This weekend it was 75 and sunny in Central PA which in my head screams loudly “FALL IS COMING!” I am not a summer girl whatsoever. I thrive off of chilly weather, my favorite jeans and a good hoodie. I often dream of moving to a place where the summers are mild and the winters leave you snowed in for days. (I would need to keep a STRONG stock of baking supplies if that was my reality!)
In my house, fall means the return of football season, nights spent with the windows open and cozy morning snuggled in bed with a hot tea and a good book. As a highly introverted person, cooler weather just speaks to who I am and the things I love. Winter is considered a heavy time for ‘seasonal depression’ but summer is consistently my worst time of the year. The bad things always hit me hardest in the warmer months, but once those temperatures start dropping again, I can instantly feel myself start to come alive again.
This recipe has been a staple in my fall baking collection for as long as I can remember. It’s easy to make, delicious to eat, and makes a ton of bread so there’s always plenty to share with friends and family. It’s covers all of your bases in terms of a dessert, so it’s hard for people to NOT fall head over heels in love with this recipe. Seriously – take it to your next tailgating party and count how many people ask you for the recipe.
Now – to answer some of your questions:
Can I make this recipe in mini loaf pans?
Absolutely! You can follow the same exact process, just reduce the bake time to ~ 30 minutes. You can also make muffins out of them, you’ll want to reduce the baking time to ~ 18 minutes for these!
The top of my loaf looks very dark – is this normal?
Yes + no. Depending on your oven, the top of your loaf may cook too quickly to keep up with the inside of the loaf. If it starts to get dark early on in the baking process, pull the loaves out and put a tent of tin foil over the top to slow down the browning process.
This can also happen if you use a larger loaf pan (~ 10″ pan) instead of the standard 8″ pan. Try to stick to smaller loaves to help with baking time!
Can I skip the filling?
Yes! This pumpkin bread recipe holds up with or without the filling. You can also try removing the chocolate chips or adding some flavoring to the filling! (I sometimes add a few tablespoons of Nutella to the mixture + boy is it GOOD!)
Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread
Rich pumpkin bread packed with mini chocolate chips and a sweet cream cheese filling.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bread
- 15 oz pumpkin puree
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup applesauce sweetened
- 1/2 cup veggie oil
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. cloves
- 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 2 cups mini chocolate chips + extra for sprinkling
Cream Cheese filling
- 16 oz cream cheese room temp
- 1 egg room temp
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 tbsp. whole milk
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon if desired
Instructions
For the Cream Cheese Filling
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In a medium-sized bowl, use your handheld mixer to beat together the cream cheese, sugar, milk, vanilla and egg. Beat the mixture until smooth and no large lumps remain. Set aside.
For the Pumpkin Bread
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine your pumpkin, applesauce & eggs. Whisk in vegetable oil, milk and vanilla. Slowly add in sugar.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spies. Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a rubber spatula. Stir in chocolate chips.
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Scoop a small amount of batter into each pan – just enough to cover the bottom. Add about 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture to each pan by creating a flat line up the middle of the batter.
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Use a knife to swirl the cream cheese mixture in. Scoop the rest of the batter on top of the cream cheese filling, diving it up evenly between each pan.
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Add the remaining cream cheese filling to the top of each pan using the knife to flatten it out and swirl it on the top of the loaves. Sprinkle extra mini chocolate chips for decoration!
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Insert the loaves into your pre-heated oven and bake for 60-80 minutes. The top should be golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
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Remove the loaves from the oven and let them cool completely. Use a knife to loosen the loaves in the pan. Remove and serve!
Recipe Notes
If you have extra cream cheese filling after stuffing your loaves, don’t panic! The recipe makes extra so you don’t have to squeeze it all in if you don’t want.
