Caramel Coated Pecan Pie Cake Balls

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YESSSSS ITS FALL! Well…almost. But we are back to school and getting so close to September that I can really feel fall coming on. I am looking forward to football games on Friday nights, fall festivals, pumpkin patch visits, and fall decorating. But you know what I am really looking forward to? Fall baking! I absolutely love the flavors of fall and love the smells that fill my kitchen while they are baking.

Let me tell you, these Caramel Coated Pecan Pie Cake Balls (whew, that’s a mouthful!) epitomize fall. They are full of fall flavors and the spice mixture you add to the cake mixture make your house smell wonderful as it is baking!

Fall is a magical time here in Western PA. We get the short end of the stick when it comes to the other seasons. Winter brings more snow than you can imagine, springtime is alllllll rain, and our summer days are limited and not very hot, but fall, fall is perfect here. We live in the mountains which makes it even more beautiful. I read a quote last year that said “I am thankful for a world where there are Octobers¨ and I swear that person must be talking about the mountains here in Pennsylvania. You would be hard pressed to find anywhere more beautiful than here in October. So while most people look forward to being outside in the summer, my favorite time to spend outdoors is during the fall. We have wonderful festivals around the area and we look forward to those every year. I love putting on a new sweater and heading out to enjoy the crisp air.

Now that I have sung fall’s praises, let’s get back to what I know you are really here for…the Cake Balls. Have you ever made cake balls? And not the ones you pop out of the machine, but the ones where you destroy the cake and then mix it with lots of creamy icing. I have eaten them many times but have never made them before. I have to say, that while these took a little trial and error, I couldn’t have been happier with the results, and my husband’s co-workers certainly didn’t complain about having to eat all of the results!

I made the most delicious Christmas cookie last year, Pecan Pie Thumbprint Cookies, and I was itching to bake more with pecans this year. While it is too early for holiday cookie baking, it is never too early for Pecan Pie! Except here, it is in cake form! So this is pretty easy. You prepare the cake mix, mix in some fall spices, and then bake. After baking, you put together the cake balls. I decided to stuff mine with the new M&M’s® Pecan Pie, which I found in Walmart. I started with a Pillsbury™ Moist Supreme® Cake Mix in Golden Butter flavor  because pecan pie and butter go together like peanut butter and jelly and then I used some delicious cream cheese frosting as the binder.

Once they are rolled, they got dipped in the caramel and topped with a pecan. The drizzle on top is optional, but I really think it adds to the appearance and I also loved the taste of the white chocolate candy melts.  I substituted applesauce for the eggs in my cake mix because I thought the apple flavor and heartiness would really add to the whole fall theme I had going on. This is also a great sub if you have an egg allergy in the house.

While there are a lot of steps involved, most of it is hands off time while the cake balls are chilling and setting up. I split the work over two days time, which I recommend. Bake and then chill one day, roll, chill again, and then dip the next. I know many people like to make Cake Balls into Cake Pops on a stick, but I found that these were too heavy to stay on a stick, but hey, if you want a pop instead of a ball, go for it!  Maybe you will have better results than I did!

I know in many parts of the country, you are still dealing with extremely high temps and fall doesn’t seem anywhere in sight. Maybe making these Caramel Coated Pecan Pie Cake Balls will help you pretend that your weather is below 90 degrees. Either way, I promise you will enjoy these, whether or not you are a fall lover like I am!

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Caramel Coated Pecan Pie Cake Balls

Ingredients

• 1 Pillsbury™ Moist Supreme® Cake Mix in Golden Butter + the butter and water called for on the box
• 1 can Pillsbury™ Creamy Supreme® Cream Cheese Icing
• 1/3 cup Mott's® Apple Sauce Original
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. all-spice
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 8 oz. bag caramel nibs or any other meltable caramel
• 1 9.9 oz. bag M&M's® Pecan Pie
• about 24 pieces of pecan halves
• 8 oz. of meltable white chocolate or white candy melts

Instructions

1. Begin by preparing your cake. Replace the eggs called for with the applesauce and add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Bake as instructed.
2. After removing from the oven, destroy cake with two forks. Break the cake up into small crumb like pieces.Once crumbled, add half of the can of cream cheese icing.
3. Mix well so that all pieces are incorporated and the cream cheese icing is well distributed.
4. Cover mixture and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
5. Remove mixture from fridge and grab 1 inch sized pieces of the mixture. The easiest method is by using a cookie scoop. Form a well in your mixture and stuff with 3 M&M's®. Form mixture the candy to completely cover it. Roll into a smooth ball.
6. Place cake balls on a silpat or parchment paper. After all are rolled, return to the fridge.
7. After 2 hours, remove from fridge and melt your caramel, following the packaging instructions.
8. Dip cake ball into the caramel, rolling completely to cover.
9. Return to silpat or parchment paper and immediately place a pecan half on top. Do this while the caramel is still wet or it will not stick.
10. Once all cake balls are rolled in caramel, melt your white chocolate. Use a candy squeeze bottle or just a small spoon to drizzle the chocolate over the pecan tops.
11. Store in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 4 days. Enjoy!

Here is my main cast of characters! The Snapple® was just for sippin’!

And don’t forget the Mott’s® Applesauce! It is a perfect substitute for eggs or you could even substitute it for butter or oil in a cake mix!

For more info on these products go HERE!

For a money saving coupon, go HERE!

You can find all of the products at Walmart!