These Peanut Butter Pumpkins look impressive, but they are really so easy to make. You can make them into any shape or color, making them the perfect treat for every holiday.
This weekend I realized that I am getting old. My youngest turned 10. Seriously! How did that happen?
I feel like I just came home from the hospital with that 5 pound little boy. My husband and I were laughing that when he was 5 pounds, he was just skin and bones, and here 10 years later he is still just skin and bones. At 10 years old, he still only weighs like 60 pounds. That is probably embellishing it some too.
He is my little love bug and I am enjoying every single snuggle and kiss before he becomes that aloof teenager who thinks his mom isn't cool anymore. Yup, I've got one of those too.
Every year I make the kids a themed birthday cake or treat that they have picked out. This year all I heard for weeks was plain brownies from my little guy. I tried these Homemade Chocolate Chip Brownies, thinking chocolate chips and powdered sugar was still plain, but that didn't work either. He said they were not plain enough for him.
The night before his birthday, he decided that he wanted a peanut butter Easter egg instead. An Easter egg in October? For your birthday? We almost always have the ingredients needed for these, so this was an easy treat to make for him.
Obviously I couldn't go with an egg shape for his birthday in October. As I was mixing up my peanut butter mixture, my husband asked how hard it would be to shape it into the number 10.
See? I told you all the good ideas come from him.
This peanut butter mixture is so easy to make up. It has peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, and a little bit of marshmallow cream. The marshmallow cream is what sets this recipe apart from any other I have tried.
You can shape this into any size ball or shape that you want. (This is the same recipe I use to make these Peanut Butter Easter Chicks.)
I used about a quarter of the mixture to shape into a zero. Then I cut the center of that out and used it for the one. That left me with quite a bit of peanut butter mixture to shape into something else.
Yes, I could have made the 10 bigger, but I had these little pumpkins in my head because I had just gotten a bag of Wilton orange candy melts. I thought a pan of brownies with the big 10 and a bunch of little pumpkins was the perfect birthday "cake" for my little guy. He is my little October pumpkin after all.
You can shape the mixture into any size ball and just flatten the bottom slightly. I like to refrigerate these for about 30 minutes before dipping into the melted chocolate.
Use a toothpick to dip these into the chocolate and then place a piece of pretzel into the hole. I also drizzled a little bit of green candy melts around the "stem".
Now my brain is going crazy with what I can make for every holiday!!!
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Peanut Butter Pumpkins
Peanut butter truffles shaped into pumpkins and served on brownies makes a great treat for the fall.
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons butter, softened
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup marshmallow cream
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 8 ounces orange candy melts
- ½ teaspoon shortening
- 2 Tablespoons green candy melts
- pretzel pieces
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter, and marshmallow cream until creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat until it all comes together into a dough.
- Roll the dough into 20 balls. Flatten the bottoms slightly and set on a tray lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
- Place the orange candy melts and shortening in a bowl. Microwave for 30-45 seconds. Stir until melted. Heat 20-30 seconds longer, or until it is melted enough to cover the peanut butter balls.
- Use a toothpick to dip each ball into the melted chocolate. Set on the parchment paper and remove the toothpick. Place a pretzel piece into each hole. Let set.
- Melt the green candy melts for 30 seconds. Stir until melted. Place in a ziplock bag that has one corner cut off. Drizzle around the top of the pretzel to look like leaves.
- Let set. Store in a loosely sealed container on the counter.
Notes
*I made a pan of brownies and topped them with canned frosting and Oreo cookie crumbs to serve the peanut butter pumpkins on.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 134Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 84mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g
Other truffle favorites:
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Truffles
Peanut Butter Oreo Truffle Cups
Cakespy
Cute, fall, and peanut butter. What is missing? nothing. <3
Dina
oh they're cute!
Amy Huntley
These are perfect for a fun Halloween dessert!
Chels R.
These are so so cute!!!!
Aida @ TheCraftingFoodie
Jocelyn, these are adorable! I love your recipe/idea for the modeling peanut butter (sort of like modeling chocolate). It's so versatile and delicious. We're all big peanut butter fans in our house.
And happy birthday to your little guy. My kids will be my babies forever (and I always tell them that!), but there's no denying that they grow up too quickly.
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
How cute are those pumpkins! So perfect for a fall birthday. Happy birthday to your little man.
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust
Happy Birthday to him!!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you Dorothy!! 😉
Aimee @ ShugarySweets
Oh these are too cute! I love them! And of course, Happy birthday to your baby boy 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you so much girl!! 😉
Vicki Bensinger
You're always coming up with such creative ideas. You're way better than Martha Stewart!!!
Jocelyn Brubaker
I puffy heart love this comment Vicki!! You are sooo incredibly sweet!!
Samantha @ Five Heart Home
You are so clever, Jocelyn...these are adorable! What a perfect "plain" brownie birthday cake for an October birthday boy. 🙂 My middle son has a birthday next week as well...now you have me plotting how to incorporate some cute Peanut Butter Pumpkins on his cake!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Awww, thank you so much Samantha!! 😉
Erin | The Emerging Foodie
Ok, these are too cute! I just might have to make them for my roommate and my halloween party! 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you Erin!! 🙂
capturing joy with kristen duke
These are so cute and look delicious!!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you Kristen!! 😉
Beth @ bethcakes
These pumpkins are so precious! And they look completely flawless. What a perfect way to decorate October birthday brownies. 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you so much Beth!! 😉
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel
They grow up SO fast!! And such a cute idea for the holidays 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you Rachel!! 🙂
Shawn @ IWYD
SOOOOO cute!! Love this! 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you Shawn!! 😉
tahnycooks
We had my sons' 10 year old bday this weekend too! Man! They grow fast....but, time seems to go faster! These pnut butter pumpkins look fabulous. Smart boy!!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Yes, it does!! Thank you Tahny!! 🙂
Karly
Aw! Happy Birthday to your big guy! Such a cutie! And so are these pumpkins!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you Karly!! 😉
Marianne
You're youngest just turned 10? Wish I could sympathize,my youngest recently turned 35!
I'm not sure how that happened as Im only 35 myself! 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Haha!! Always love your comments! 😉
Lindsay
Those are so cute and creative! I love the 10 idea too - sometimes husbands are brilliant - sometimes 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
I agree! Thank you Lindsay!!
Laura @ Lauras Baking Talent
Those pumpkins are super cute! Love the whole decorated cake. Your son is lucky 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Awwww, thank you Laura!!
Averie @ Averie Cooks
They are beyond adorable! You are so creative, Jocelyn! And you have such steady hands to make these little things turn out so perfectly!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you so much Averie!! 🙂
Julie @ Julie's Eats & Treats
Happy Birthday to your little man! This cake is so cute!!!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you Julie!! 😉
Rebekah
Cute cute cute!!! I love these! I have 3 kids with October birthdays - so I'm sure I can figure out an occasion to make these. 🙂 Happy birthday to your youngest!
My oldest will turn 10 this month - he's really tall for his age (about 5' 3") and weighs 80 lbs. Skinny and strong. Sometimes I forget that he's still just a kid. 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Wow, much bigger than my little guy! ;)Thank you so much Rebekah!!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl
These are the cutest little pumpkin treats! They would be such a hit for parties to cause everyone to smile!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you Pamela!! 😉
Gina R
We have 2 with Sept bdays. I wanted to encourage you through the teenage years. For one, boys are easier than girls. (I have 4 boys and 1 girl). My oldest boy just turned 23 and he has been visiting this weekend. He just came in and snuggled with me. As I was typing this, my 16 year old boy just came in and laid his head on my shoulder. I hope none of them ever outgrow it. =)
I hope it never changes. I have an Oct bday so love these pumpkin goodies since we don't do Halloween.
Jocelyn Brubaker
I love hearing this! Thank you for the encouragement!! 😉
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes
Happy birthday to your little October pumpkin!! 🙂 These are the best idea for a Fall birthday "cake" ever!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you so much Ashley!! 🙂
Mary Frances @ The Sweet {Tooth} Life
Tell him a happy birthday! (And that his mom makes incredible "plain" brownies!) Those are so cute and so festive - an easy way to make your dessert stand out. Thanks for the recipe, I'm sure it will come in handy!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Awwww, thank you Mary!! 😉
Chandra@The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen
How Sweet was that Brownie Cake?!?! I love that he was so particular as to what he wanted as a birthday cake.
Jocelyn Brubaker
I know!! 😉 Thanks Chandra!!
Tieghan
Happy Birthday to your little guy! He sounds like my siblings and I. Tiny. My youngest brother is 13 and I am not even sure he was 60 yet!
I love these brownies. So cute and peanut butter with brownies is one truly great classic combo!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Haha, thanks Tieghan!! 😉