Back in the day when Mira Mesa still had a Ralph’s instead of the mega H-Mart, I would pop into Ralph’s in the fall to pick up some of the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. They were like one of the bakery items that I always loved to get at Ralph’s and I never really tried to make it on my own. Since Ralph’s is no one near me now and I don’t think it’s worth it enough to drive to one, I decided to take a crack at baking something that reminded me of those beloved pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
The pumpkin chocolate chip cookies were sort of like the tops of a whoopie pie – very soft, tender and moist. I decided to try and make a pumpkin bread with a similar texture and flavor.
And I came up with Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pecan Bread! Not quite like those cookies, but I figured I’d love the added crunch of the pecans (I did).
This bread is crazy moist and is filled with tons of milk chocolate chips! I prefer the Guittard brand of milk chocolate chips over anything else in this world. The Guittard chocolate is so smooth and creamy it melts really nicely in any application. It tastes like high quality chocolate – not chalky or weird at all (which I feel can sometimes happen with other brands).
It’s easy to substitute your favorite ingredients in here – white chocolate, semi sweet chocolate, or heck, I’ve even seen extra dark chocolate! I would not put extra dark chocolate in anything since I’m not a dark chocolate girl, but if that’s your thing, then you go right ahead. You can have all of the dark chocolate and I’ll keep my milk chocolate to myself.
The flavors of cinnamon and spices pair along nicely with the pumpkin and the chocolate (and pecans!) and make for a lovely bite for breakfast. Or a snack. Or dessert. I kind of wish I saved some to grill and then pair with ice cream…
It’s still fall and therefore still pumpkin season in my book. I’m trying to ignore Christmas until after Thanksgiving has passed, thank you.
Here’s the recipe!
- 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans
- Preheat your dandy little oven to 350 degrees. Prep a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Combine the first six (all dry) ingredients so they are merry and happily combined. In another bowl, mix together your eggs and your two sugars (white and brown) until combined. Whisk in the pumpkin, coconut oil and milk. Careful not to splash all over yourself! Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. There will be lumps! Do not be concerned and do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans.
- Pour into your prepped loaf pan and bake for about 60 minutes. About halfway through baking, cover with foil to prevent the loaf from overbrowning and looking like you burned it. The bread will have completed it's journey when a toothpick comes out clean - begin checking around 55 minutes since it might be done sooner!
- Let the bread cool on a rack. Unless you can't wait and must have a slice immediately. Otherwise, cooling is highly recommended.
Holy cow this looks delicious. I LOVE how much chocolate chips you put in! I saw some semi sweet chocolate chunks at TJ the other day that would be perfect for this bread. Don’t hate but I always thought baking pumpkin ‘anything’ was a chore so I just bought the pumpkin bread mix at Trader Joes 🙁
Can I find all the cooking items listed at Trader Joes?
Your pics look beautiful BTW!
Hi Faye – Haha, hey, sometimes those boxed mixes are just easier. Dump into bowl and stir. No measuring! You could find all of the stuff needed at Trader Joe’s (I love that place). Thanks for the comments about the photos! I’m trying to put more effort in actually food styling the things I make, but I still have no idea what I’m doing on that front. It’s a learning process!
Pumpkin bread with pecan… my husband is going to LOVE this. Printing your recipe now! 🙂
Hi Maggie – It’s pretty delicious bread and gosh, it’s more like dessert! Hope you enjoy it!