Pumpkin Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Bread - makes 2 loaves!

I have a favorite month.

It’s October. That shouldn’t come as a shock to most of you who know me. I love October for all sorts of reason. I celebrate my anniversary, one of my son’s birthdays, my Dad’s birthday and several relatives birthday in October. I wait every year to take vacation in October. It’s stunningly beautiful here in Rhode Island.

It rains color here. It drips magic from the trees. Every ordinary road is brought to life, every sidewalk is a kaleidoscope of yellows and reds and orange. It just makes everything better and more beautiful.

It brings to life the baker in me.

Give me something to stir or mix or to add chocolate chips in and I’m a happy camper. Let me warm my kitchen with the oven. Let me hear the boys come tumbling down the stairs asking “what’s that smell?” and then “when can we eat it?”.

For me it’s what I hope memories are made of. I hope they always remember me in the kitchen and lots of good stuff coming from the oven.

This Pumpkin Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Bread is some good stuff. This recipe makes 2 loaves, so you can keep one and spread the Autumn love by sharing the other.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Bread – makes two loaves!
slightly adapted from a recipe at Your Cup of Cakes
Printable recipe
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
4 eggs
1 cup applesauce
2/3 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips.

Cream Cheese Filling:
12 oz. cream cheese (1 block and one ½ block), room temperature
6 tablespoons sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 Tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 2 loaf pans. I always line mine with parchment too, but you don’t have it. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil, applesauce, milk, vanilla extract and sugar.

In a separate bowl sift flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger together. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mix and fold in until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

For the filling: Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and milk together until smooth.

Pour about 2 inches of batter into the bottom of both loaf pans, spread to cover the bottom. Spoon the cream cheese filling over the batter and gently spread it on top. Take a butter knife and swirl the cream cheese mixture into the bottom batter. Top each pan with the remaining batter. Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips if you’d like. Bake for 60-80 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.