Thank you for clicking on my recipe for Chocolate Cheesecake Pumpkin Muffins, as well as for your comments on my recipe for Superbowl Loaded Meat Mountain Nachos. It was a little early in the year to be thinking about the Superbowl, but it’s never too early to perfect the snack you’ll be taking to the watch party.
My brother-in-law hosts a party every year where the family gets together and the wives compete in a silly little cook-off. I’m hoping that this year, the nachos will be so good that my in-laws won’t have any commentary about how I’m not taking good care of my husband even though all I did was ask him for help with the dishes that one night last February!
Now that it’s September, I’ve been making these muffins a lot, and my hubby has absolutely been loving it! These are the perfect indulgent snack for those days when it’s a little cold and rainy out. Plus, they are so simple to bake, as long as you read the tips and tricks that I have below.
These muffins are inspired by my childhood memories of watching my mother bake pumpkin pie as my dad and brother were outside playing a rough-and-tumble game of helmetless hockey on the frozen pond. They would come in with their cheeks pink from the cold, and my mom would serve them heaping plates of pie with whipped cream. I can only hope that I’m as good a wife as my mom was.
Although pumpkin pie is still a classic, the youngest of my three boys, Breighdon, is a picky eater and doesn’t like the taste of pumpkin. I’ve found that adding cheesecake filling and chocolate chips makes this treat enjoyable for the whole family.
As far as my tips and tricks go, I’ve found that the pumpkin flavor tastes the best when you use a fresh pumpkin that you roast yourself. My family actually lives in a pumpkin patch, so I always try to grab a pumpkin that isn’t quite good looking enough to be a jack-o’-lantern or to be entered in the county fair. Then, I scoop out all the seeds (keep an eye out for my roasted pumpkin seed recipe that I’ll be posting next week). After that, I throw the pumpkin in the oven for about 14 hours, give or take.
Canned pumpkin works too, but I know my kiddos are able to taste the difference, and it’s important to me that they know I love them enough to only feed them fresh pumpkin. However, if your kids are not as familiar with non-GMO farm to table organic produce, they may not be able to tell. I also recommend reduced fat cream cheese. My hubby is trying to lose some weight, so I’ve been trying to cook up some changes to make it easier for him (including a strict exercise regimen of hauling around pumpkins daily)!
I really appreciate your reading this because, to be honest, this past week has been a pretty stressful one. There was a chickenpox outbreak at my sons’ school, and since they aren’t vaccinated they had to stay home. The worst part is that now a lot of other parents at the school have been treating me differently since they found out I choose not to poison my kids.
Making these muffins has really helped me calm down from this whole debacle. And let me know what strategies you’ve found helpful for getting the other parents off your back. I was thinking of inviting over all of the kids who have chickenpox, along with their parents. Hopefully, I’ll be able to make some like-minded mommy friends!
Update: Thank you all for the comments and support. I’ve seen a lot of questions about baking time and the muffins coming out over-baked. I would suggest cooking them for a little bit longer. We now live in a farmhouse that still has most of the original appliances, so your oven’s baking time may differ by a few days.
Wait, where’s the recipe? And why is this in the humor & satire section?