[Perfect as a holiday dessert or snack, you’ll want to keep a constant stock of these Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles around! Even better, they’re vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, optionally nut-free, yeast-free, and low glycemic. Suitable for all stages on an anti-candida diet.]
As anyone who knows me can attest, I’m, ahem, not the biggest fan of winter. (What? My incessant griping about cooler temperatures, constant whinging about having to don gloves and a scarf in OCTOBER, stomping of feet each time I walk The Girls outdoors, and unrepentant sobs when I spy the first errant flakes of snow descending through the skies–somehow tipped you off?).
I must say, however, the one aspect I do adore about the autumn season is the gorgeous array of winter squashes. Browse through any farmers market or produce section and you’ll encounter every hue of orange, rust and gold, in every shape conceivable.
Long-necked butternut (plus the recent mini honeynuts!); scalloped acorn; long, elegant delicata; stout-yet-oh-so-sweet kabocha; versatile spaghetti; cute as a button sweet dumpling; and, of course, every variety of pumpkin, from sugar pie to red kuri to the ghostly white–I just love ’em all.
And now that we’re in the thick of PSS (Pumpkin Spice Season)–well, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to create something spectacular to showcase the classic pumpkin flavor.
Up until this year, if you wanted to enjoy pumpkin spice in your sweet treats, you had to either purchase prepared products full of sugar, or mix up your own pumpkin spice seasoning and sweeten with your own refined sugar-free sweeteners.
That’s why I was so excited to learn that NuNaturals came out with a Pumpkin Spice Syrup! Wahoo!
As y’all know, NuNaturals is my very favorite brand of stevia and all things sugar-free. (I’ve talked about some of their other products here and here and here). And this Pumpkin Spice Syrup is a game-changer.
Like any excellent flavored syrup, the Pumpkin Spice is thick enough to drizzle over pancakes or waffles, yet thin enough to blend perfectly into your cold or hot beverages. It also offers the perfect balance of flavoring and sweetness.
[Pumpkin Spice Syrup mixed into my squash-based grain-free porridge. Heaven!]
Never bitter, and never any of the unpleasant aftertastes you get with some other stevia-based products, this syrup is perfect squirted into your pumpkin spice latte, added to your morning cereal, mixed into your Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, used to spice up your weekend pancakes, or just about anywhere else your imagination can take you.
And, of course, it’s ideal for anyone on an anti-candida diet or other sugar-free eating plan.
Like all NuNaturals products, you’ll find the Pumpkin Spice Syrup on their site as well as at most health food stores and online retailers.
[Some of the Nunaturals products I love to use!]
After enjoying the syrup over pancakes, waffles, breakfast porridge, lattes and a variety of pumpkin-based baked goods, I finally settled on the recipe for these crazy-good truffles, which combined my love of chocolate chip cookies (okay, let’s be honest: chocolate chip cookie dough) and pumpkin spice. Sort of like these truffles, but upgraded.
The result was nothing short of spectacular.
[Or use the dough in chocolate cups, like these.]
The filling for these truffles mixes up incredibly quickly, so you can have them on hand for your Thanksgiving feast, or just to have a batch in the house throughout the holiday season. For a quicker version, make them into chocolate dough-filled cups (pictured above) instead. Either way, everyone will adore these confections.
Park me in front of the fireplace, hand me a plate of these Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles, and I’ll be happy to cozy up and actually enjoy the cool weather. (Take that, winter!).
Yep, I think I’ll be just fine this season, as long as I can enjoy these little morsels of bliss.
Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
Whether for a fancy sweet table or just your everyday seasonal table, these sweet cookie dough bites will satisfy your cravings for a sweet treat infused with pumpkin spice flavor. Go ahead, indulge!
For the Filling:
1/4 cup (60 ml) unsweetened pumpkin purée
1/2 cup (120 ml) natural smooth cashew butter
2 Tbsp (30 ml) coconut flour
2 Tbsp (30 ml) grain-free protein powder (plain or vanilla)
2 Tbsp (30 ml) xylitol, ground to a powder in a coffee grinder
2 tsp (10 ml) yacon syrup (optional, but adds an authentic “brown sugar” flavor–see note 1)
1-2 Tbsp (15-30 ml) NuStevia Pumpkin Spice Syrup, to taste
Pinch fine sea salt
5 Tbsp (75 ml) sugar-free chocolate chips
For the Chocolate Coating:
6 Tbsp (3 oz or 90 g) cacao butter, grated
2 Tbsp (30 ml) virgin coconut oil
6 Tbsp (90 ml) raw cacao powder
Pinch fine sea salt
3/4 tsp (3.5 ml) NuNaturals pure plain or vanilla liquid stevia, or to taste
1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract, optional
Make the filling: Place all ingredients except chocolate chips in a small food processor and process until creamy. Add chips by hand and stir but don’t process again.
Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon, place mounds of the dough on a parchment-lined cookie sheet or large plate. Freeze until the dough is firm enough to shape into balls with your hands, about 30 minutes. Return to the freezer and allow to harden completely, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Make the chocolate coating: Place a metal or glass bowl over a pot that contains about one inch (2.5 cm) simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.
Add coating ingredients to the bowl and stir constantly until everything is melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat.
Coat the truffles: Using a fork, dip each truffle into the chocolate coating and roll it around to cover. Use the fork to scoop it out, then tap the fork over the edge of the bowl so any excess coating drips back into the bowl. Slide the truffle off the fork and back onto the parchment-lined plate. The coating may begin to harden up very quickly.
Once all the truffles are coated, return them to the freezer to ensure the coating hardens up (you might like to coat them in batches, returning coated truffles to the freezer each time).
After the coating has hardened, you can dip the truffles a second time in the chocolate so that you have a nice, thick chocolate coating on each. Use any leftover chocolate to drizzle over the tops of the truffles and create decorative swirls or zig-zags.
Store truffles in the refrigerator until ready to serve. They should be cold but not frozen. Makes 12-16 truffles.
Variation: for chocolate cookie dough cups, spoon about 2 tsp (10 ml) chocolate into the bottom of 12 silicone muffin cups. Freeze until firm, then top each with about 1 Tbsp (15 ml) cookie dough mixture, and flatten the top. Cover with more chocolate to coat, then freeze until firm. Store in the refrigerator as above. Makes about 12 cookie dough cups.
Note 1: If you can tolerate erythritol, you can use golden Lakanto instead of the xylitol and yacon. Use one Tbsp plus one tsp (20 ml) of Lakanto instead.
Note 2: For a quicker coating (easier but not quite as tasty), use 2 cups (480 ml) sugar-free chocolate chips and 1 tsp (5 ml) coconut oil, melted together. Dip as above.
Suitable for: ACD All stages; sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, optionally nut free, yeast-free, vegan, low glycemic.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by NuNaturals. As always, I never recommend anything to my audience that I don’t already use and love. All opinions are my own.
Links in this post may be affiliate links. If you choose to purchase using those links, at no cost to you, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.
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Hi! I'm Ricki, cookbook author, professional recipe developer, holistic nutritionist and anti-candida crusader. Let me show you how easy it is to eat plant-based, sugar-free, gluten free food that tastes great! 
These look so good, Ricki! I think they might end up on my Thanksgiving menu!
I hope they do, Dianne! They’re so easy to make, and really impressive looking (and tasting!). 😀
These truffles look amazing! I definitely want to try NuNaturals stevia, too.
Amy, if you haven’t tried it yet, you MUST!! It’s really the best tasting stevia. 🙂
These are gorgeous!
Thanks so much, Kim! Glad you like them! (We’ve been on kind of a binge over here. . . ). 😉
These look so incredibly good, Ricki! …and pumpkin spice cookie dough balls??? Brilliant idea!
Thanks, Dreena! Any kind of cookie dough is fair game to me. . . lol!
These look so good! I am going to make them for the kids and I’ll bet they love them. Gotta find that Pumpkin Spice Syrup!
I bet they’ll love them, Wendy! By hubby went crazy for them and he doesn’t even like pumpkin!! I think the syrup is available all over the place–from their site and also on amazon, too. 🙂
Oh wow! I’m obsessed with truffles and def need to make these!!
Yay! Let me know what you think if you give them a try, Becky! 🙂
Oh my goodness, I had no idea they had so many products now! NuNaturals is my go-to stevia brand, and now I’ll have to find some of these other goodies, too. And definitely making those truffles – yum!!
Alisa, they have SO many products now! And yes, you really have to give them a try! 😀
These sound amazing, Ricki! Would I be able to have these even if I can’t have fruit due to systemic candida?
Theresa, there’s no fruit in these, so I assume they’d be fine as long as you can have pumpkin (although pumpkin is technically a fruit, I don’t think most people think of it that way?). I consider them fine for stage one. Some people can’t tolerate the chocolate, in which case I’d suggest unsweetened carob chips or homemade chips. Of course, I can’t say whether you personally would do well with these or not–you’d need to check with your healthcare practitioner or the person who’s treating your candida. But I personally was fine with both pumpkin and cacao in stage one. 🙂
These. Are. Perfection. Seriously, I mean PUMPKIN AND COOKIE DOUGH!? This is what dreams are made of right here.
Ha ha! I have to say, Karly, I agree with you! I’m a cookie dough fanatic to begin with, but the pumpkin spice/pumpkin just pushed it way over the top. 😉
I feel the same way about winter. I’m not a fan at all. But these sweet truffles would take the edge off, especially with a hot cup of coffee or tea to go with them!
Yes, I think I may need these many times over the next few months. . . lol!!
Perfect as a holiday dessert or snack!
I agree, Emily! 😀