Mini Pumpkin Truffles

How to Make Mini Pumpkin Truffles

1. 1

   Step 1: Crush the cookies

   Active 8 min

   Place the vanilla wafers in a food processor and pulse to fine crumbs, or put them in a zip-top bag and crush with a rolling pin until coarse-to-fine texture is reached. Transfer the crumbs to a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

   For this step

   • 2 cups (crushed)vanilla wafers (crushed)
   
2. 2

   Step 2: Make the pumpkin truffle mixture

   Active 10 min

   Add the softened cream cheese, pumpkin puree, powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and salt to the bowl with the vanilla wafer crumbs. Mix with a spatula or electric mixer on low until the mixture is smooth, homogeneous, and sticky enough to hold together when pinched.

   For this step

   • 4 ozcream cheese (softened)
   • 1/2 cuppumpkin puree
   • 1 cuppowdered sugar
   • 1 tsppumpkin pie spice
   • 1/2 tspvanilla extract
   • a pinchsalt
   
3. 3

   Step 3: Chill and form balls

   Active 15 min · Passive 30 min

   Cover the bowl and chill the mixture for 30 minutes to firm up. After chilling, scoop about 1 tablespoon of mixture and roll between your palms into compact 1-inch rounds; you should yield about 24 mini truffles. Place the formed truffles on a parchment-lined tray while you prepare the coating.
4. 4

   Step 4: Dip, shape like pumpkins, and set

   Active 25 min · Passive 20 min

   Melt the orange candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second bursts, stirring between bursts, until smooth, or melt over a double boiler. Using a fork or dipping tool, dip each truffle in the melted candy, tap gently to remove excess, return to the parchment, then while the coating is still wet drag a toothpick vertically from top to bottom in 6–8 shallow lines to create pumpkin ridges and insert a mini pretzel stick as a stem. Chill the dipped truffles until the coating is fully set, about 20 minutes, before serving.

   For this step

   • 12 ozorange candy melts
   • 24 piecesmini pretzel sticks (for stems)
   

1. Place the vanilla wafers in a food processor and pulse to fine crumbs, or put them in a zip-top bag and crush with a rolling pin until coarse-to-fine texture is reached. Transfer the crumbs to a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Add the softened cream cheese, pumpkin puree, powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and salt to the bowl with the vanilla wafer crumbs. Mix with a spatula or electric mixer on low until the mixture is smooth, homogeneous, and sticky enough to hold together when pinched.
3. Cover the bowl and chill the mixture for 30 minutes to firm up. After chilling, scoop about 1 tablespoon of mixture and roll between your palms into compact 1-inch rounds; you should yield about 24 mini truffles. Place the formed truffles on a parchment-lined tray while you prepare the coating.
4. Melt the orange candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second bursts, stirring between bursts, until smooth, or melt over a double boiler. Using a fork or dipping tool, dip each truffle in the melted candy, tap gently to remove excess, return to the parchment, then while the coating is still wet drag a toothpick vertically from top to bottom in 6–8 shallow lines to create pumpkin ridges and insert a mini pretzel stick as a stem. Chill the dipped truffles until the coating is fully set, about 20 minutes, before serving.