Healthy Pumpkin Truffles

 
When I published my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook, I hosted a little party to celebrate its launch. I invited friends over for an afternoon of mingling and catching up, all while enjoying plenty of homemade snacks and desserts.  

For the four days leading up to the party, I spent five or six hours in the kitchen each day preparing a wide variety of recipes from my cookbook. I baked triple batches of nearly everything! Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, dark chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting, classic muddy buddies, chocolate “Elvis” sandwiches, fudgy dark chocolate brownies, and a large coffee bundt cake with chocolate drizzle… Just to name a few!

The morning of the celebration, I woke up early to finish decorating the house with pink and purple balloons, prepare a crudités platter and a few savory snacks, and set out all of the chocolate treats. By the time my friends began arriving, I was giddy with excitement… I had always wanted to publish a cookbook, and that day had finally arrived!
 

 
With so many lovely and supportive people stopping by to celebrate with me, I was too busy talking and laughing and signing cookbooks that I completely forgot to eat any of the treats I had baked. Yet according to my friends, they loved every single bite… And knowing their high standards for sweets, that made my heart glow even more.

A few of my parents’ friends stopped by as well, including one incredible lady who works with my mom. She and her significant other asked me to sign a cookbook for them, and before they turned to go…
 

 
She handed me a box of special gourmet truffles from a fancy chocolate shop near their house! I gasped in surprise. She was so thoughtful, and they were some of the best little candies I had ever tasted. I slowly savored every one!

When I spotted my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook last week while rearranging my bookshelves, I smiled and shook my head… Over four years have passed since I submitted my final manuscript to the publishing company to print!
 

 
With the memories of my party (and that truffle gift!) fresh in my mind, I decided to celebrate my cookbook anniversary with a batch of these homemade Healthy Pumpkin Truffles! They’re just as decadent and flavorful as the ones in that little box four years ago, and they’re surprisingly straightforward to make.

You just need one bowl and a fork to make the pumpkin spice filling, and it literally tastes like pumpkin pie! With a rich dark chocolate coating and a teensy sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top, these healthy homemade truffles taste incredibly fancy. You’d never guess they’re 20 calories!
 

HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY PUMPKIN TRUFFLES

Let’s go over how to make these healthy pumpkin truffles!

You’ll start with the healthy pumpkin spice filling. It’s so simple to make — and it literally tastes like little spheres of pumpkin pie! Unlike traditional truffle recipes where you have to melt chocolate, combine it with heavy cream, chill the mixture, and shape…

You just have to stir a few ingredients together with this easy recipe. So much better, right??
 

 
And those ingredients start with pumpkin purée, homemade pumpkin spice, sweetener, and a teensy pinch of salt. I used canned pumpkin purée as a shortcut, instead of making my own. Make sure you use regular canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie mix!

And yes… I recommend using homemade pumpkin spice! I prefer making my own pumpkin spice, rather than using store-bought. Many store-bought jars of pumpkin spice contain mostly cinnamon and have very little of the other pumpkin pie spices, and since I prefer a stronger ratio of those “other” spices, I can control that much better by making my own!

For these healthy pumpkin truffles, I added cinnamon (this variety is my favorite—it’s the only kind I use in my recipes now!), allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. The allspice provides a warm sweetness, the ginger gives it a spicy zing, and the nutmeg and cloves add richness.
 

 
As the sweetener, I used liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean eating friendly!). It’s also highly concentrated. You just need ¾ teaspoon for these healthy pumpkin truffles. That’s the equivalent of almost 6 tablespoons of sugar!

Since many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, I recommend using the same one I do for the best results. I buy it online here because that’s the best price I’ve found, and I don’t notice any strange aftertaste like with some other stevia products. (You’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)

Then oat flour is the final ingredient for the filling of these healthy pumpkin truffles. Oat flour is just really finely ground oats… But “powdered oats” just doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. 😉 

Tip: I show you how to make your own oat flour here!
 

 
Time to shape the pumpkin spice filling! It tends to be a bit sticky, so I highly recommend rubbing a teensy bit of neutral-tasting oil on your fingers and palms before you roll the filling mixture into little balls. I like to make my healthy pumpkin truffles bite-sized, so you should get 24 spheres out of the pumpkin spice filling.

Tip: To make sure your healthy pumpkin truffles are all about the same size, press the filling down into your bowl with a spatula so the top is flat, smooth, and circular. Using a knife, slice the circle into quarters. Slice each quarter in half. You should now have 8 triangles. Each triangle should yield 3 healthy pumpkin truffles!
 

WHAT CHOCOLATE WORKS BEST FOR DIPPING TRUFFLES?

With your healthy pumpkin spice filling rolled into spheres, it’s time to melt the chocolate! I highly recommend using good quality dark chocolate bars! Ghirardelli and Lindt are two of my favorites. When melted, these brands turn very thin and liquidy — exactly what you want! That thin and liquidy consistency makes dipping your healthy pumpkin truffles so much easier.

Tip: Don’t use chocolate chips! They contain a stabilizer, which prevents them from melting into as smooth, thin, and liquidy of a consistency. I also recommend avoiding Hershey’s special dark chocolate bars and Cadbury dark chocolate bars. They’re much thicker and almost goopy in consistency when melted, which makes dipping your truffles difficult.
 

THE BEST WAY TO COAT TRUFFLES IN MELTED CHOCOLATE

There are lots of different ways to make homemade truffles, dip your filling in melted chocolate, and keep the melted chocolate warm. Some people recommend double boilers, but that’s an extra step… And all of that hot water isn’t always a good thing if you’re a klutz like me!

So I use a panini press instead!
 

 
No, I promise I haven’t completely lost all of my marbles… Yet. 😉

I have a metal-topped panini press (it’s no longer sold in stores, but this one is similar!). When plugged in, that metal top turns really hot. I put a thin washcloth that I’ve folded in half on top, and I put my glass bowl of melted chocolate on the washcloth. This keeps my melted chocolate warm (without burning it!), which means it stays thin and liquidy… Which means my healthy pumpkin truffles are all coated in thin, even, and beautiful layers of dark chocolate!

Hint: If you don’t keep your melted chocolate warm, it begins to cool off as you coat your healthy pumpkin spice filling. This leads to uneven chocolate coatings, and you’ll often end up with a speckled or freckled appearance on your chocolate coats as well. It shouldn’t affect the flavor though — only the thickness and appearance!

So getting back to those spheres of healthy pumpkin spice filling…
 

 
I don’t use any fancy or special tools to coat them in the melted dark chocolate! Working with one filling sphere at a time, I gently drop it in my bowl of melted chocolate. I use a fork to roll it around until it’s completely coated, and then I lift it up with a second fork. I rock the coated sphere back and forth between the two forks to let the excess dark chocolate drip off, and then I set the fully coated healthy pumpkin truffle onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper.

Pretty straightforward, right??
 

 
For an elegant finishing touch, I also top my healthy pumpkin truffles with a little sprinkling of this flaky sea salt! I wait until the dark chocolate coating has started to set just a little bit so the salt doesn’t completely dissolve.

Then when you’re all done, just slide the baking sheet into the fridge, wait as patiently (or impatiently!) as you can for the dark chocolate to set, and…
 

 
Eat as many homemade chocolate truffles as you’d like. I definitely won’t judge! 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy pumpkin truffles!

Healthy Pumpkin Truffles

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 24 truffles

These homemade pumpkin truffles are my new favorite fall candy… And not just because they look and taste like they came from an expensive chocolate shop! Their sweet pumpkin filling is full of cozy spices and tastes exactly like little bites of pumpkin pie. They’re coated with rich dark chocolate and finished with (an optional, but highly recommended!) sprinkling of flaky sea salt. Such a delicious flavor combination! Leftover truffles will keep for at least 5 days (if not longer!) if stored in the refrigerator. (They can be left uncovered or inside of an airtight container; both will work!)

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients 

• ½ cup (122g) pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie mix!)
• 1 ¼ tsp homemade pumpkin spice (see Notes!)
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ¾ tsp liquid stevia (or adjusted to taste)
• ¾ cup (90g) oat flour (gluten free if necessary and measured like this)
• ¼ cup (54g) roughly chopped dark chocolate (see Notes!)
• optional: flaky sea salt (for finishing – highly recommended!)

Instructions

• Place a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper on a baking tray.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the pumpkin purée, pumpkin spice, salt, and liquid stevia. Add in the oat flour, stirring until just incorporated.
• Working with a small amount of the mixture at a time, roll into a bite-sized sphere. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture. (Rub your fingers and palms with a little neutral-tasting oil first if it sticks to them!)
• Place the dark chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds. Stir for 1 minute. Continue to heat for 10-second intervals, stirring for 1 minute between each, until the chocolate has completely melted. (I highly recommend keeping it warm while you assemble your truffles! See the Notes below!)
• Working with one filling sphere at a time, carefully dip it in the melted chocolate using two forks, and let the excess drip off by rocking it between the two forks. Place back onto the wax paper. If using the flaky sea salt, sprinkle a small amount on the top of the dipped truffle (see Notes!). Repeat with the remaining chocolate and filling spheres.
• Once all 24 truffles have been coated, place them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes (or the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes) or until the chocolate has hardened. Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's really important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will dry out your filling, and it will be too crumbly to roll. If this happens to you, add any type of milk 1 teaspoon at a time until the filling comes together.

 

HOMEMADE PUMPKIN SPICE: For the homemade pumpkin spice, use as follows: ¾ teaspoon cinnamon (← that’s my favorite kind; it tastes stronger and sweeter than plain cinnamon!), ⅛ teaspoon allspice, ⅛ teaspoon ginger, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, and ⅛ teaspoon cloves.

 

STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: I highly recommend using the liquid stevia! It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too! I buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found.

 

For sweeter filling, increase the liquid stevia by an additional ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon.

 

If you really prefer not to use the liquid stevia, then omit it and substitute ¼ cup (48g) of coconut sugar, brown sugar, granulated sugar, or powdered sugar. You may need to increase the amount of oat flour to compensate for the added volume. (The filling won’t be quite as sweet with any of these substitutions! They’ll be closer to the sweetness level of muffins, rather than truffles or candy.)

 

OAT FLOUR NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: This is my favorite store-bought oat flour (or this for a gluten free version!) because it’s so fine and powdery. If you’d like to make your own instead, I show you how here!

 

Any flour except coconut flour may be substituted for the oat flour. When substituting gluten free flours, the texture of the filling will vary (and typically be grainier).

 

DARK CHOCOLATE NOTES: Use regular bars of chocolate for the coating, NOT chocolate chips! Chocolate bars melt better and taste smoother than chocolate chips, which often contain a stabilizer to help them hold their shape. I love Ghirardelli and Lindt for this! (Other “milkier” brands like Hershey’s special dark or Cadbury are much thicker when they melt, so I haven’t had good luck with them.)

 

FLAKY SEA SALT NOTES: This is the flaky sea salt that I use! I usually crush it a bit between my fingers before sprinkling it because the flakes are so big. I’ve also found that it sometimes dissolves in the melted chocolate if you sprinkle it too soon after dipping, so I like to dip about 3 or 4 truffles, then sprinkle them with the sea salt to give the chocolate a bit of time to start setting first. (The salt will also dissolve if you seal the truffles inside of an airtight container to refrigerate.)

 

HOW TO KEEP THE MELTED CHOCOLATE WARM: To keep your bowl of melted chocolate warm, (a) turn on an electric pancake griddle or a metal panini press {I don’t have the former, so this is what I use! mine is no longer sold in stores, but this panini press is very similar to mine!} and (b) place a washcloth that’s been folded in half in between the bottom of your bowl and the electric griddle or metal top of the panini press. If you use this set-up, your bowl of chocolate should stay warm and at the same consistent temperature, which makes coating your truffles cups so much easier. (They’ll also look prettier! If you let the bowl of chocolate sit on your counter and periodically reheat it, your truffles will look speckled.)

 

For more tips and information, please see my blog post above!

 

{gluten free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, low sugar, dairy free, egg free}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
♡  Healthy Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Truffles
♡  Healthy Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter Cups
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Peanut Butter Cups
♡  Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Peanut Butter Cups
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy pumpkin-flavored recipes!