Pumpkin Pie “Cheese” Ball
This Pumpkin Pie “Cheese” Ball tastes just like pumpkin pie! It’s a creamy, pumpkin spice tasting dessert!
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Pumpkin Pie “Cheese” Ball
Last weekend my husband had work off so we took the kids to Disney World. It was a little ambitious with 5 kids, a 5 week old included, but we only live a couple of hours away and haven’t been there in years. The trip can be summed up by saying that there were many highs and a couple of lows. Fourteen hours in a theme park meant a day of euphoria peppered with moments of misery.
No one tells you that it’s a journey to even GET to the actual park. It was a 20 minute drive from our hotel to a huge parking lot, to a packed tram, to the monorail (or ferry…your choice), to two insanely long lines – one for tickets, one for a stamp. I was a little spent before I stepped foot in the park.
The greatest part about the day was experiencing Disney World through my kid’s eyes. Not much has changed and for them to enjoy what I remember as a kid was priceless. I did make the mistake of going on Splash Mountain with the boys at the very beginning of the day and got soaked. I spent the rest of the day with damp sticky clothes.
There were a couple of meltdowns from my overtired toddler throughout the day. At one point she had ice cream in one hand and a $30 souvenir in the other and still wasn’t happy. I was internally screaming, “How can you not be happy right now? We just gave you the world, or in this case Disney World!!”
Overall, I’m glad we went. I’ve already overheard the boys talking about, “Remember when we were at Disney World…”
The idea of this Pumpkin Pie “Cheese” Ball came to me when I was thinking about this Peanut Butter “Cheese” Ball. I wanted a festive fall version of it so why not make a ball that tastes like pumpkin pie? It tastes just like it.
The inside is a creamy pumpkin spiced mixture and the outside is coated in crushed gingersnap cookies. We liked it best with graham crackers but you could use sliced apples or gingersnaps as well.
Here’s how you wrap it, freeze it, unwrap it, and roll it in gingersnap crumbs. Use a bigger plate than I did for the crumbs. I made a mess. This can totally be made ahead of time.
OTHER PUMPKIN RECIPES
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
- Melt in Your Mouth Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Cake
- Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Pumpkin Earthquake Cake
Pumpkin Pie “Cheese” Ball
Ingredients
- 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, slightly softened
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, (see Notes for substitute)
- 1 1/2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies
- graham crackers, apples, and additional gingersnaps for dipping
Instructions
- With a mixer blend the cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and brown sugar and blend well. Add the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice until combined.
- Spoon mixture onto plastic wrap in a ball shape. The mixture is wet so it won't quite be a ball but do your best to make a ball or pumpkin shape. Wrap mixture tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 4 hours or until firm.
- Once ball is frozen remove from the freezer. Place gingersnap crumbs on a large plate or platter. Unwrap the ball. It may look scary but will look fine once the crumbs are on it. Roll the ball in the crumbs, pressing the crumbs into the ball. I noticed that if I let the ball sit for a minute before rolling it had enough moisture to make the crumbs stick. Wrap ball in clean piece of plastic wrap and store in the freezer until serving.
- To serve: Remove from the freezer about a half hour before serving. The ball can also be stored in the refrigerator for a day or two and will be in a softer state. Any longer than that, it should be stored in the freezer.
- Cut into wedges and serve with graham crackers, apple slices, or gingersnaps. Graham crackers are our favorite because it really tastes like pumpkin pie.
Notes
Love these recipes
Thank you!
I was looking for a recipe just like this, and plan to try it this year for Thanksgiving. However, while searching for pumpkin pie cheese balls, I found this listing on Amazon that uses your picture with the watermark cut off. http://www.amazon.com/Rabbit-Creek-Products-Pumpkin-Cheese/dp/B005OCRHQO I’m not sure if you are involved with Rabbit Creek Products, but thought you’d like to know about use of your picture and recipe, though I know you can’t really copyright recipes. I just know personally I wouldn’t want an altered version of an originally beautiful picture I took used to promote basically overpriced pumpkin spice that I wasn’t getting a cut of. 😉 But in all seriousness, just thought I’d pass this on in case you didn’t know about it. Thanks for sharing your recipe and I hope you and your family have a very happy holidays.
That’s horrifying. Why would they do that? Thanks for the heads up.
I put a layer of press & seal wrap inside a small round bowl & put the mixture inside. Left in freezer for about 6 hours. The bowl helped shape the mixture and very little stuck to the wrap. So much easier than trying to mold the soft mixture by hand. Serving it at a party tonight!
Do you have any suggestions on how to make this more diabetic friendly, that’s way too much sugar for me but it sounds delicious
You could try to reduce the sugar but it does make a LOT of cookies so per cookie it really isn’t that much sugar.
Do you think you old press this into a silicone mold rather than wrapping it before freezing? Would it retain any shape after being covered in the crumbs?
Yes, I do!
I made this and it was really tasty but it was a dip not a ball at all. I’ve had cake batter be thicker. I used brand name cream cheese (not the low fat kind), I followed the recipe to the letter and it did not turn out like the pictures. It was a hit though. I served ginger snaps to dip it with.
Hi! I’m making this tonight but confused with directions 2 and 3. One says fridge and the other says freezer. Thanks!!
Shoot. Hope it’s not too late. I changed the directions to make it a little clearer.
Looks delicious! I’ve pinned this to my Pumpkin Recipes board and I can’t wait to try it! Xo
Nice & simple, and love using apples for dipping into the cheese – just a week before I try this one
Have I told you how much I love this? Because I do. Totally.
Holy WOW yum!!! I cannot wait to make this for the office…oh, and I hear ya’ on Disney!
This looks so yummy and I’ll be trying it this upcoming weekend! Great pictures! Thanks!
This is so unique! Ive never seen anything like it!
This is adorable.
This sounds amazing! What other cookie would you suggest rolling it in? I don’t like much of the “spice” factor that comes with pumpkin recipes, so I’m not sure how I feel about the gingersnap cookies.
I’m thinking maybe Nilla waffers, crushed graham crackers, or a shortbread. My husband suggests Pepperidge Farm bordoux cookies, ( I think those would be awesome but a bit on the expensive :/ )
Jess,
I’m not a gingersnap cookie fan usually but thought it made this. I experimented with rolling it in graham cracker crumbs which was fine but I liked the coarser gingersnap crumbs better. I tried crushed Oreos. That was good but the chocolate may overpower the dip a bit.
I love this!! It would be so boring with out the spicy Ginger Snaps!!
This is so smart! Like a grown-up treat to bring to a Halloween party. Although I’d probably have a hard time not eating the whole thing in one go…
Disneyland with kids is a trip, right? In more ways than one 🙂 At least you can scratch it off your list of places now, and the kids will never forget it!
This is such a good idea!
Love this idea of a pumpkin cheese roll! I bet its delicious 🙂
What an awesome cheeseball! I have a thing for sweet cheeseballs. I loved your peanut butter one so I must try this. Maybe I can make it for Thanksgiving.
That’s a beautiful photo. When it comes to cheese and pumpkin, for me, that’s the best of both worlds. I can’t wait to try this.
This looks heavenly and such a pretty fall appetizer. I love it! Pinning for later. 🙂
Wow, you do deserve an award! I remember when we took our two little girls to Disneyland and I was dreading the trip, but we all had an amazing time! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
This pumpkin cheese ball is perfect for fall gatherings. I’ve seen pumpkin dip made with vanilla pudding, pumpkin puree and spices but not a cheese ball. Yum! Love the idea.
You are one brave momma that deserves the mother of the year award for even thinking to go to Disneyworld! This cheeseball looks divine!
How bad is it that I just want to stuff my face in this at midnight right now?!
And I totally understand the trek to Disneyland. It’s a trip just to get there, not to mention the parking is always a nightmare!
Oooooh. What a wonderful idea!!
Oh my goodness this looks amazing! This post just came up on my Bloglovin’ and I knew I HAD to check it out. I’m all for cheese balls, but this one socks the rest of them out of the park! Pinned!
Ok, the peanut butter cheese ball was my favorite ball, but now then this! I can’t wait to try this one, and have a feeling it may take over top fall party food status. Thanks for sharing!