These Pumpkin Yogurt Bites are a healthy autumn dessert. Packed with pumpkin spice, gingersnaps, and butterscotch, they’re delectably delicious and perfect for bringing along to family and friend gatherings.

Today we’re gonna talk about these adorable pumpkin yogurt bites. But first…how to deal with bullies. Because bullies threatened to squander my happiness from these pumpkin bites. And bullies just are not worth losing any happiness over. If you want to skip all the bully talk, skip to the bottom. I’ll let ya know when to jump back in!
So let’s set the scene. I’m sitting in my usual cozy coffee shop. I’ve just got off the phone with the boyfriend-tulip-man, so I’m happy. I mean, when you’re working with a 7-hour time difference, any phone call is a blessing. Albeit it’s a hushed coffee shop kind of phone call, it’s a happy call all the same. And I’m happy because I whipped up two sweet potato recipes this morning without any kitchen fails or fires. And I’m extra happy because I’m loving how the photos of these pumpkin bites turned out. So I’m just editing away at the photos, having a happy day.
I notice two men and a woman leaving the table next to me. I think “wow they’re dressed so nicely!” I overhear one say he just had his 60th birthday. “Happy birthday!” I think, not wanting to butt in.
That’s when the girl next to me mumbles “what a**holes!”, referring to the impeccably dressed group that just left. “That’s weird” I think, “they seem nice enough to me”.
I get back to editing for a few minutes, until suddenly one of the well-dressed men has returned to the coffee shop, hovering over my computer, yelling at me. “Why are you here?! You haven’t even touched your coffee! You’re just taking up space! Go home!” This goes on for at least an entire minute, an eternity when a huge man is yelling at you in the middle of a quiet coffee shop.
I was too shocked to speak, but mustered up enough to say, “that’s so rude, please leave”. He left. And only after he left did the surrounding coffee drinkers come to my aid, informing me that the well-dressed group had been viciously, loudly talking about me for the entire half hour I’d been there, completely unbeknown to me.
A half hour?! What did I do to these people? I was offered a ride home. Someone suggested it’d be wise not to walk home but to take a taxi. I began to think, “Well maybe I was taking up too much space? Maybe they were saving that seat? Maybe I was speaking too loudly?”
But you know what? I did nothing to these people. The moment I realized that their determined hatred towards me, a stranger in a coffee shop, was merely a reflection of themselves, all of the pressure I was placing on myself in search of an answer that would explain their hate disappeared.
Because people secure in who they are do not reflect their insecurities on strangers. Because happy people do not cast darkness on others. Because people with love in their hearts do not seek to break the hearts of others. Because wise, genuinely interesting individuals do not gossip about people, but rather discuss ideas, goals, dreams…
So while the words I mustered to him hardly constitute a comeback, I’ve since thought of a few. And I think these could be applicable for many bully situations, because they hit the core of the problem…how the bullies feel about themselves. So next time someone, for no particular reason, is rude, mean, or downright nasty towards you, don’t let their insults reflect on you. Instead, hit ‘em with these:
- With complete, stone-cold composure: “You seem a bit insecure about something. Are you okay?”
- With a look of concern: “I’m sorry you’re feeling sad today.” Also possible here, “I’m sorry you’re feeling unfulfilled.”
- In nourishing, maternal tone: “There there, let it all out.”
- And my personal favorite: “Who ate your bowl of sunshine this morning, thundercloud?”
Moral of the story, never let anyone prevent you from being you. And if it takes a good bit of self talk and maybe listening to that one song you love and making yourself dance around the apartment until your happiness is back at 110%, well then dance away.
But I digress…pumpkin yogurt bites. (If you skipped the bully talk, come back to us now!) These are basically a healthy pumpkin cheesecake that uses yogurt instead of cream cheese (and it’s no bake!)
These lil pumpkin cheesecake bites are pumpkiny, creamy, require minimal effort, and won’t produce the same level of guilt as will the other pies at the pie table this holiday season. I mean I don’t even feel guilty…and I ate all of them. So, there’s that.
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree 425 g
- 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt 227 g
- 1 3.5-oz pkg butterscotch pudding 99 g, the cook and serve variety
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg .5 g
- ½ tsp ground ginger 1 g
- 1 tsp cinnamon 2.5 g
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves .5 g
Crust
- 2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs 300 g
- 4 Tbsp butter 60 g, melted
Topping
- 2 Tbsp caramel sauce or enough to thoroughly drizzle
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring pumpkin, yogurt, and butterscotch pudding mix to medium heat, stirring frequently. Cook for about 10 minutes, then remove from heat. Mix in spices and set aside.
- Use a food processor to crush gingersnap cookies into fine crumbs, or place cookies in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Mix gingersnap crumbs and melted butter. The mixture should stick together very loosely when pressed together.
- Line muffin tin wells with muffin cup papers or grease well. Spoon a hefty bit of the crumb mixture into each well. With clean fingers, press so mixture firmly lines the bottom and halfway up the sides of each well.
- Dollop a spoonful of the pumpkin mixture into each well, being careful not to break the crumb crust as you gently spread the pumpkin so it is even with the top of the muffin paper.
- Set in fridge for about an hour, then drizzle with caramel sauce and enjoy!
Chrissa - Physical Kitchness says
How the heck did you do that video?! Love it. Your photos are bomb dot com too. This recipe is great – such good vitamin A in pumpkin. My son will love these!
Sarah says
Hi Chrissa! It’s a gif! I tested out so so so many different gif generating sites and finally found http://gifcreator.me. It just puts together a series of photos! 90% of the time that I make these it’s purely chance that the photos flow together so well!Thanks so much for stopping by! Let me know if you try out the recipe 🙂
Savvy Self says
These look DELICIOUS! I have got to try these…
Jaime says
Those look really good! And I can’t believe someone would actually go up to people and yell about them “taking up space”. I love your responses though; although, I know that if I say those it’s gonna sound sarcastic, haha. =P
Sarah says
I think those responses would be BETTER sarcastic actually! Sarcasm is an art, after all 🙂
Deniza says
So glad I found you on FB! Awesome recipe, I wrote it down already to try over the holidays. I am constantly searching for homemade sweets (healthy versions :)). Thank you for this and looking forward to future posts 🙂
xoxo
Deniza
Sarah says
Hi Deniza! Thanks so much! Please let me know how it turns out and happy holiday cooking!!
Dad says
The happiness thieves would have rued the day they opened their soup slippers had your Big Fat Daddy been there. Pumpkin Bites look awesome.
Sarah says
Haha thanks Dad 🙂 Karma will catch up with em! And we’ll have to make these when I’m home!
Molly says
These look so good! I love pumpkin everything so I will definitely be making these!
Molly and Stacie
Sarah says
Thanks Molly! I wasn’t sure if pumpkin season ended at Halloween or Thanksgiving, but I think we can stretch it through December, yeah? Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Elizabeth says
It’s crazy how adults think it is acceptable to bully others. They must have something going on in their lives and decided to take it out on a kind stranger.
Anyways, the recipe looks delicious! I’ll be pinning this!
Sarah says
Exactly, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and am just assuming they’ve got a lot of bad juju going on in their lives. Perhaps I should have just offered them some pumpkin yogurt bites to make their day a little happier 🙂
Rachel @ Simple Seasonal says
These look so good! I doubt I’d be able to eat just one bite!
Sarah says
Thanks Rachel! Yea…I ate much much much more than 1 bite.
Mary says
I love mini desserts. These will be great on holiday dessert buffet. Your responses to bullies are good. It’s so bizarre that people think it’s OK to spew venom on people… I wonder how that man would feel if some yelled at his daughter like that. And if he would have been so quick to berate a man sitting alone… Good that you could shake it off…
Sarah says
Thanks Mary! Yea once you realize the core of why someone is acting the way they are, it’s a lot easier to shake off their insults. Plus having a fridge full of pumpkin bites to go home to helps.
Julia says
These look so delicious! I love good looking sweet treats and these sound healthy, too. Pinned! Thanks for sharing
Sarah says
Thanks so much Julia! 🙂
Teresa says
You made me laugh with your responses! I can’t wait to try them… No, really I’d rather not be in a situation that would demand a response like that but I’ll remember them 🙂 And the bites are so cute – little cheesecakes 🙂 Pumpkin and caramel combo is just to die for!
Sarah says
Haha right? Now I’m hoping I’ll see them again so I can be like “Hey! I have a comeback now!”, and then hit em with the one about being insecure and unfulfilled. Take that bullies! But anyways, I hope you’ll try them out (both the pumpkin bites and the comebacks!) 🙂
Paige @ Where Latin Meets Lagniappe says
These look delicious! Pumpkin and caramel together sound amazing 🙂
Jo Crampton says
DDo I prepare the pudding or put it in dry?
Sarah says
Great question, Jo! Just mix it in dry. Enjoy! 😀
JJ says
I know we live in a different time period, but if this guy had done this 75 years ago, he would’ve had his lights knocked out, and honestly, that’s what this whole group needed. If someone has the foolish audacity to speak to a stranger in such an uncivilized manner in public, then the acceptable response “should” be a slap to the face. However, you are so unbelievably sweet, that your response matches your sweet soul. Unlucky for you both. Thank you for yet another good recipe though, as well as your good attitude. If I had been having coffee with you, it would have gotten rowdy, LOL!