewer, or butter knife to indent ridges in the side of the truffle that resemble the grooves in pumpkins. Then, press a mini chocolate chip into the tops for the stem to complete the look.
working with white chocolate
The biggest possible hiccup you could encounter when working with white chocolate is having it "seize" (I go over how you can try fixing it below). Seized chocolate will clump together, solidify, and look kind of grainy. Here are the 2 most common causes for seized chocolate and how to avoid it:
- Heat low and slow. This is true for any chocolate, but especially true for white chocolate. Overheating chocolate will cause it to seize. The best ways to melt chocolate are in 10 second bursts in the microwave or over a double boiler. I go into detail about each method in the actual recipe (further down in this post).
- Keep water away. Even a drop of water can cause the white chocolate to seize, so keep it away at all costs! If you melted the chocolate over a double boiler, watch out for the condensation on the bottom of your bowl. It's best to wipe the bottom of the bowl with a towel to dry it so water doesn't accidentally drip into your truffle mixture when it comes time to pour in the white chocolate.
my chocolate seized...
All hope is NOT lost! Try slowly mixing in some flavorless oil (like canola, vegetable, or peanut oil) and it should make your chocolate glossy and liquid again! 1 to 2 teaspoons usually does the trick.
If that doesn't work, then you're probably better off starting over with a new batch of chocolate.
truffle FAQs
Can you make these vegan / dairy free?
Yes! Use dairy free chocolate chips to make these dairy free. Use vegan chocolate chips and vegan graham cracker crumbs to make these vegan friendly.
Can you make these gluten free?
Yes! Use gluten free graham cracker crumbs and make sure all your other ingredients are made in a gluten free environment without any cross contamination.
Can you use milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate instead of white?
Yes. The 2 things to keep in mind are: 1) the darker the chocolate, the less sweet your truffles will be and 2) you won't get that orangey pumpkin color with any chocolate other than white. You can add some more powdered sugar if you prefer more sweetness, but there's not much you can do about the color.
Can you skip the chill time?
No! The truffles will be too soft to roll when you first make the dough.
How do you store truffles?
Keep in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. I would recommend waiting to roll them in the cinnamon sugar until the day you want to serve them so the sugar remains crunchy and sparkly.
Check out these other pumpkin recipes!
• Super Moist Pumpkin Bread
• Perfect Pumpkin Cake
• Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
• Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cake
• Marble Pumpkin Muffins
Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.
Print
Spiced Pumpkin Truffles
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 20 truffles (approx.)
Description
These cute and delicious pumpkin truffles are sugar, spice, and everything nice! They're so easy to make and really deliver on the warm and cozy flavor.
Ingredients
For the pumpkin truffles:
- 4 ounces (115g) good quality white chocolate*
- ⅓ cup (80g) pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)**
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups (195g) graham cracker crumbs
For the cinnamon sugar coating:
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- mini chocolate chips (optional - for decorating)
Instructions
- Melt chocolate in your microwave or over a double boiler until smooth.***
- Set the melted chocolate aside for 5 to 10 minutes to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, powdered sugar, and pumpkin pie spice to combine. If you don't like the flavor of pumpkin pie spice, you can use cinnamon or any other spices you like.
- Add the melted chocolate and stir to combine.
- Fold in the graham cracker crumbs until you have a thick, soft dough.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the truffle dough for 1-2 hours or until firm enough to scoop and roll.
- In a shallow bowl, mix together granulated sugar and cinnamon to combine.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon sized truffles from the chilled dough and roll between your hands to create a smooth ball. Drop the truffles into the bowl of cinnamon sugar and roll around to coat.
- (Optional) To decorate your truffles like little pumpkins, use a toothpick, skewer, or knife to press indents into the sides of the truffle to look like the ridges you find on pumpkins. Press a mini chocolate chip into the top of your truffle for the stem.
- Keep truffles in the fridge until ready to enjoy!
Notes
* Try to find a good quality bar of white chocolate to use for the truffle mixture and avoid regular chocolate chips as they typically don't melt as smoothly. Look for white chocolate labelled "Baker's" or "couverture" chocolate (usually sold in bars or sometimes as morsels). It melts much more nicely and has a better overall flavor! White vanilla flavored melting wafers also make a good alternative.
** Make sure to use pumpkin puree that's made up of 100% pumpkin - without any additional spices or sugar - to give you more control over the flavor and sweetness of the truffles. Also avoid organic pumpkin purees as they can be overly watery and will result in a sticky truffle mixture that won't set up.
*** How to melt chocolate in the microwave: Place chocolate in a medium sized microwave safe bowl. Heat on high in 10 second bursts, pausing after each one to stir, until melted and smooth.
How to melt chocolate over a double boiler: Set a pot filled with about 1 inch of water on high heat. Heat until it just barely starts to steam and bubbles around the edges. Reduce heat to low to maintain a VERY gentle simmer. Add chocolate to a heat safe bowl that can fit comfortably over your pot without the bottom of the bowl touching the surface of the water. Place the bowl of chocolate over the pot of water and heat, stirring regularly, until melted and smooth.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Truffles
- Method: No bake
Enjoy!
Evelyn says
I make these every year because they are so tasty and perfect for fall!
Mimi says
I'm so happy you liked them Evelyn!! ❤️
Donna says
I love how these little pumpkin truffles look when finished. You give many extra hints for success and I appreciate that. Thank you for sharing your recipes. I see there are more that pique my interest
Mimi says
Thank you for your lovely comment Donna! I'm so happy you liked the truffles and found the tips helpful!! Happy baking ❤️
Felicia Bittcher says
Really enjoyed this recipe! I got many compliments at Thanksgiving. FYI: a good helper (want-to-be helpful spouse or small kiddos) can hand crush the 12 whole graham crackers in a plastic bag. Then the crackers can be further finely crushed with a rolling pin.
Cris says
Buna! Multumim pentru reteta! Am urmat pasii, au iesit niste minidovleci de nota 10.
Dolly says
Very tasty! Mine ended up making 22 truffles at exactly 1 tblsp, each. For those of you who were curious about nutrition info, I ended up doing the math on macros per truffle.
Calories: 75
Fat: 2.5g
Cholesterol: 40mg
Carbs: 12g
Fiber: <1g
Sugar: 8g
Protein: 1g
Kay says
Made these exactly as written. I used a green choco mint mini chip for the stem. They are adorable. Very rich so I would make them smaller than 1T next time. I will also use white sanding sugar to add crunch and not use cinnamon in the coating. The cinnamon made them look more brownish than orange.
Emily Jones says
Is there a way to make these without cinnamon and they still be good? I’d love to make them for a party but there’s a few people with a cinnamon allergy
Mimi says
Absolutely! You can replace the pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon with another spice if you prefer. Or you could leave out the spices entirely for a milder flavor. I would just watch out for the brand of graham cracker crumbs you use to also make sure it's cinnamon free! ❤️
Shamma says
Do I need to cook the canned pumpkin purée I’m using before I mix it with the rest of the ingredients?
Miss B says
Do these not cook at all?
Robin says
Can I make the dough and then keep refrigerated until I’m ready to form the pumpkins. Like a few hours possibly?