No cookies today...I thought I would supplement the cookies with a few other baked goodies here and there. What do you think?
So, here is my project from yesterday....Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls. These are originally inspired by
Bakerella. If you haven't been to her blog, go now! (I'll wait!) :) Months ago, I bookmarked her
Red Velvet Cake Balls and added them to my "must make" list.
A few weeks later, I got an email from my girlfriend,
Terri, about making cake balls. Then, last week, my sister emailed me with two other sites,
here and
here, on making cake balls. I thought this must be a sign,
I needed to make cake balls!
This time of year, I
really have a thing for pumpkin....I cannot get enough, so I made Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls. Mine are nowhere near as pretty as Bakerella's; I'm going to call them rustic. :) I added some chocolate jimmies because I had them on hand. They were such a hit. My son & I took them to a group we meet every week. I had 4 requests for the recipe within 1 minute!
See the "rustic" crack and cake showing through? :)
The possibilities are endless! I can't wait to try these again with other flavors. Let me know if you try these...I'd love to see your combinations!
....my son really had a good time helping to make these as well; this is a fun and messy project for kids!......Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls1 box French Vanilla cake mix (or yellow or plain vanilla)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
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1 can cream cheese frosting
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chocolate candy melts or almond bark
Beat everything together (ending with the eggs) according to the package instructions and bake in a 13 X 9" pan. Make sure the cake is completely baked (no gooey middle) before removing from the oven. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Crumble the cake apart in a bowl and add most of the can of cream cheese. Using your fingers, mix together until the cake holds together when formed into a ball. Add more frosting of necessary. Roll into balls of about a 2 bite size. This should make about 50. Place on cookie sheets lined with wax paper and refrigerate several hours.
When ready to dip, melt the candy melts (I used two bags of melts total) a 1/2 bag at a time following the directions on the package. Roll with a spoon and place on another waxed paper lined sheet. Scatter on sprinkles if using while the chocolate is still wet. Store at room temperature.
I used a gold luster/lustre dust for the horseshoe on the cookies. It is just mixed with a little vodka and painted on top of the dry icing. 
Yes, besides my Kitchen Aid mixer and rubber spatulas, the toothpick is the tool I use the most when cookie decorating.
