Pumpkin Oreo Balls: No Bake Fall Treats

Pumpkin Oreo Truffles

These pumpkin-shaped Oreo balls are one of the simplest Halloween treats you make for autumn. Kids love these tasty no-bake desserts for Halloween as much as the adults. Not only are they delicious, they’re also visually appealing.

If you’re ready to dive into some bite sized fun, these Halloween Oreo balls are the perfect creation! Whether you need an after school snack or something special for a party tray or dessert charcuterie, these cookie truffles can’t be beat. Best of all, they only require about 20-minutes to actively make. Plus, I’ve also included printable gift tags in case you need a last minute DIY gift.

What are Oreo Pumpkin Cookie Balls?

Pumpkin Oreo balls combine classic ingredients to create a delicious fall dessert that’s a cross between a cookie and a candy truffle confection. This easy, pumpkin shaped treat blends crumbled Oreo cookies with cream cheese to create tasty truffle-like sweets. They are then dipped in melted, orange candy wafers for a chocolate coating that resembles our favorite winter squash. Finally, they are decorated with pretzel stems and M&M candies — so they appear as delectable as they taste.

Similar to my easy no bake Oreo truffles with cream cheese, these Oreo cookie truffles are ideal for entertaining. Whether you need an autumn dessert, Halloween treat or a homemade food gift for the holidays, you can’t go wrong with this amazing party food idea.

Of course, there are a number of ways to recreate this amazing autumn cookie treat — both in flavor and appearance. So, be sure to check out the variations I’ve provided for this recipe if you’d like to mix things up.

Seasonal No Bake Fall Party Treats

Taste aside, one of my favorite things about this dessert is that there’s no baking required. Which means, you can keep your oven free for other things. Not only will there be fewer dishes to wash, but it’s always a win when you can cook a holiday dinner and make your favorite fall party treats at the same time.

As if you need any other reasons to try out these no bake pumpkin balls, I figured I’d share why making this recipe is a win:

• These no bake desserts are ideal for a festive autumn treat. And what’s better than not having to turn on your oven?
• Not only is there no baking required, but this dessert is incredibly easy to make. It requires just a few, basic ingredients and you only need 20-minutes to make them, not including the time they’re in the freezer. In fact, these pumpkin Oreo cookies balls are so simple that the kids can join in the fun and help.
• There’s not a single occasion they aren’t suited for. You can make these for after school fall snacks, a dessert charcuterie board for autumn entertaining, or as colorful cookie treats for Halloween and Thanksgiving desserts.
• Desserts that look pretty don’t always have the flavor that you would expect. Fortunately, these are everything you’re hoping for and they taste absolutely delicious! (Because who doesn’t love Oreo cookies?)
• These party treats also make wonderful homemade holiday food gifts for the season. However, as they do need to stay refrigerated, be sure to include a note when gifting.
• I’ve included free printable gift labels for this party dessert. Therefore, whether you’re giving these as party favors or gifting them to friends and family, they’re effortless to package and decorate.

Pumpkin Oreo Dessert Variations

I’ve created the easiest version of these pumpkin Oreo desserts possible. However, that means there’s room to make this dessert unique to you! If you’re looking for variations on this autumn treat, then be sure to consider some of these other amazing possibilities:

• I used regular Oreo cookies for this no bake dessert. However, you don’t have to pick the chocolate ones! You can also substitute them with Nabisco Golden Oreos or a seasonal favorite such as Pumpkin Spice Oreos when they are released.
• Use different colored candy chocolate to decorate these Oreo pumpkin cookie balls. You can use them to add additional details to the pumpkin for a more authentic look. Or color them something other than orange to create cream cheese truffles that resemble spiders, witches or ghosts.
• Decorate your desserts with piped icing or other candies and nuts.
• Insert a lollipop stick into each Oreo ball before freezing and prior to dipping in the melted candy. You can then make pumpkin cake pops!
• Create Halloween cakesicles or snack cakes by mixing half of the crushed Oreo mixture with baked box cake mix. Simply blend freshly baked cake together with the half the Oreos and cream cheese in a stand mixer. Then shape and freeze in the same way I did with these pumpkin cakesicles. Just keep in mind you may need additional chocolate or candy melts for coating.
• Mix in a small amount of your favorite liqueur to amp up the flavor of these fabulous sweets. Banana, passion fruit, pineapple, cassis and creme de cacao liqueur all compliment the flavor of chocolate Oreos beautifully. Alternately, you may also add a small amount of vanilla extract.
• Make these reminiscent of your favorite homemade pumpkin pie and give these goodies a pumpkin flavor. To make pumpkin spice Oreo truffles, mix in 3/4 teaspoon each of fresh or canned pumpkin puree (or pumpkin butter) and pumpkin pie spice.
• Swap out the cream cheese in this cookie dessert with frosting, Marshmallow fluff or even peanut butter. Doing so will allow you to store these truffles at room temperature rather than in the refrigerator.
• Give these delightful treats a PSL twist that’s reminiscent of a pumpkin spice latte by adding 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin spice coffee to the ingredients when mixing.

What Chocolate Is Best for Dipping?

You hear a lot about make Oreo cookie truffles and other Halloween goodies using chocolate. The simple fact is, that most of these recipes work best with candy melts rather than chocolate. Chocolate can be tricky. It’s difficult to color — adding water or too much food coloring to chocolate will cause it to seize when heated — and then there’s also the issue of chocolate that hasn’t been tempered.

Due to this, I highly recommend that you use colored candy melts to make this pumpkin Oreo balls recipe. The brand doesn’t matter. You just need to be sure to properly follow the directions on the back of the package for melting. You’ll find that these are much easier to melt than chocolate chips or bar chocolate.

That said, if you prefer, you may use either milk, dark or white chocolate to make these pumpkin shaped Oreo truffles. Just be aware that you may experience some limitations in what you can do, especially if you want to tint the chocolate.

How to Substitute Chocolate for Candy Melts

To substitute the chocolate for the candy melts in this pumpkin Oreo truffles recipe, you will simply swap the same amount of chocolate for the candy melts. Following is information on how to melt chocolate using various methods as well as how to color white chocolate to create a vibrant candy coating for your fall confections.

Ways to Melt Chocolate for Pumpkin Oreo Truffles

There are three ways to melt chocolate (and candy wafers) to make pumpkin Oreo truffles. Following are guidelines for each method.

• Melting Pot: You can melt chocolate with a chocolate melter, like this Wilton chocolate melting pot. I have the chocolate melter and love it. I also have an insert with a divider for two sections. This makes it convenient if your recipe calls for multiple colors of melted candy coating.
• Double Boiler: A double boiler is another great way to melt both chocolate and candy melts. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can fill a pan half full with water. Then set a glass bowl in the pan so the water covers about half of the bowl. Make sure the glass bowl isn’t touching the pan because you want the warm water to melt the chocolate and not use direct heat.
• Microwave: To melt chocolate in the microwave, heat the chocolate at 20 to 30 second intervals in a clean, dry container. At each interval, remove the bowl and stir. Then repeat until the chocolate is melted.

Oreo Cream Cheese Balls Tips and Tricks

These Oreo pumpkin cream cheese balls are incredibly easy to make. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t fool proof. Therefore, I’m sharing a few tips and tricks to help guarantee your success.

• I recommend that you make this Thanksgiving or Halloween treat in batches. As the heat from your hands will melt the Oreo balls and cause them to become oily. Therefore, remove just 8 to 10 frozen Oreo truffle balls from the freezer at a time to dip in melted candy or chocolate. This prevents them from thawing out while you are working.
• Don’t try to make these cookie desserts larger than necessary. Keep them on the small side — so they are bite sized — to prevent them from crumbling and falling apart. If you make these pumpkin Oreo balls too large, they won’t hold their shape properly.
• Use full fat cream cheese. While the low fat version may seem healthier, it’s a thinner consistency than the regular kind. As a result, swapping out the cream cheese for the low fat cream cheese may prevent them from binding and holding together.
• Not everyone has the same kitchen tools on hand. Therefore, there are several ways you can crush the Oreos for this recipe. You can either mix them in a stand mixer or food processor. Alternately, you can also place the cookies in a large Ziploc bag and roll over the bag with a rolling pin.

Storage and Packaging

Store these pumpkin Oreo ball cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. If left, out they will go soft and the cream cheese may go bad.

If desired, you can also serve these for a period of 2 to 3 months. Just be aware that freezing cream cheese can cause a change in texture. While it’s still safe to eat, it may make the cream cheese grainy.

Printable Pumpkin Gift Tags

If you’d like to give these pumpkin cream cheese and Oreo truffles as homemade good gifts, you may download the printable pumpkin gift tags by visiting the original post.

There are two tags provided on this free printable. One says “Pumpkin Spice Life” and the other “Have a Sweet Day.” I recommend printing this page onto plain or colored cardstock. Then use a pair of scissors to cut out each tag. A hole punch may then be used to make a hole at the top of each gift tag to run a piece of ribbon or baker’s twine through to attach to your package.

Alternately, you may also print these onto full size, sticker label sheets. They make these in white as well as brown Kraft paper, depending on the look you want for your homemade food gift. The pumpkin labels can then be attached to your gift packages just like a sticker.

When gifting these, be sure to include a note that the contents should be kept refrigerated. Unless you are using a shelf stable ingredient in place of the cream cheese.