Pumpkin Candy Cups
It’s time for day two of pumpkin week!
These are fun little treats to make for Thanksgiving (or really for any reason). They’re shaped like peanut butter cups but with a fun new flavor twist. The combination of rich white chocolate surrounding a smooth and creamy pumpkin pie spiced filling is absolutely delicious. It actually made me wonder why I’ve never combined the two flavors before.
These are easy to make, and not as time consuming as you would expect. I’ve never made any sort of candy before, so these were fun to experiment with. I was initially a little hesitant about the creamy pumpkin filling, as neither Mike or I actually likes pumpkin pie due to its texture. But rest assured, though the taste is reminiscent of the traditional sweet and spicy filling, the texture of these candy cups is much different. Mike thought they were good (he still thinks he has an aversion to pumpkin), I thought they were very good, and everyone else I fed them to thought they were great. Apparently the more you like pumpkin, the better these are. These would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving table – set out in a cute little candy bowl, or as a favor by each plate. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Candy Cups
Ingredients:
1 bag (12 oz) white chocolate chips
10 mini (2 inch) foil muffin liners
2 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup finely ground cinnamon graham cracker crumbs (a food processor works best here)
Directions:
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in short time increments in the microwave. Make sure not to overheat.
Using a small spoon, “paint” the melted chocolate all over the insides of 10 mini foil muffin liners. The layer of chocolate should be thick enough so that you cannot see through it, but thin enough that the cups remain upright and intact. Once I painted my cups I placed them in my mini muffin tin to make sure they kept their form. You will not use all of the melted chocolate in this step. Allow chocolate cups to cool and harden completely by placing on a tray in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese through vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Thoroughly mix in the powdered sugar then stir in the graham cracker crumbs. Using a mini ice cream scoop or a small spoon, evenly divide the pumpkin mixture between the hardened chocolate cups. Smooth the top to create an even surface.
Re-melt the remaining chocolate if needed and distribute amongst the filled cups, smoothing the tops and making sure the chocolate reaches all the way to the edges in order to seal the cups. Chill in the refrigerator until set, about 1-2 hours. Unwrap the cups to serve. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge.
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