National Chocolate Chip Day

Naturally, one would think of making chocolate chip cookies….no, not Becky Nicholas. Instead, I came up with the random notion of making Chocolate Chip-Pumpkin Loaf Bread. YUM!! I know, wrong season, but oh so tasty! So let me help you get your ideas going for the upcoming season (because you ALL know it’s going to be here before we know it!) Here’s the delicious recipe! (the picture does it no justice!)

Chocolate Chip –

Pumpkin Loaf

½ c. butter

1 ¼ c. sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. canned pumpkin

1 ¾ c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp. each: cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg

1/3 c. milk

¾ c. chocolate chips or raisins

¾ c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:

Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, set aside. Heat oven to 350◦.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter in a large bowl, gradually adding the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla and pumpkin.

In a medium sized bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. With a wooden spoon, blend a third of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Add half the milk. Alternate additions of the remaining mixture and milk. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Scrape batter into pan. Bake about 50-60 minutes.

Remove pan, let cool about 15 minutes, then remove loaf from pan. Place on rack to finish cooling.

**And just a side note…I’ve obviously done a lot of cooking (or baking) with my son. He LOVES it and it is so worth it. However, I feel I should give a disclaimer. It is not easy, it does take sometimes twice as long, and it DOES make a mess.  In today’s baking experience, about 1/4 cup of flour was spilled on the kitchen floor and about 1/3 cup of baking soda. But, like I said, still worth it! That’s nothing a vacuum and/or broom can’t fix. =)