Peanut Butter Pumpkins
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A recipe for no bake peanut butter pumpkins. Made with creamy peanut butter, confectioner’s sugar, butter, and vanilla bean paste, these cute miniature pumpkins taste just like peanut butter fudge, and are perfect for Halloween entertaining!
Key Ingredients
- Peanut Butter – Choose creamy peanut butter, not chunky. And for best results, I recommend using a commercial peanut butter with some sugar added, not “natural” peanut butter; the latter is too oily, and your pumpkin dough won’t come together smoothly.
- Butter – Unsalted butter works best for this recipe, because the peanut butter already contains plenty of salt.
- Confectioner’s Sugar – Confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar) sweetens the dough and gives it body. You might find that you need to add a bit of extra sugar to adjust the consistency. It should resemble playdough or clay—soft and pliable enough to shape easily, but not sticky or wet.
- Fondant – Any white decorator’s fondant (Wilton is a popular brand in the US, and I’ve also tested this recipe with Renshaw fondant in the UK) will work. Don’t worry if you’re not a fan of fondant—it’s only for the stems.
- Colors and Flavors – You’ll need orange and green gel food coloring to color the fondant and peanut butter dough, plus vanilla bean paste for flavor. Stick with gel food coloring—water-based colors are not concentrated enough, and you’ll end up using a lot of product to achieve a vibrant shade of orange. You can replace the vanilla bean paste with a good-quality extract, or experiment with other flavor extracts, such as pumpkin spice.
Tips and Tricks
- Make extra green fondant. You’ll need more fondant if you want to add vines or stems to your pumpkin.
- Adjust the consistency. You might need to add more confectioner’s sugar to achieve the ideal consistency for shaping. The dough should feel like clay or playdough—soft enough to knead and shape, but not sticky or wet.
- Keep a few tools handy. I used a plastic fondant tool and a wooden toothpick (cocktail stick) to add the ridges to my pumpkins, and to poke a hole in the top of each pumpkin for the stem.
- Vary the pumpkin size. I made 1 1/2-inch pumpkins but you can make bigger or smaller pumpkins as desired. Remember that the larger you make your peanut butter pumpkins, the less pumpkins this recipe will yield.
Peanut Butter Pumpkins
- Total Time2 hours
- Yield24 1 1/2-inch pumpkins 1x
A recipe for no bake peanut butter pumpkins. Made with creamy peanut butter, confectioner’s sugar, butter, and vanilla bean paste, these cute miniature pumpkins taste just like peanut butter fudge, and are perfect for Halloween entertaining!
Ingredients
Green gel food coloring
White fondant, for stems
113 grams unsalted butter (1/2 cup; 1 stick), softened
260 grams creamy peanut butter (1 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Pinch fine sea salt
300 grams confectioner’s sugar (about 2 1/4 cups)
15-20 drops orange gel food coloring
Instructions
Line a quarter sheet rimmed baking tray with parchment or a silicone mat. Set aside.
With your hands, work the green gel food coloring into a large, marble-sized piece of fondant. Wrap tightly in clingfilm/plastic wrap until ready to use.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whip butter on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter, vanilla bean paste, and sea salt and mix until well combined. With a flexible rubber spatula, scrape down sides of bowl and mix again.
Mix in the orange gel food coloring, a few drops at a time, until dough turns vibrant orange in color. Gradually add the confectioner’s sugar, mixing well after each addition, until a crumbly dough forms. Use your hands to finish bringing the dough together until soft and pliable.
With your hands, divide dough into 24 portions, each weighing about 25-30 grams and about 1 1/2 inches in size. Use your hands to roll each portion into a smooth ball.
With a skewer, toothpick (cocktail stick), fondant tool, or the back of a knife, create vertical ridges to mimic the lines on a pumpkin.
Make 1/4-inch hole in the top of each pumpkin.
Shape green fondant into stems. Press a stem into each hole.
Arrange pumpkins on prepared tray.
Cover and refrigerate 1 hour, or until ready to serve. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes prior to serving.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Chilling Time: 1 hour
- Category: Candy and Confectionery
- Method: No Bake
Other Halloween Recipes You Might Enjoy
Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats
Homemade Candy Corn
Halloween Chocolate Bark
Ghost Marshmallows
Candy Corn Cookies
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
