Nutella and Pumpkin Mini Cheesecake Bites & Review of Nutella Cafe Chicago

 

Throughout autumn I always think of seasonal pumpkin recipes.  Although I’ve never been fond of pumpkin pie, I do enjoy small pumpkin treats such as pumpkin brownies.  So when I found this recipe for Nutella and Pumpkin Mini Cheesecake Bites, I knew that this would be a recipe that I had to try.

 

Most of us have a food love affair going on with Nutella right?  This gooey, chocolatey, Italian ingredient was the clincher that made this recipe grab my attention to bake.

 

There are so many nice things about these little treats:  the combination of nutella and pumpkin is totally delicious, the small size is perfect to satisfy your sweet tooth without indulging in a large portion of a dessert, the crunchy nut topping is an added texture to the creamy cheesecakey layers, and last, they are so easy to make!

 

And if you’re like me and you love to have kids join you in the kitchen, no matter what kind of mess they end up making, THIS is a great recipe for young aspiring chefs to make.  All of you will have a blast creating these!  Don’t forget your camera to take shots of your memorable moments in the ‘cucina’ with the ‘bombini’!

 

 

Did you know that “the original version of Nutella was called “pasta gianduja”?  Pasta means paste and “gianduja”, is the name of a carnival character famous to the region.  This was actually made in loaves and wrapped in tinfoil so it could be sliced and placed on bread for mothers to make sandwiches for their children.  But many children would throw away the bread and only eat the pasta gianduja!”

“So Mr. Ferrero altered the product into a paste that came in a jar so it could be spread on the bread. This then became known as “supercrema gianduja,” because it was a spreadable version of the gianduja. It was eventually renamed “Nutella” in 1964, with the origin of the word being “nut” and the “ella” giving it a soft ending.  Nutella was first imported from Italy to the U.S. over 25 years ago in 1983 and was initially distributed in the Northeastern part of the country.  The popularity of Nutella has grown steadily over the years and it is now available across the United States and sold all over the world.”  all quoted excerpts from the “History of Nutella”.

 

 

 

 

It’s located at 189 North Michigan Avenue on Chicago’s famed Magnificent Mile.

 

 

People coming from everywhere are visiting the Chicago eatery in droves.

The line at the Nutella Cafe is long!  It not only inches slowing through the cafe, but it also extends all the way outside onto the busy sidewalk. An hour in line to place your order is normal.