Cake Pops question

Hi, all!

Thinking about what treats to make my sweetie for Valentine's, and I'm kicking around the idea of making something like cake pop truffles [I'd like to make him something dainty and snackable and something that'll look fancy arranged in a pretty heart-shaped box and embarrass him when I drop it off where he works]. Thing is, I've never made cake pops before. All the recipes I've seen need you to blend cake crumbs with frosting. I don't really want to use frosting, so my question/s is/are:

Could you use peanut butter or instant pudding? [And if not, what else could you use?]

I often make myself peanut butter pudding by mixing peanut butter into instant pudding, so I'm kind of thinking of using chocolate cake and PB/caramel pudding, because he loves those flavours. I'd imagine I'd have to be careful not to add too much pudding/PB - when you guys have made cake pops, what sort of consistency has been just right for you?

What [non-expensive] non-frosting items have you guys made cake pops with? And what are you making for yourself/your sweetheart this Valentine's Day?
<3