Hellobee

I love pumpkin cheesecake as a dessert for the holidays (and that means anytime between Halloween and New Years!) but I don’t like actually making my own pumpkin cheesecake. It is so labor intensive, it often cracks, and I am the only one in my house who likes cheesecake… so I end up eating the whole thing, which is not ideal! My solution? Super easy, no bake, pumpkin cheesecake truffles. These have only 6 ingredients (with a few optional add-ins) and they can be made with the help of a toddler or two as well!  Perfect for a dessert appetizer or buffet, or to keep in the freezer for a quick and easy sweet treat!

Ingredients:

1 8oz package of cream cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 cups chocolate chips (white or dark, or a mix)

Optional extras:
coconut or vegetable oil (makes the chocolate coating more smooth)
walnuts, or other nuts, chopped
mini chocolate chips
chocolate sprinkles

Start by gathering your ingredients for the filling, so that the cream cheese can soften a bit. Add the cream cheese, the powdered sugar, and the pumpkin pie spice to your bowl or stand mixer, and mix on medium until incorporated and slightly fluffy. Add the pumpkin puree and the graham crackers, and mix on low until fully mixed, about one minute.

Cover filling tightly with plastic or place into a lidded container, and chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Remove mixture from fridge and roll filling into tablespoon sized balls. If the mixture starts to stick to your hands, you can put a small amount of powdered sugar on each ball before rolling. Place filling balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet and pop into the freezer for 20-30 minutes.

While the truffle filling is freezing, it is time to prepare your chocolate. Place the chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30-second increments until liquid. Add a half teaspoon of oil if desired, and stir until smooth.

Working quickly, take about 10 truffle balls out of the freezer at a time. Place one truffle at a time into the melted chocolate and use a fork to roll it around and cover the surface. Scoop the truffle out with the fork, gently tapping the handle of the fork on the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Lightly roll and drop the truffle off of the fork and onto a parchment lined sheet. Keep working in ten truffle batches, re-melting chocolate as necessary if it starts to harden.

Once all truffles are complete, you can top them with sprinkles, chopped nuts, or drizzles of melted chocolate. Place in the fridge to harden. Finished truffles will keep for one day at room temperature, 5 days in the fridge, or 6 months frozen. Recipe makes 35-40 two-bite truffles.