Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

How do you guys feel about pumpkin? Are you all about the craze? Or totally over it?  I love a good pumpkin recipe, but I'm not super nutso about it.  I don't need to have every little thing pumpkin flavored.  I was at Trader Joe's a few weeks back and they had everything pumpkin!  Even dog treats!  For me, it just sets the mood for fall.  Especially those darn pumpkin spice lattes!

I was all set to make this bread a few weeks ago.  On that very day, Darling Husband brought home a loaf of pumpkin bread with chocolate chips from Great Harvest.  I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate chips in my pumpkin bread, but wouldn't you know it, I think I ate the whole loaf myself!  It was good okay?!  But this bread?  This bread might be giving Great Harvest a run for its money.  It has that perfect pumpkin flavor with a layer of cream cheese running through the middle.  I didn't add chocolate chips, but you sure could.  The next day Darling Husband text me that the bread was good...success!  Take that Great Harvest! (Just kidding, I love your bread)

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

from Pip & Ebby

Cream Cheese Filling

4 ounces softened cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 Tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pumpkin Bread:

1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350.  Coat a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Prepare cream cheese filling:

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, egg, flour, and vanilla.  Using a mixer beat on medium speed until all ingredients are smooth.  Set aside.

Prepare pumpkin bread:

In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.

In a large bowl mix together pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs.  Gradually add dry ingredients, stir after each addition.  Pour half the batter in prepared pan, spread cream cheese mixture over the top, add remaining pumpkin batter. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Allow to cool for about 15 minutes in pan, then remove and allow to cool completely.

This is the bread you make when you want your house to smell like fall.  I had to get it out of the house to stop myself from eating the whole loaf (see story above). Even if you're not a pumpkin maniac, you might want to give this a try.  It may just change your mind...don't blame me though.

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

I still can't believe Thanksgiving is next week.  Where has the year gone?  Here's another twist on a classic turkey day treat.  I found a recipe for mini cheesecakes in an old Philadelphia Cream Cheese cookbook. To fit with the season, I added some pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice.  The crust is made from crushed graham crackers.  I think gingersnaps would also be a great flavor combination.

This recipe is very easy.  In no time I had twelve little treats. Cheesecake has always been one of my favorites.  I remember eating it as a kid and enjoying every bite. When it comes to my cheesecake, I am typically a purist.  Just a plain slice. No fruit.  Nothing fancy.  Oh, I'll eat it, but my choice would be plain.  The addition of pumpkin here is mild, but enough for you to notice.  Should definitely please any cheesecake and pumpkin lover.

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

makes 12

Crust 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

3 Tbsp melted butter

1 Tbsp sugar

Mix all ingredients until combined.  Press into the bottom of a paper lined muffin tin.  Bake in a 325 degree oven for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare cheesecake filling

Cheesecake filling

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 Tbsp half and half

Beat together cream cheese, sugar, and pumpkin puree until smooth.  Add  egg, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and half and half.  Mix until just combined.  

Pour filling over crust.  I used an ice cream scoop to fill up each muffin cup.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Allow to cool for at least 2 hours. Store in refrigerator. 

I topped these little cakes with Reddi-Whip.  Yes, the stuff from the can.  

For shame.  For shame.  Yes, I know it is completely un-blogger like to use whip cream from a can.  I should have lovingly made my own. Thing is, I was rushing to get these done, I didn't have any heavy whipping cream, I have a 6 month-old-baby that inhibits my baking, and I just happen to really like Reddi-Whip.  I sprinkled some cinnamon on top to class it up a little bit.  You can easily make your own tasty whip cream, but I won't tell if you want to use Reddi-Whip...and eat it straight from the can.

Vanilla Bean Whip Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon sugar

Whip all ingredients with a hand mixer or in your stand mixer until peaks form, about 5 minutes.

Hope you're all enjoying your fall days and any holiday prep!  If you're looking for another pumpkin treat, you must try these Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.  They are my favorite!

Pumpkin Granola Bars

I had a lot of fun in the kitchen with this month's Bakin' Friends.  I have never made granola bars, but I was impressed with how easy they are!  For October, our secret ingredient was pumpkin. The addition of white chocolate chips added a touch of sweetness.

This recipe comes together in no time and only requires a quick session in the oven.  The pumpkin makes these a perfect fall treat. Pumpkin is such a versatile ingredient.  It's great in cakes, cookies, granola, lattes.  I love this time of year!

Pumpkin Granola Bars

makes one 8x8 pan

from Houston Press

2 cups old fashioned oats

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup white chocolate chips

Grease 8x8 pan and preheat oven to 350.

Combine oats, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, dissolve brown sugar in pumpkin puree.  Add honey and vanilla and stir together until completely combined.   Pour wet ingredients over oat mixture and stir. Fold in white chocolate chips.  

Pour mixture into prepared pan and press down with a spatula.  Bake for 25-30 minutes. Once cool cut into bars.

This is the perfect hearty treat to keep you going on these cool fall days. Great for sharing with your pumpkin loving friends.  You could easily add some nuts or pumpkin seeds. I will definitely make granola bars again....they were so easy and tasty!

On another note, congrats to Molly and Jill for winning the Baby Carrot Shakedowns giveaway! I'll be contacting you to get your mailing info! Hope you enjoy the carrots!

Guest Post:Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving, which happens to be my FAVORITE holiday, is right around the corner. So I have the perfect post for you!  I am so happy to be sharing a post from my friend Kristen.   She is one of my favorite blogging friends.  I look forward to reading her thoughtful writing, and maybe someday, like her, I will try to eat less sugar! When Kristen offered to share her Dad's recipe for Pumpkin Pie, I was very excited.  I love family traditions and I think Thanksgiving is the perfect day to celebrate just that.  Please enjoy this post from Kristen and then check out her blog...you'll love it!  

My Dad’s Famous Pumpkin Pie

Hi Everyone! My name is Kristen and I blog over at Mind your Bees and Trees . I started my blog with a friend of mine at the end of May. We challenged ourselves to not eat any processed sugar over the summer in an effort to become more mindful of what we eat. Previously, I was a sugar addict. I love to bake and therefore I loved to eat anything sweet. The challenge was really hard at first, but it ended up being a huge wake up call for me. After the first couple of weeks (when I think I was going through withdrawal), I started to feel better than I had in a long time. I had a lot more energy, was sleeping better, and to my husband’s delight, I was less irritable ;). Anyway, if you’re interested in reading about the experience, you can check it out here.

I “met” Alex a few months ago when I was searching for new blogs on Foodbuzz. We started emailing each other back and forth and became fast friends. One of the best things about blogging is meeting new friends like Alex. Although I live in Japan and she lives in Seattle (and we have never met in person) I still consider her a friend. Thanks for letting me guest post today, Alex!

I wanted to share a Thanksgiving recipe with you today since the holiday is quickly approaching. If you’ve already created your menu, I hope you’ll consider revising it to include the recipe I’m sharing with you today for My Dad’s Famous Pumpkin Pie.

Let me preface this by saying that my dad does not cook. Since he retired, he has become quite the grill master, but cooking and baking are something different entirely and he leaves that up to my mom (because she is pretty much an expert!). I remember my dad making me a hot dog for dinner one time when I was really little. It was a night my mom was at a meeting and I fell asleep at the table waiting for it! Other than that, the only things my dad made while I was growing up were peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and eggnog—he does make the best homemade eggnog!

However, there is one caveat to my dad’s lack of cooking and baking skills and that is his pumpkin pie. I don’t know where he got the recipe or when he started making it, but for as long as I can remember, this pie has graced our Thanksgiving dessert table and oh man is it awesome.

I promise you it has won over even the most skeptical of eaters who claim they do not like pumpkin pie. They might not like Joe Schmoe’s pumpkin pie, but my dad’s is a whole other story!

Now that I’m older and have much more experience baking, I know that his recipe is only slightly adapted from Libby’s Pumpkin Pie recipe, but the changes he makes are really important—especially the crust. Rather than using a plain old piecrust, my dad makes a pie crust using crushed gingersnaps and butter. Let me tell you, a gingersnap crust turns a regular old pumpkin pie into a phenomenal and irresistible pumpkin pie.

I hope you enjoy this pie as much as we do! It’s especially good with a serving of vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream. Enjoy!

Dad’s Famous Pumpkin Pie
*Recipe adapted from Libby’s

Ingredients
For the Crust:

30 gingersnaps
1/4 cup melted butter

For the Pie:
2 eggs
1 can (14.5 oz.) pumpkin (my dad always uses the pumpkin pie filling for more flavor)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cups (1 can) evaporated milk (fat-free is okay)
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
For the Crust: Crush gingersnaps in a food processor and mix with melted butter. Press into bottom of spring form pan and bake at 450° F for 10-15 minutes. Let cool slightly. Reduce oven temp to 350°F.

For the Pie: Mix all ingredients together and pour over slightly cooled crust. Bake at 350° F for 1- 1 1/2 hours until set in the middle. When you jiggle the pan, the pie should not move around too much (it should be like a cheesecake). I baked mine for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean with just a few crumbs stuck to it.

Let cool completely before serving. (This can also be made a day in advance.)

Serving Suggestions: Homemade Maple Whipped Cream or Vanilla Ice Cream

Thanks for reading my post today and I hope you stop by Mind your Bees and Trees


Yum!!  I can't wait to make this pie and eat it all by myself!  Thanks for sharing such a great and tasty recipe Kristen! I think that crust sounds perfect!  I've already requested she send me a slice from Japan! I'm looking forward to sharing more recipes from Kristen!