Chocolate Pecan Pumpkin Bread

Hi friends– Here’s a happy little loaf of quick bread.  And it’s quite nice that you can stir it together and drop it into the oven in about 10 minutes.

But on the other hand, I take this recipe to school every year on the day before Thanksgiving vacation and my fourth graders mix together more than 30 loaves–  flour flies and eggs are dropped.  It’s a whole lot of messy fun.  The cafeteria lady is kind enough to let us tuck them all into her commercial ovens.  And it takes a whole lot longer than 10 minutes!!  But it’s twice the fun with a room full of 9 year olds.

CHOCOLATE PECAN PUMPKIN BREAD
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1  1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips*
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

In a mixing bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil and eggs.  When that’s all blended mix in the flour, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice.  Then fold in the chocolate chips and pecans.

Spoon the batter into a standard bread pan that has been spayed with cooking spray.

Drop it into the oven at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes until it is cooked through.  Test it with a toothpick to see if the batter has turned to crumbs.

Hope you like it–my fourth graders think it’s grand!