easy three ingredient no-bake apple butter truffles;

Three. That’s it! If you ever wanted to make a fall truffle, this recipe for apple butter truffles is for you. It’s easy. Three ingredients, and all the deliciousness of fall. And no baking required. And the funny part is, you can thank four stores being out of pumpkin for this apple butter truffle. My original plan was to make pumpkin bread and then make pumpkin truffles. But I literally went to four stores—Giant, Harris Teeter, Target, and a neighbor checked Whole Foods for me. No luck.

Since I had it in my mind to make truffles, even lack of pumpkin wouldn’t stop me. In rummaging through the fridge I came across apple butter we made last year in the slow cooker. It dawned on me. Why not make apple butter truffles? It’s still appropriately fall-themed! Maybe not what I had in mind originally, but apple butter is just delicious. It makes for a great truffle.

Now these apple butter truffles are a new fall favorite because they’re just so darn easy. (Though I fully intend to still try pumpkin bread truffles once I get my hands on that pesky pumpkin. If you’re looking for a pumpkin truffle recipe, check out this recipe by chocolate covered katie! Another Katie chocolate-lover.) Apple butter is sweet and warm, filled with all those warm holiday spices. It’s just naturally comforting. So naturally, pair it with chocolate! We all know everything is best with chocolate. And I could even say everything is amazing in truffle-form.

I used nilla wafers as the base, but you can use any dry and snappy cookie. Just process or crush it up finely to make the base. I like the nilla wafers because they’re not overwhelming in flavor. This way they just enhance the apple butter flavor instead of adding a competing flavor. If you want to lean into more of the fall spice flavor, you could try ginger snaps. It’s tasty but the apple comes in second to the ginger so I prefer nilla wafers. Since they’re called apple butter truffles, I want to highlight the apple butter. But ginger is also tasty

For these apple butter truffles, I chose to use candy coating. I think the vanilla flavor of candy melts complements the nilla wafers and apple flavors. I know, I know, they’re not exactly chocolate. But honestly they’re less temperamental than chocolate. They’re a great choice for truffles if you’re looking for an easy option. Chocolate has a lot of consideration to temperature, thickness, and bloom (that white residue that sometimes forms on the surface).

Candy melts are made for coating, which means they’re a little less temperamental. If you need to thin them out, I add a little bit of vegetable shortening. The downside of candy melts is that they tend to be much sweeter than chocolate. A thin layer is perfect for coating truffles or cake pops, but I sure can’t eat candy coating straight like I do chocolate.

Candy coating is also easier to find in a colorful variety of colors. I typically get my colored candy melts at Michael’s. They have greens, blues, oranges, and blacks, to name a few. It’s much harder to find chocolate in those bright food colors without finding specialty stores. For these apple butter truffles I just used white, but I bought some oranges and greens in preparation for future pumpkin truffles.

You could buy your own food coloring and color your own, but even that’s not simple. You have to be careful with the coloring you use in your chocolate. It needs to be oil-based. If you’re thinking of the drops you most likely have in your pantry, think again. Water-soluble colors can cause seizing (stiffening) of melted chocolate, or not mix evenly into the chocolate. If you don’t want to invest or learn all the nuances of chocolate, candy melts might be the way to go.

Secrets to Success

• Use your favorite apple butter! I’ve made my own apple butter in the past, but store bought is also an easy option.
• I suggest nilla wafers, but you can play with whatever you have on hand! Use vanilla oreos or gingersnaps. Just keep in mind that I recommend nilla wafers if you want the apple butter to really shine.
• I like vanilla flavored candy coating on these. I think the vanilla pairs really well with the nilla wafers and apple butter. But you can also use white chocolate if that’s your preference!

Looking for other no-bake dessert recipes?

• No Bake Eclair Cake is a wonderful treat for a crowd. Make it in advance and make hosting a party or gathering even easier!
• For a light and summery option, try this Strawberry Banana Poundcake Parfait.
• If you’re craving chocolate, go for this classic Chocolate Tart.