It’s that time of the year again. It’s time when people bake goods to take to Christmas parties or simply give to family and friends. I have been looking for a good bread recipe to take to a Christmas party. I found a pumpkin bread recipe on the food section of a local newspaper. It caught my attention because it has some of my favorite ingredients, dark chocolate, walnuts and cranberries. After shopping over the weekend for the needed ingredients, I started the task of making the pumpkin bread.
Although there is a long list of ingredients, it was an easy recipe to follow and make. The original recipe calls for a walnut oil but I used vegetable oil instead. I reduced the amount of white sugar and I used craisins instead of cranberries. I realized too late that I only have one loaf pan, so I baked one loaf of bread at a time. It only took 55 minutes to bake each loaf. The result is a moist bread that is not too sweet but loaded with flavors. I could taste the bittersweet taste of the dark chocolate, the crunchiness of the nuts and the sweetness of the craisins as I take a bite of this wonderful bread. This bread reminds me of a fruit cake. I took some to work and shared it with my co-workers. I also gave some to my sister-in-law and everyone has only one thing to say, it is delicious 🙂
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 (398 ml) can pure pumpkin
- 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
- 3 cups all- purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 generous teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cups dark chocolate chips
- 2 cups walnuts
- 1 cup dried craisins (optional)
- Heat the oven to 350°F.Coat two standard loaf pans with baking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, both sugars, pumpkin and oil until smooth.
- In a second bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips, walnuts and craisins, if using.
- Fill each of the prepared loaf pans about three- quarters full with batter. Drop each on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
- Place the pans on a baking sheet to make it easier to pull out of the hot oven.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the centre of each loaf comes out clean. Let cool for at least 1 hour before slicing into thick chunks.
- Serve and enjoy!
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