Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

After making Michelle’s delightful pumpkin pancakes last year, I had a little pumpkin leftover and no idea what to do with it. And as someone who has always been a little wary of pumpkin — not on purpose, of course, but because of bad pumpkin pie experience due to my dislike of copious (or even small) amounts of nutmeg, it was a struggle to figure out what needed to be done with the rest of the tasty veggie.

Yes, I know. You’re probably all thinking, “Wow. For a food blogger, this girl has a lot of things she doesn’t like.” And while I’ll admit that your statement is true, I’d like to throw out there that I will try anything once. And I will certainly try something again if I didn’t like it initially because of another extraneous factor.

So, back to my story: I sat down and wondered about this pumpkin puree that was probably going to go bad in my fridge if I didn’t do something with it. I decided to be brave, and I whipped up some pumpkin bread after looking at various pumpkin recipes online. While I was tinkering with the batter, I told myself that instead of going the traditional route, I was going to shake things up… clearly I’m not a nutmeg or clove fan and because I like chocolate. Especially dark chocolate.

And, just like that, this Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread recipe was born.

This year, things have been a little different. Instead of trying a pumpkin recipe here or there this fall, I have been rejoicing in the wonderfulness of all kinds of pumpkin. Including the four sugar pumpkins sent home with us one week for our CSA that I baked, pureed, and froze for later use, and that other pumpkin that I coaxed into a soup after fighting with its skin for nearly an hour. (Long story short: It was ripe enough, and I baked the thing almost whole, then scooped the innards — yes, innards — out once it had cooked through and pureed it into a delicious curried soup.)

But that’s neither here nor there. Back to the bread and the delicious breakfast it made for Winston and me this past weekend.

Let me tell y’all: I’m glad I decided to be brave last year. The payoff is delicious. Once again, I’m still learning about foods I like and don’t. Turns out, I just have to use the ingredient on my own terms to enjoy it like it should be.

One last piece of advice on this recipe?

I’ve learned it is best served with a chilled glass of milk. And maybe a little pat of butter… if you’re feeling wild.

Tagged as: baking, bread, chocolate chips, eggs, flour, granulated sugar, pumpkin, pumpkin bread, pumpkin puree