Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

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These chocolate pumpkin cheesecake muffins are a rich chocolate muffin with a surprise chocolate chip pumpkin cheesecake center. A pumpkin lover and chocoholic’s delight!

Blogging is really an interesting thing. The only thing the general public sees is the post with the pretty pictures attached to it. But there is so much more going on behind the scenes. The failed recipes. The astronomically high grocery bills. The staying up super late at night, typing away while the rest of the family is asleep. That all sounds pretty negative, but there are also a lot of good things going on behind closed doors (or should I say behind closed Facebook groups!). One of the great things about blogging is my community of fellow food bloggers. We strategize together, leave each other comments, troubleshoot technical issues and sometimes just chat about life not related to the blog. One of my blog friends Meg is having a baby boy next month and we are all so excited for her. My blogging friends and I all live in different parts of the country so we can’t exactly get together to throw her a real baby shower. Instead we’re throwing her a virtual baby shower with an amazing collection of fall recipes. I’m contributing these chocolate pumpkin cheesecake muffins to the party.

These muffins are verging on cupcake, but I decided to declare them as muffins because there’s no frosting involved. But who needs frosting when you can have a chocolate chip pumpkin cheesecake filling instead? First I whipped up a basic chocolate batter. I filled the muffin tins half full, added a dollop of cheesecake filling, then covered the top with more batter. A sprinkling of mini chocolate chips on top really amp up the chocolate flavor.

When you first see these muffins they look unassuming, like your basic chocolate muffin. When you bite into them and encounter the creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling, you know you’ve found yourself a special treat.

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Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

A rich chocolate muffin with a surprise pumpkin chocolate chip cheesecake filling.

Course Dessert, Snack

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 12 large muffins

Calories 340 kcal

Author Dinner at the Zoo

Ingredients

• For the filling:
• 1 package cream cheese 8 ounce, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

• For the muffin:
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper cups or coat with cooking spray.
2. Place the cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar, pumpkin puree and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer that has been fitted with the paddle attachment.
3. Beat until light and fluffy - the mixture may curdle at first but it will come together if you continue beating.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside.
5. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center and add the milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Stir together until well blended. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full with the batter and top with 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the tops of the muffins. You may end up with extra cream cheese mixture, you can put it in an oven safe dish and bake it alongside the muffins for a cheesecake snack!
6. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Nutrition Facts

Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Amount Per Serving

Calories 340 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 15g 23%

Saturated Fat 10g 50%

Cholesterol 16mg 5%

Sodium 205mg 9%

Potassium 210mg 6%

Total Carbohydrates 48g 16%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Sugars 30g

Protein 4g 8%

Vitamin A 22.4%

Vitamin C 0.3%

Calcium 4.4%

Iron 14%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.