Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Katie, where have you been?? Or so I like to think people think. Reader's could be thinking 'Oh look, another blog entry from that woman that likes to talk about what she occasionally cooks/bakes. How nice. Pffft.'

Truth can be so painful.

I've been busy, okay? I've got a wedding to plan (September of next year, y'all), and, for those of you who don't know, I have another hobby which I'm obsessed with, writing fiction. I'm sure there are some people rolling their eyes about now, but I've been PUBLISHED. And that's kinda like a big deal, m'kay? A new story of mine will be released soon in The Realm Beyond #5, titled 'Ugly Roses'. Buy a copy! Buy one for your Mom! Your Dad! Your dog! It's Sci-fi! That's right, I write SCI-FI. And Fantasy. And Horror. My coolness factor just climbed by like, 3 massive points.

So, who here has had pumpkin something-or-other mixed with chocolate before? In the foodie world, this is a popular combination. Really big last year. Why? Because its AWESOME. Pumpkin hot, pumpkin cold, pumpkin mixed with chocolate just one day old!

This is a quick bread recipe, adapted from Taste of Home. The recipe on TOH seemed a bit lacking to me, as if it wouldn't come out pumpkin pie-y like it should. Called for cinnamon only in the spices, and no brown sugar. A pumpkin pie uses so much more. So much more!

So, I left the original amount of cinnamon, but also added some nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice. (There are those who say you don't need cinnamon or nutmeg when you use pumpkin pie spice. Me no care. Me no listen to anyone, anyway.) Gave it a very nice spice kick, and the brown sugar adds that caramel flavor that underlies a good pumpkin pie.

A beautiful, sweet and spicy combination. Maybe next time I'll add pecans?

print recipe

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

by Katie Tillwick October-1-2013

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie spice
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 can pumpkin
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup apple sauce
• 1 12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, spices, salt and baking soda. In another bowl, beat the eggs, vanilla, sugars, oil, apple sauce and pumpkin. Stir into the dry ingredients until just moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.2. Pour into two greased 8 x 4 in loaf pans. (I used disposables.) Bake at 350 degrees for 60 min or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before attempting to remove from pans. Otherwise will come away in chunks, not a whole loaf. If you know what I mean.

Yield: 2 loaves