Friday, November 18, 2011

White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Cups


Re-entering life after 12 days in Italy has been a bit difficult.  Ok... it's been a lot difficult.  Having been ultimately spoiled in Rome and then on our cruise I'm having great difficulty finding motivation to get back into the kitchen let alone gear up for the holidays that are racing towards us.

With the realization that Thanksgiving is indeed next week, not next month, a bag of white chocolate chips was just the encouragement I needed to get back into the kitchen.  Definitely Thanksgiving themed, the warm flavors of fall are all wrapped up in the hard white chocolate shell, making stopping at just two (or three...) not an easy feat.

Discovering these little gems last year at Healthy Food for Living, I have now proclaimed then Thanksgiving Tradition.  Filled with pumpkin, pumpkin pie spices, crushed graham crackers (you can make your own here) and a dose of cream cheese for good measure, the cups are sweet yet ever so slightly spicy and with a touch of creaminess from the cream cheese and white chocolate.

A bit of a project to create, but totally worth the time, the cups are decorated simply with a sprinkle of jimmies.  Since I've discovered the art of chocolate cup making I am now the proud owner of several silicone molds, square and round.  I've found the white chocolate preferable to work with when painting the molds with the melted chocolates where a quick stint in the freezer has them set in about 15 minutes and then carefully popped out of the mold.

Once the molds are completed the filling is spooned inside, smoothed, then topped with more white chocolate and then the jimmies for decoration.

I'm not sure if it is the combination of the pumpkin and spices with the white chocolate that makes these cups so good, but whatever it is, they are positively irresistible.


White Chocolate Pumpkin Cups
adapted from Healthy Food for Living


12 oz. good quality white chocolate (I used Guittard chips... they melted like a dream!)
1 Tbs non-trans fat shortening (I used Earth Balance Shortening)
1/4 cup low fat cream cheese (I used Trader Joe's whipped)
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
pinch cloves
pinch allspice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup finely crushed graham cracker crumbs (7 sheets)
Seasonal sprinkles or edible decorations

12 silicone or foil lined mini muffin cups or other small silicone cups (I found a silicone tray with 18 small squares for candy making, a bit smaller than the mini muffin cups, but darn cute).


Melt white chocolate and shortening in the top of a double boiler over medium heat on the stove, stirring constantly until completely melted.  Remove from heat.


Using a small spoon, place about 3/4 of a teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of the melted chocolate in a reusable silicone mini cup or into a foil lined mini muffin cup, tilt the cups to swirl the chocolate to cover as much as possible.  If necessary, use a paint brush to paint up the sides of the cups with additional  chocolate.  The chocolate should be thick enough that you can not see through it and not so thin that it will break when you pop the shell out of the mold.  You should have left over chocolate when all the cups are done.


Place the cups onto a tray and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes, or until completely hardened.  Remove from freezer and peel the silicone or papers off of the hardened shells.  (This step may be completed days before filling)


In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, pumpkin, spices and the vanilla, whisk or beat until smooth.  Add the powdered sugar and whisk until combined.  Stir in the graham cracker crumbs.


Using a small spoon, gently divide the mixture among the chocolate cups filling to just below the ridge, smoothing the tops to create an even surface.


Re-heat the remaining melted white chocolate if necessary.  Spoon a small amount of melted chocolate over the smoothed filling surfaces, making sure the chocolate reaches all the way to the edges to seal the cups.  Sprinkle with decorative seasonal sprinkles or edible decorations.


Chill, to harden the tops.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Remove from refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving.  


Betcha can't stop at just one!!

31 comments:

  1. What a brilliant idea, these look so delicious!! :)

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  2. These are so beautiful! They would look so impressive at Thanksgiving :) I have been so scared to try this type of thing with chocolate...it never seems to want to temper well. Looks like I need to buy a few silicone molds and just get over because these look way too good to pass up! Thank you for sharing!

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  3. My jaw just dropped looking at these. Note that it is still open waiting for several to be shoved in there.

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  4. These really look stunning and the ingredients used for the filling does intrigue. You did make a great choice in the white chocolate, I think it pairs much better with pumpkin than dark. Well done-yum!

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  5. These look fabulous and I will definitely try them out! I can think of so many fun variations too, thanks for the inspiration!

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  6. These are brilliant! They look to-die-for...

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  7. looks elegant and yummy,great recipe :)
    Ridwan

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  8. "Betcha can't stop at just one!!" Well why the heck would I want to? Wow, wow, wow! These are right up my alley. White chocolate. Score! Pumpkin. Score! Cream cheese. Score!

    You made these just for me. Admit it. :)

    PS: I've been home from Italy for 10 years and am still trying to readjust. :(

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  9. These little pumpkin cups are just, too cute. Looks like you adjusted enough to being home to make the little cups. Just enough or two or four, for an after dinner treat. I bet they will go fast in your house, just sayin', he he.

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  10. I totally remember these from last year. I heart them. If i can ever find a way to make white chocolate low carb, I will SO make these.

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  11. I don't think I could say "yum" enough times to fully describe how wonderful those look!

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  12. I felt the same way when I returned from Italy earlier this year--these look lovely, and I adore Guittard chocolate!

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  13. Wow, these sound incredible! I think I may attempt them! I'm so jealous of your Italy trip too! It's my #1 on my list of places to visit!

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  14. Wow! That just takes a peanut butter cup to a whole new level...

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  15. Ooh! These look fabulous, Kim! This gives me an excuse to get some silicone molds :-) I can't wait to make some!

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  16. I have made chocolate cups using mini balloons but I am the owner of a pumpkin shaped mini-muffin silicone pan and these would be amazing to make as little pumpkins. Debating if I should make them with white chocolate or dark chocolate (or maybe do Orange White Chocolate then a layer of white or dark and then the filling, hmmm)

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  17. I am marveling at your white chocolate cups they look perfect. ahh... *dream*

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  18. Wow, I love these little cups of goodness!

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  19. Stunning photos that make my mouth water..Love how you made this and presentation is so tempting!!!!

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  20. Oh, I want to reach through the computer screen and grab all of these gems! I adore white chocolate and it must pair beautifully with pumpkin. Your photos are gorgeous~

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  21. WHERE did you find those sprinkles?!?!? I think I'm in love! :D

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  22. These are such cute little delish bites! I love this idea. Great photos too!

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  23. There is absolutely no way I am making these. I could not eat one---I would eat the whole batch (and then make more). Great pics!

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  24. These are incredible! I absolutely want this to be one of our new holiday traditions :)

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  25. So yooooour the evil genius that made these tasty little babies! I saw them on pinterest but had to get back to work before being allowed to further explore. They look devilishly good!

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  26. WOW! Those are so gorgeous what an excellent idea!! I am so impressed Kim. I would definitely be reaching for these

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  27. These look amazing! Going to make these for Thanskgiving for sure. Your photography is beautiful as well :)

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  28. I saw these over on Pinterest, and wanting to make sure the link was intact before re-pinning, I had to smile when I saw your reference to jimmies. That's a sure sign of a Bostonian. That made me check out your About page, only to see that you're from CA?? I dug a little deeper to see if you started off in MA, but nope. Oh well. In any event, that got me wandering around and seeing how many other great recipes you have, so I have linked up in various ways and plan to stop back later to do some more wandering. See, you just never know what might catch someone's attention. ;)

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  29. THANK YOU FOR SHARING!! These are beyond wonderful! Anyone who likes the ingredients should make these. I am glad I found your blog!

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  30. These pumpkin cups look heavenly! I repinned them and wrote about them on Facebook page. What a great Happy Halloween treat!

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  31. These would be a fun way to mix things up for the holidays. What a tasty treat!

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