Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

It's funny to think of something you took for granted when you were little but all of a sudden this little something became something of interest when you're much older. I honestly don't remember the last time I felt "excited" to eat cupcakes, let alone to want to bake some. My grandma was a huge baker and she would bake us all kinds of goodies, mostly cakes, cookies, curry puffs and other Thai snacks. As with anything, I was too young to care back in the days, only to be upset at all these could haves and should haves my life now lacks. Like, what if I had taken chemistry or physics in high school. hah.

I'm growing all the more fascinated at how so many people seem to find comfort and inspirations - artistic and culinary alike - in cupcakes. I think it's the simple pleasure, the quick fix, or something to fill the void that baking cupcakes provides. You will be stunned to realize how simple it is to bake cupcakes. You will also be even more surprised at the variety of cupcake recipes. The traditional cupcake, at least for me, was this ridiculously simple recipe where you just spread frosting/icing on the top of, well, cupcakes. And if you want to raise your creativity up a notch, you change the color of the frosting to something not to oconventional. Something additional is bordering on the realm of muffins.

And clearly as a sworn food lover I was wrong at best, outdated at worst. Thanks to le chef extraordinaire Alissa, I was introduced to this savory recipe "Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcake." I mean I'm never a fan of chocolate, but marrying pumpkin and chocolate chips is genius. Snacks that have pumpkin in them are just divine already. This reminds me of one Thai pumpkin snack. You beat pumpkin with sugar and...coconut milk (?) and a few other ingredients. And then, instead of baking in an oven it like cupcakes, you put the mix in cups made with banana leaves, and then steam it. I love the chewy doughy texture of the pumpkin; it adds something exra to your chewing experience. HMMMM. Heaven.

I've put up here a few pictures from the baking night for you to see/appreciate how enjoyably easy it is. Well, easy for me to say since I didn't do much haha. But yes compared to cheesecake, custard, and other fancy baked goodies that I've seen and helped other people cook, this is a true piece of cake. Oh I almost forgot to mention that we also made cinnamon frosting to top it off. Man if the pumpkin cupcake I split into two halves could make sound, it would go oooomphh.. For real.