My mom made Martha Washington chocolates to give as Christmas gifts when I was younger. We used toothpicks to dip the filling into the melted chocolate. These days I am continuing the tradition by dipping various truffles with my daughter. My son . . . just eats them! We use a candy dipping tool that makes things easier than I remember and instead of Martha Washingtons, we’re trying all things with cream cheese!

Since fall is for pumpkin, it made perfect sense to try out these pumpkin cheesecake truffles. I got the recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction, because she’s AMAZING, and I only tweaked a couple things. The first was substituting a few of the graham crackers for ginger snaps. I love the warm spice that those few cookies add to the overall flavor. Secondly, rather than buying separate white chocolate to add to the filling I just used the same dipping wafers that I was going to be using for the shell. Why buy multiple ingredients if you don’t have to? I’m a 2020 bargain shopper who is also attempting to limit trips to the store. 😉

I think the easiest way to make these is to begin the night before you want them. That way, you can let them chill in the refrigerator while you’re sleeping. It breaks up the work of having to make the filling and then roll and dip them. Also, I use a 1/2 Tablespoon to help measure out the portions before rolling them into balls. The truffles may look small, but once you’ve dipped them and added the crumb topping, they’re the perfect size. They’re also pretty rich so you don’t want to make them too big. I shared these with a couple friends this week and they both asked for the recipe so I think that’s a pretty good sign. I hope you like these too!

Ingredients

• 2 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 9 full sheet graham crackers- 1 package)
• 1/4 cup ginger snap crumbs (about 4 cookies crushed in food processor)
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) white dipping chocolate (I use Ghirardelli melting wafers)

Topping

• 1 and 1/4 cup white dipping chocolate (12 ounces) I use Ghirardelli melting wafers
• garnish: ginger snap crumbs (1 cookie)

Directions

1. Take out your cream cheese and allow to come to room temperature. While you’re waiting for that, use a food processor to turn your graham crackers into crumbs. (If you don’t have a food processor you can place the graham crackers in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush them. This is free anger management or 2020 stress relief. You’re welcome.)
2. Set the graham crackers aside and then crush the ginger snaps. You can combine these with the graham crackers, but don’t put your food processor in the dishwasher yet! Crush one more ginger snap so your kid(s) can sprinkle “fairy dust” onto each truffle at the end. Or you know, you can do it too. Sprinkling makes me happy. Set these aside somewhere safe for the very end.
3. Combine the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl and beat until creamy – about 2 minutes. (If you have a stand mixer the paddle attachment is better than the whisk because it prevents pumpkin truffle filling from getting in all kinds of crazy wires that you can’t reach. I learned the hard way.)
4. Add the pumpkin and beat on high until combined. Add the graham cracker crumbs, ginger snaps, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and melted chocolate. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until everything is combined. The mixture is supposed to be soft and thick. Cover mixture tightly and refrigerate between 1 and 24 hours. (This is the part where I recommend sleeping and attacking the rolling and dipping steps the next day.)
5. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, wax paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
6. Begin melting the chocolate. You can melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave, but let’s be honest, the microwave is so much easier! Just make sure your chocolate is in a medium heat-proof bowl that’s fairly deep to make it easier for dipping the truffles. Melt in 30 second increments in the microwave, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. (These directions should also be on the back of your dipping wafers bag.)
7. Use a 1/2 Tablespoon to measure the chilled mixture. Roll into balls and place them on the lined baking sheets. You should have around 25 total.
8. At this point you may need to reheat your chocolate for 15 or so seconds if it has cooled too completely. Then begin dipping your truffles into the white chocolate. You could use a toothpick or fork, but it’s so much easier with a candy dipping tool. Make sure to tap the side of the bowl to allow excess to drip off before placing back on baking sheet. Sprinkle the ginger snap crumbs on top and wait until the chocolate has set before handing them out!

Makes 25 truffles

Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction