Last weekend I opened one of those cans of pumpkin purée that necessitates 32 pumpkin-themed recipes in 48 hours. The girls were still a couple days shy of their intro to solids, otherwise pumpkin purée would have been on the menu.
Easily my favorite recipe to emerge from the pumpkin-filled weekend was the one for these Pumpkin Bread Truffles. These are a remix of my Banana Bread Truffles – just a loaf of sweet bread mixed with cream cheese and dipped in chocolate. Three ingredients, no baking (unless you bake your pumpkin bread), and so quick to make.
Perhaps the greatest thing about these bite-sized truffles of pumpkin spice goodness is the ability to sneak into the refrigerator and grab just one…or two…or three. Or perhaps grab one as a 4am snack (which you might have needed if you were in our apartment this week where we had two mopey babies fighting their first colds).
I may have grabbed one or two of the pumpkin bread balls even before they were dipped in chocolate…as evidenced by this shot.
There really were 24 truffles here at some point.
After much truffle-eating and sick-baby snuggling, we’re getting back to normal in the Inquiring Chef household. Frank’s got us doing one of those work-outs after the babies go to bed in which you are promised to burn 378432 calories by jumping around like crazy in your living room.
My legs are already sore.
Pumpkin Bread Truffles
Ingredients
- 1 loaf pumpkin bread (see note)
- 6 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 10 oz (300g) dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Optional:
- Top with finely chopped toasted walnuts, sprinkles, or more grated chocolate
Instructions
- Using a bread knife, thinly slice and discard the outer edges of the loaf of pumpkin bread (the crust of the bread can be hard to crumble. Using your fingers or a fork, crumble the bread into very small pieces in a medium mixing bowl. Add cream cheese and, using a fork or your fingers, mash the bread crumbs and cream cheese into a creamy, uniform consistency.
- Roll the mixture into even balls 2 inches in diameter. (This should produce about 30 truffles, but there is no need to be precise here - make them larger or smaller if you prefer.) Place the balls on a wax-paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but as long as overnight.
- Melt approximately 8 oz of the dark chocolate in a double-boiler or in the microwave (stopping every 10 seconds to stir the chocolate so that it does not overheat). Add the remaining 2 oz of chocolate and stir well to combine. The chopped chocolate should melt and it should all become shiny and smooth. (If it doesn't all melt, heat it just a bit longer until it does.)
- Dip the chilled pumpkin bread balls in the melted chocolate and gently transfer the balls between two forks to allow excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Return the truffles to the wax paper. Sprinkle with toppings, if using.
- Allow the truffles to cool at room temperature until firm. Refrigerate up to 3 days.
Notes
Any pumpkin bread will work just fine for this recipe since it will be mashed and rolled into balls. I used this great Easy One-Bowl Pumpkin Bread by The Baker Chick, but a store-bought loaf or one from a mix (Trader Joe's makes a good one) will work as well. Worth nothing the recipe can easily be halved or quartered to use that portion of a loaf of pumpkin bread you might have sitting in your kitchen this time of year! Adapted from these Banana Bread Truffles.
Love those bite-sized pumpkin treats? Try these Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites.
Clara and Molly got a little work-out in as well. They’re burning mad calories rolling onto their backs…and then forgetting how to roll onto their backs…and then remembering again….
Thank you Jessie. The girls are so precious. Have a great week!
You too, Liz!
Always love seeing photos of the girls. They continue to be adorable. This recipe looks terrific. I plant to bring these to a Women’s brunch this Saturday and am sure they will love it.
Your link to the pumpkin bread recipe does not work. Easy One-Bowl Pumpkin Bread by The Baker Chick Try this https://www.the-baker-chick.com/2013/10/easy-one-bowl-pumpkin-bread/
Also, you have three “p’s” in the word chopped in the recipe under the area “Optional”.
Thanks as always and keep those baby pics coming. I am sure we all are thrilled to see them growing!
Kit
Thanks so much, Kit! Proof that I could use an extra twenty minutes in the day for a little proof-reading. 😉 Enjoy the truffles – we sure did!!
GAH! I love how they are getting those adorable little leg rolls! I am absolutely making these truffles! Highlighting on my Facebook page today. Fabulous Jess!
Karista – you’re the best – thanks so much for your note. And I am LOVING that risotto in pumpkins – I can’t think of anything more fall-ish than that.
Ooh, this recipe couldn’t have come at a better time! I’m making a recipe where you have to cut pumpkin shapes out of pumpkin bread, and I was thinking I needed to find a recipe to make some sort of cake-pop or cake-truffle out of the leftovers. Quick question: How do you get the filling/balls so smooth? Do you put them in a food processor, or just a Kitchen Aid maybe? Thanks so much for the perfectly-timed and perfectly-appropriate recipe!
Hi Jess! Pumpkin shapes out of pumpkin bread? I like the sound of that. As long as the cream cheese is soft (room temp-ish), I can get the filling really smooth just using my hands to mix it. I kind of knead it together if that makes sense, and every time I’ve made these with pumpkin or banana bread, the filling comes out really even. (I will do almost anything to avoid pulling the food processor/Kitchen Aid out.)
haha I love that picture of the girls getting their workout! 🙂
And these truffles – I would pop a few every time I walked into the kitchen!
How could these be mailed successfully?
They sound delicious!
Unfortunately, I think they’d be difficult to mail – they’re pretty susceptible to melting if exposed to warm temps.If you do figure out a way that works, I’d love to know how you did it. This would definitely be a fun addition to a care package!
Just made these for Thanksgiving. Guests were impressed.
When I do these again I’d do two things differently.
Your recipe says 6oz of cream cheese, and packages I’m familiar with are 8oz. I’ll use the whole package next time.
The recommended recipe for pumpkin bread was an easy prep and despite the fact it was going to be sacrificed for truffles, looked beautiful out of the oven. It tasted great. However, inside a truffle it was bland. Next time I’ll try boosting the spice content.
Thanks for the great recipe.
Wonderful tips Don – thanks so much for sharing! I agree that they can always use more spice, or at least newly purchased spice (which always has more of a kick). I sometimes find it too sticky with 8oz of cream cheese, but I agree – if it works for you, it’s much easier to just throw the whole block of cream cheese in.