Pumpkin Cheesecake Balls
These pumpkin cheesecake balls are filled with a pumpkin cream cheese mixture, chopped pecans, fall spices, covered in a graham cracker crumb mixture, deep fried, rolled in cinnamon sugar, and drizzled with caramel.
Servings: 26 Bite-Size Balls
Ingredients
Pumpkin Pecan Mixture
- (2) 8 ounce cream cheese
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup pumpkin purée
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
Dredge Mixture
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, crushed
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1-2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1-2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Caramel, for drizzle
Instructions
Pumpkin Cheesecake
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until it’s nice and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Add pumpkin purée, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Beat until fully incorporated.
- Stir in chopped pecans. Mix until combined.
- Roll into bite-size balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place in the freezer and freeze for 2 hours.
- In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat.
Dredge Mixture
- In a shallow container, whisk together graham cracker crumbs and breadcrumbs.
- Using another shallow container, whisk the eggs and heavy cream together.
- Roll each bite into the egg mixture, then into the graham cracker crumb mixture, and make sure they are coated well.
- Add a few at a time into the hot oil and fry until golden on all sides.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and place balls on a plate lined with paper towels. Let cool for a few minutes, roll in cinnamon sugar mixture, drizzle with caramel, and enjoy!
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
- Add cinnamon and sugar to a small bowl.
- Roll each bite in the cinnamon sugar mixture and drizzle with caramel.
Notes
- Fully soften your cream cheese to ensure it whips easily and fully, leaving no little bits of raw cream cheese in the cheesecake balls.
- Use a food processor to pulse the panko into smaller crumbs.
- Fry your cheesecake balls in batches to keep the oil hot and avoid a soggy breading.
- Be sure your cheesecake balls are fully frozen before coating and frying them. If they aren't fully frozen, they'll melt as you fry them.
- Be sure to buy pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie mix. They're often sold near or next to one another in the grocery store.