Cute little lightly sweet peanut butter pumpkins with a creamy cookie filling make a great party appie or children’s treat.

Peanut Butter Pumpkins

By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime

The photos  and recipe have been updated. To view the previous version of this recipe,  go to the very bottom of the page.

I have updated this recipe for 2019 (This is the third version,  as the one I posted  years  ago was just too cloyingly sweet. As well,  I updated this in 2016 with the use of pretzels as part of the base to reduce the sweetness. This worked,  but as you can see if you view the photos, you  could see the bits of pretzels in it.

I have revisited the peanut butter pumpkins this year, to see how they worked out with crushed shortbread and I am very pleased. They aren’t gross sweet like the first ones I posted at Recipezaar years ago, yet while they are a little  sweeter than the pretzel version, they  aren’t too sweet.

I have kept the  pretzel version in case you like it, but think you will prefer this one instead.

Peanut Butter Pumpkins

You Might Also Like:

Witchy Fingers Cookies

Eerie Eyeball Cookies

Spider Web Taco Dip

Magic Wizard Wands

Skeleton Gingerbread Cookies

Peanut Butter Pumpkins

Sue Lau

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Chill time 1 hour hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 9 tablespoons fine shortbread cookie crumbs
• 9 tablespoons powdered sugar sifted
• 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
• red and yellow food coloring as desired
• 1 tablespoon prepared green fondant
• 24 toasted pecan halves
• toothpicks

Instructions

 

• Crush shortbread cookies into fine crumbs (I used Walkers shortbread cookies) and mix with other ingredients into a smooth, stiff dough.
• Add coloring to your taste or omit. (I know some people don't like using colorant)
• Shape dough into balls and chill one hour.
• Roll out some of the fondant into a thin rope.
• Use a toothpick to shape lines into pumpkins.
• Roll some of the fondant around a toothpick to curl.
• Cut pecan half lengthwise to make a stem.
• Slide the fondant off onto the top of the pumpkin with another toothpick and insert the pecan for a stem.
• Chill again before serving if desired.

Notes

From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com

Keyword Halloween, no-bake, Peanut Butter

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Peanut  Butter Pumpkins

Previous Version

It’s been some years ago now since I posted a recipe online for peanut butter pumpkins. I was browsing the old Zaar recently (it’s not Zaar anymore but it’s current incarnation is more like Voldemort to me—the site which must not be named…) and saw it was on their top page for Halloween recipes. I had that recipe posted mostly for my daughter. In all actuality I didn’t like it much myself: way too sweet for my taste. But the cuteness of it was in overload.

First Revision

I have, due to the cuteness level of it, decided to revisit it. My game plan here is to take away the cloying sweetness and put in a little salt. And I have. The flavor of these now is not totally savory (like those orange peanut butter crackers) but more like a peanut butter cup (except last time I ate one of those it was a bit sweet as well- so these do not go quite that far). However, if you disagree on the sweetness and want it to be more, you can add a little more each of powdered sugar and peanut butter to balance it out.

Getting the Crumb

It is important when crushing the pretzels in this to make sure they are a very fine crumb, and have a sandy texture. I used a food processor and pulsed it until it was like store bought Progresso crumbs. I actually should have sifted mine to make sure no larger bits escaped- and I have added that to the recipe but if you look close you might notice a slightly larger bit of crumb here or there and that’s what that is. Sifting it out should prevent that.

Fondant Vines

The stems are a bit of fondant I have on hand for a cake this week for #BundtBakers. You can make your own or buy it- I didn’t  need too much so I just purchased a small package since I am a bit busy this week with things at home (getting ready for a move). I could be highbrow and say I make everything I use myself- but truth be told, although I do make a ton of things from scratch, I don’t punish myself if I also use things ready made, such as fondant, canned icings, cake mixes, and even peanut butter. We are all human, after all, as much as we’d love to just be superheroes! 😉

~Sue

Previous Recipe (Archived)

This is up still for anyone who wants to make this the old way. Scroll up  if you are looking for the current recipe!

Old  ingredients:
5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
6 tablespoons finely crushed pretzel crumbs
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
4 thin pretzel sticks (for stems)
orange and  yellow gel food colors (as needed)
1 tablespoon green fondant

Previous Version with Pretzels (Archived)

Happy Halloween!