I won’t lie — I’m a die-hard Halloween fan. I’ve been a professional trick-or-treater since the tender age of three, when I made my debut as a pumpkin, shouting “Where’s the candy?” when the door opened in lieu of the traditional Halloween greeting. My philosophy was always get in, get the goods, get out. Although this strategy proved to be an excellent and streamlined method of candy collection, it didn’t exactly win me many admirers.

Now, as the years have passed and I’ve grown more mature, I’ve come to enjoy the treat giving almost as much as the getting. And with Halloween right at our doorstep ringing the bell impatiently, what’s better than some homemade confections to wow your friends with or hoard all for yourself?

This is where the truffles come in. As a wise man once said, “Betches love truffles.” Though these chocolate goodies range in flavor from raspberry to amaretto to hazelnut (three of my personal favorites), pumpkin provides the perfect twist for your Halloween or fall palette. They may take a little more coordination to make, but the end result is leaps and bounds beyond that variety pack of Hershey’s you were going to buy at Jewel to quench your candy craving.

Here’s a recipe that I tried last week (met by rave reviews!) that has now been firmly entrenched in my culinary repertoire.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces chopped semi-sweet chocolate (baker’s chocolate)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 ounces (2 tbsp.) butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch nutmeg
• 9 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Orange sprinkles or other decorations (optional)

Instructions:

1. Place the chopped chocolate in a heat-safe bowl. Place 1/2 cup of the heavy cream, pumpkin puree, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk until the pumpkin and cream are smooth and bring to a boil.
2. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Whisk the cream and chocolate together until the mixture is shiny and completely smooth. This may take a bit of time, but the cream will eventually melt the chocolate into gooey goodness. Allow it to cool briefly.
3. When it is still warm but no longer hot, whisk in the butter until completely dissolved. Stretch a piece of cling wrap over the top of the chocolate and refrigerate it until it is firm enough to scoop. (About two hours)
4. When the chocolate is firm but not rock-hard, use a teaspoon to scoop up small balls. Plop each ball into a bowl of cacao powder and cover completely. Then roll the truffles between your palms to make them round.
5. Though the original recipe calls for chocolate candy coating, I prefer to make a chocolate ganache to cover the outside of the truffles. For this, place the chocolate chips in a heat-safe bowl and bring 1 cup of heavy cream to boil. Pour cream over chocolate and stir until smooth. Now you have a ganache! (If there’s extra at the end, I highly recommend refrigerating it for later consumption … spoon required)
6. Dip the truffles in the ganache, one by one, using tongs. The technique I had the most success with was to toss the truffle into the ganache, push it around until completely covered, and then remove with the tongs and place on a baking sheet. If you desire, top them with orange sprinkles or other decorations while the chocolate is still wet. Personally, I dyed some white sugar with food coloring to get a festive orange color.
7. Refrigerate the truffles to set the coating for about 10 minutes before serving. They can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week!

Enjoy!

— Katy Vogt