Want to bring your Fall treats to the next level? Don't look any further than these creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake Truffles, featuring all of the tastiest autumn flavors in adorable, bite-sized packages.
So let me start off by saying that every baker worth their salt knows about a secret war going on-- The war against beautiful recipes that taste straight up offensive.
I'm looking at you, fondant. I see you, chalky piped sugar cookies. You deceptive little devils, you.
Well, I have good news: This is not one of those recipes.
You don't have to worry about your friends biting in to one of these tiny truffles and uncovering a playdoh-textured hellscape. These Instagram-worthy treats are actually good.
How good, you ask?
Think of the perfect bite of pumpkin cheesecake.
- The rich and velvety pumpkin-flavored filling.
- The kiss of sugar and perfectly balanced spices.
- The tangy cream cheese.
- The buttery graham cracker base.
And then imagine it wrapped up in itty-bitty pumpkin-shaped packages. Imagine them at your Halloween party, or-- even better-- on the Thanksgiving dessert table. I'm telling you, pumpkin pie is tasty and all, but it doesn't have anything on these babies. You can quote me on that.
WHAT ARE THESE MINI PUMPKINS ACTUALLY MADE OF?
If you've ever seen my recipe for Slow Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake, you'll notice a lot of the same ingredients here: canned pumpkin, cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin spice, a bit of butter...
But there a couple of new ones that are integral to making these pumpkin truffles as amazing as they are without having to pop anything into the oven. The most important of which is sweetened condensed milk.
Sweetened condensed milk is the secret to a Brazilian treat called brigadeiros. The most common ones are made with cocoa powder to create a ridiculously fudgy truffle base, then rolled in chocolate sprinkles for extra oomph. However, there are other flavors that are just as delicious if not just as popular-- including a pumpkin version that inspired these truffles. (You can thank Chocolate Cacao for introducing me to them!)
Not only does the sweetened condensed milk adds sweetness and creaminess to the recipe, but --when heated on the stove-- it also allows the pumpkin cheesecake mixture to thicken into a loose dough that can later be molded into those cute pumpkin shapes.
For further stability and flavor, I also add graham cracker crumbs and a bit of white chocolate. I'll be honest, I'm not the hugest fan of white chocolate in general, but its flavor is mostly masked in these truffles, while it works wonders for binding everything together and keeping the texture on point.
And, while it's totally optional, I like to add a few drops of food coloring just to enhance that orange pumpkin color.
HOW DO YOU MAKE PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE TRUFFLES?
Putting everything together is actually surprisingly easy. First you heat the pumpkin puree, cream cheese, butter, pumpkin pie spice, and sweetened condensed milk in a skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat. You have to be sure to stir constantly (I mean it!) and the mixture should become mostly smooth and begin to thicken after just a few minutes.
Then, add in the white chocolate and graham cracker crumbs and keep stirring until your mixture begins to pull away from the edges and bottom of the pan. You want it to be at least as thick as you see in the recipe video here. If you're unsure, just keep going. It can get quite thick and that makes it even easier to roll.
Don't forget to add a little food coloring at this stage, if you so choose. And once everything is looking nice and even and smooth, go ahead and remove your pan from the burner. You're going to want to chill the dough now so it can be rolled into truffles.
Some people simply pop their pan into the fridge or throw the dough into a bowl before sending it to the freezer for a few minutes, but I've learned that the best way is to spread it over a buttered baking sheet so that there's more surface area (which allows it to cool and solidify in the fridge much faster).
After at least two hours in the fridge, your truffle base should be ready to go. Use a spoon (or your hands!) to take a small portion and roll it into a ball. If you're having issues with the dough sticking to your palms, it helps to rub your hands all over with butter before rolling.
Once a truffle is formed, you can immediately roll it in granulated sugar to coat the outside. This will give your truffles a sparkle, but also helps add the perfect amount of sweetness to the outside.
And then it's time to decorate! Believe it or not, it couldn't be easier. All you need to do is create lines on the pumpkin truffle by pressing in the side of a toothpick all around, and then top your truffle off with a chocolate chip "stem".
Viola! You've got pumpkins. You can either eat them immediately, or place them in the refrigerator until they're ready so serve.
WATCH THE PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE TRUFFLE VIDEO
Pumpkin Cheesecake Truffles
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 20
Description
Adapted from Chocolate Cacao's recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
- ⅓ cup white chocolate chips
- Orange food coloring (or red and yellow food colorings), as needed, optional
- Granulated sugar, as needed, for rolling
- Chocolate chips, for topping
Instructions
- Combine the butter, cream cheese, pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, and pumpkin pie spice in a skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly until thickened and well-combined. Stir in the graham crackers and white chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Add a few drops of food coloring if desired.
- Continue to stir until the pumpkin cheesecake mixture releases from the sides and bottoms of the pan when stirred. (If it doubt, cook a bit longer-- it's better to the thicker than too thin.)
- Pour over a butter-greased baking sheet. Spread into an even layer and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.
- Rub butter on your hands to prevent sticking and then roll the chilled pumpkin cheesecake dough into small balls.
- Pour granulated sugar into a shallow bowl and roll the truffle balls in granulated sugar to coat.
- Using a toothpick, make ridges along the sides of the pumpkin truffles. Top with chocolate chips to look like stems. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
Megan says
These are ridiculously cute. I will be trying them soon!
Kristina says
Made them today ! Easy and delicious.
Katherine says
So cute and easy! I used slightly more white chocolate than the recipe calls for just to make sure these held together, but otherwise followed the recipe as directed.
Patricia Smith says
I made these incredibly easy, cute and delicious treats for a Thanksgiving USO event and they were a huge hit with the soldiers! The only difference I made was that I used a cinnamon chip rather than a chocolate one. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Marysa says
These are adorable! They look so perfect. This would be a fun treat to make while the kids are home for Thanksgiving break.
Ariana says
I plan to make it but I have severe milk allergy. What can i switch the condensed milm with?
Morgan says
I haven't tried it myself but I've seen people make their own sweetened condensed milks using coconut milk! This might be an option for you!
Jen Delgado says
Although I haven't made these yet...there are coconut and I even believe goat milk condensed milks that you can get at Walmart or your local health food store.
Yvette says
These look wonderful. Thinking of making them for an upcoming fall baby shower. How long can I make these in advance and still be fresh?
Tommie says
I would like to know how long these can be kept? A day, a few days, a week?
Hailey says
I just made these, I swapped out for cheesecake flavored white chocolate and cinnamon Graham crackers and added a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg and coated in cinnamon sugar. They are absolutely delicious!!!
Morgan says
That sounds great Hailey! So glad you liked them with your substitutions!!
Cindy says
I made these yesterday for a neighbor get-together, they were well received! I ended up with 31 truffles using a melon baller scoop.
Suzanne says
This is so cool! What a fun treat and decoration to have on the table!
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
Jess H says
I made these for my fall party. After refrigeration they became wet on the outside. They looked “sweaty”. Do you know what I did wrong?
Michele says
I had the same issue. I came here hoping someone could tell me too. I am thinking that the pumpkin might need to be squeezed, but since it is put into the other stuff I do not see how that makes a difference either. I also added more chocolate to mine hoping that would help, and it still happened.
Caitlyn says
The reason they became wet is because of the sugar. Sugar and salt draw out moisture from foods. Maybe try to store them in the refrigerator without sugar and then right before your ready to serve then roll in sugar. It might work? Good luck!
CASSANDRA says
Its the sugar on the outside. It melts. I found its best to wait to roll them until ready to serve.
Katy says
These are absolutely adorable! I have fall fever and will be trying them soon. I'm wondering, do you think they'd hold up well in the freezer for 2-3 weeks? If I make some for Halloween I could make extra all at once and save them for Thanksgiving.
Shae says
Hi, did you try freezing them? Looking to see if I can freeze them too!
Chrissy says
They can freeze pretty well for about 2-ish weeks, just put them in the freezer without the sugar on the outside and then put them in the fridge to defrost the night before. The day you need them roll them in sugar, otherwise if you dip them in sugar then freeze them the excess moisture from the defrosting will mix with the sugar and make a mess.
Anything over two weeks of freezing they get kind of a weird crusty/kind of freezer burnt layer on the outside and the sugar won't stick on right even when defrosted.
Erin Bowling says
Does the recipe need salted or unsalted butter?
Claire H says
Very easy and quite tasty. I added a dash of salt, maybe a teaspoon, just to make the flavors pop and I'm not seeing any sweating in the fridge. Parchment paper worked great in the cooling pan, peeled right off.
Jeannette says
Just made these, fairly easy. It is sticky, so do butter your hands. I chilled the balls in the fridge for about 15 minutes and then rolled them in orange colored decorating suger. Also, indenting the tops with something (I had a chopstick) to expose the sticky filling helps the chocolate chip to stay.
Morgan says
The orange decorating sugar is such a good idea!
Angel says
Can't wait to try this for the upcoming holiday. I'm launching my own truffle business this fall to join that war against pretty / gross desserts, and to have a good excuse to keep eating truffles (now referenced to as samples). I desperately wanted something seasonal but tasteful that is actually tasty so I will definitely be trying this <3
Kolleen says
I would love to know if these will freeze ok for a couple weeks? I’d love to make them to add to desserts for my daughter’s wedding but know I’ll be too busy just before. Has anyone else frozen them?
Morgan says
I haven't tried freezing them myself, but they are very similar to brigadeiros. With that in mind, they should be good if frozen for up to 3 months and thawed at room temperature before serving. I'll test freezing them next time and update you if no one else does before then!
Chrissy says
You can freeze them, just freeze them prior to rolling them in sugar (so take them out of the fridge after 2hrs, roll them into balls and then shape them with the toothpicks and then freeze them) once you are ready to defrost I'd say put them in the fridge the night before to let them defrost and when you are ready coat them in the sugar.
They lasted about 2 or so weeks in my freezer without any problems for the batch i did without the sugar on, the one that I dipped in the sugar started sweating when it came time to defrost and it turned the sugar layer into a weird slushy wet layer.
Cassandra says
OK I tried these and they are ridiculously cute! Only issue is, that after putting them in refrigerator for the night the ended up having small pools of something sweet and runny on the bottoms. Like a clear syrup.. how can i keep this from happening?!?
Morgan says
The syrupy puddle can be from condensation combining with the sugar coating-- especially if they're still a bit warm when you transfer to the fridge. You can make sure they're fully at room temperature before refrigerating, gently laying a paper towel over them to deter excess moisture buildup, and/or waiting to roll into the sugar before serving. Hope that helps!!
Brooks says
These are SO CUTE and easy to make! I made them for my work and was able to cook them in the microwave. Tasted amazing
Shelley says
I tried this recipe twice - once in a skillet & once in a saucepan. My cream cheese was practically spreadable, yet each time it wouldn't melt completely- I had all these little bumps of uncombined cream cheese. It thickened up fine & tastes amazing, but I didn't get the nice, uniform color & texture like in the video. I did double the recipe, could that be the problem? I really don't want to waste more ingredients if this is how they're supposed to look.
Shanna says
I used a whisk while cooking to smooth out
Shelley says
So easy and adorable! Not only that they’re delicious!
Lulu says
I made these today. They are yummy but I couldn't get the chocolate chip to stick to the top.
dani says
How many oz of pumpkin purée?
Amy says
While the flavors in this recipe are nice, there is no way these truffles are going to hold with the small amount of white chocolate suggested in the recipe. They turned out a gooey (albeit delicious) mess that I had to give up bringing to my event. I might try again and double the white chocolate suggested.
Carly Gutierrez says
Followed directions exactly and they turned out perfect for my event. Everyone loved them too!
Morgan says
Happy to hear it Carly! Thank you for letting us know 🙂
Rachel says
These are a hit each time I make them! I doubled the recipe, but didn’t realize I only had enough condensed milk for one, not double, so I subbed some maple syrup and they were amazing.
Rachel says
Oh and no white chocolate since I had none. turned out just fine without though!
Morgan says
Ooh I bet the maple syrup was great! Glad to hear that they worked out even with substitutions! Thanks Rachel!
Dominique Swennen says
Loved these! Though mine did't come out as orange coloured. We absolutely loved them. Awesome take on a pumpkin pie concept and easy to serve as mini desserts.
Morgan says
I'm so glad you liked them Dominique!!
Julie Godfrey says
I’m in charge of desserts for Thanksgiving and wanted something in addition to pie. Made these today and they are delicious and so cute! Made a few to try and the rest are going in the freezer.
Morgan says
Thanks Julie, I'm so glad you liked them! I hope they go over great on Thanksgiving 🙂
Brittany says
If waiting to coat in sugar before I head to an event (to prevent sweating in the fridge) can I do the marks before going in the fridge or should the step be sugar, than pumpkin marks?
Grace says
The idea is cute, but in practice these did not hold their shape very well, and it was difficult to get the grooves to stay in the pumpkin. I was disappointed, but the mix itself was still tasty, so not a total loss.
Jessica says
I love watching Morgan’s cooking videos and think she’s a great cook but sadly this recipe did not work for me. The balls were tasty but they stayed sticky and gooey despite extra thickening and as other reviewers noted, they get “wet” in the fridge. I’m kinda bummed because I spent a lot of time on these and now I don’t think I’ll be able to bring them to Thanksgiving dinner. I’m going to try freezing them and see if they hold a bit better that way.
Derek says
Followed exactly as directed. 6 hours later in the fridge and they will not set.
Morgan says
I'm sorry to hear that Derek! I haven't had that problem but I'll see if I can replicate the issue so I can figure out what went wrong there.
Jules says
I veganized these, and they turned out super well! Here are the products I used:
- Trader Joe's vegan cream cheese
- Enjoy Life allergen-friendly white chocolate and dark chocolate
- coconut condensed milk
- Kroger brand graham crackers (no honey)
- Country Crock plant butter
I didn't really change up the technique, other than freezing them to make them last longer.
They're caramel pumpkin cheesecake goodness!
Morgan says
Thank you so much for explaining what you used Jules - I'm sure that will help other people looking to make a vegan version! I'm really glad to hear that they turned out well with the changes!
Andee says
Can I make the truffle mixture a couple of days ahead and then make the pumpkins the day of?