Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

Steering clear of sweet stuff has been so hard, y’all.

I haven’t had chocolate, or ice cream, or pie…or any goodies that always seem to make it into the newsroom.

I did try some Halo Top ice cream last weekend and it was great. Other than that, I’ve had zilch. Zero. Negative sugar count.

You won’t be getting very many dessert recipes from me for a while. I’m not good at baking as it is, much less baking with unconventional ingredients like almond flour and erythritol. I’m too scared how they will turn out!

I did try to make some pumpkin flavored desserts this weekend. They actually turned out pretty good! Granted, no baking was neccessary. Just pure canned pumpkin and some creamed cheese and pumpkin pie spice. That’s all you really need for a good pumpkin dessert.

You can obviously use real sugar in this recipe if you want. I used erythritol, a sugar alcohol, that doesn’t have a funky aftertaste like Stevia or Splenda. It’s just a little bit less sweet than actual sugar and is my go-to sweetener when it comes to keto and low-carb recipes.

Dredging these little pumpkin cheesecake bites into a pecan-sugar mixture is a delight. It gives them that needed crunch and adds a good fall feel to the dessert bites. I love crushed pecans, but you could use walnuts or almonds or whatever nut you fancy. Pecans just scream fall and autumn and all the good feelings you get about this time of year to me.

The key to shaping the pumpkin-cheesecake mixture into a ball is freezing it for about 30 minutes before rolling. That way the mixture firms up enough without turning into liquid in your warm hands. A good 30 minute chill in the freezer and you’re good to go.

Enjoy!

Step-By-Step Instructions

In an electric mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese, pumpkin, sweetener, pumpkin pie spice almond flour and vanilla until well mixed and smooth. Place mixing bowl in the freezer and chill for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together pecans, 2 tablespoons sweetener and cinnamon. Once pumpkin mixture is well chilled, roll into 1 to 2 inch balls and roll in pecan mixture, covering outer surface.

Place pumpkin balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and place back in the freezer for 15 minutes. Serve!