Pumpkin Pie Truffles

This is my first attempt at a blog but I've been asked many times why I don't write a cookbook. Well, this IS the 21st century so my cookbook is a blog. Thanks for visiting.

As an adult I always lived fairly close to my parents, mostly because I love mom's cooking and wanted to be able to get to their house for holidays. Mom developed an art of using very simple ingredients to create some of the most incredible dishes. When they retired and moved away I was faced with  the prospect of my first Thanksgiving without mom's cooking. I knew I could do dinner but I wanted mom's recipe for pumpkin pie. Hers was THE BEST pumpkin pie ever, and it was different than any other recipe I had ever tasted so I needed HER recipe.

Several weeks before Thanksgiving I called to get her secret recipe. I told her that I liked her pumpkin pie better than ANY other that I'd ever had and asked if she would share her special recipe. She said simply, "Oh, Jon, I don't have it right here. Just buy the Libby's canned pumpkin and use that recipe!" I insisted that she MUST have altered the recipe to make hers better than anyone else could make. She said, "No, follow that recipe exactly!" Lo and behold, I tried it and it was PERFECT! So much for mom's secret!

Sometimes it's not necessary or prudent to make a whole pie. Sometimes I just want a bite or two of pumpkin pie. So, here's what I invented.

Pumpkin Pie Truffles

First, make a batch of pumpkin pie filling following the Libby's FAMOUS PUMPKIN PIE recipe on their can.

3/4 c Sugar

1/2 t Salt

1 t Ground Cinnamon

1/2 t Ground Ginger

1/4 t Ground Cloves

2 large Eggs

1 can (15 oz) Libby's Pure Pumpkin

1 can (12 oz) Evaporated Milk

Mix dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Beat eggs in a large bowl, stir in the pumpkin and the sugar/spice mixture. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk.

DO NOT USE A CRUST! Put the filling into a greased deep dish pie pan or a greased 9x9 cake pan. Bake at 425º for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350º and bake another 40-50 minutes, until a pick inserted at the center comes  out clean. Cool on a rack.

While the filling is cooling, roughly crush 1/2 box Nabisco Nilla Wafers  in a zipper bag. Leave some chunks--you don't want powdered wafers!

When the filling is cool put 1/2 of the filling in a big bowl and stir in the Nilla crumbs. Use the other half of the filling for ice cream topping (you're welcome!) The mixture should be thick enough to scoop into balls, but not dry. 

Using a 1 oz ice cream scoop (I got mine at a good kitchen supply store) to dip the filling into balls. Put the balls on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Freeze while you melt the chocolate.

While the pumpkin balls are freezing melt a pound of white chocolate or almond bark in a small saucepan over a double boiler. Be careful not to get water in the chocolate or it will seize and that's a mess. When the coating is smooth and melted, use a fork to dip the balls one at a time, shaking the excess coating off the ball and back into the pan. Place back on the wax paper. Before they cool and harden, sprinkle with orange colored sugar or other decoration.

These freeze well or will store in the fridge but they are best when served at room temperature.