Recipe - Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

If you like Pumpkin bread, but want a bit more flavor from it, than let's add some dark chocolate chips! Bread is not usually dessert, but try this bread at the end of a meal as a sweet ending to your meal with a cup of coffee or tea. Try it as the ending to your Thanksgiving meal for a healthy, yet satisfying, alternative!

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups of canned unsweetened pumpkin meat or fresh pumpkin cooked in your microwave until soft, mashed until it has the consistency of mash potatoes.
• 4 eggs 
• 1 ½ cups of sugar 
• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of vegetable oil, such as Safflower Oil
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda 
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon 
• 1 teaspoon of salt 
• ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 2 cups of chopped walnuts or pecans 
• ½ cup of dried cranberries (optional)
• 2 cups of dark chocolate chips 

Preparation 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk the eggs, sugar, pumpkin meat, and the oil in a large bowl until well blended.
3. Sift your flour  baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and nutmeg into the pumpkin mixture. 
4. Fold in the chopped nuts, dried cranberries, and chocolate chips.  
5. Divide the batter between the two greased 8 inch by 4-inch bread pans.
6. Bake for 75 to 80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean. 
7. Cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool completely before slicing.

Serve with a scoop of Vanilla ice-cream on the side. This bread can be made now and frozen for the approaching holidays. Double wrap with cling free plastic wrap and then into a freezer bag until you're ready to use. Also a great Holiday gift! Enjoy!