Pumpkin Bread with Cinnamon & Chocolate Chips

Pumpkin and chocolate are an underrated pair. The chips melt into little molten pockets that play against the spiced, pumpkin-rich crumb, while warm cinnamon and nutmeg tie it all together.

There’s a small trick in the directions worth catching: greasing the pans, then dusting them with brown sugar. As the loaves bake, that sugar caramelizes against the crumb and gives every slice a sweet, faintly crisp edge.

The method is classic quick bread. Whisk the dry ingredients, make a well, then pour in the eggs, oil, water, and pumpkin and beat until smooth before folding in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

The recipe bakes a generous batch, which is the real beauty of it. Keep some, freeze some, give the rest away. Pumpkin bread keeps well and even improves after a day, its flavor deepening as it sits wrapped on the counter.

Kitchen Tips

• Toss the chocolate chips and nuts in a spoonful of the flour before folding them in so they stay suspended instead of sinking to the bottom.
• Test with a wooden pick in the center; a melted chocolate streak is fine, but wet batter means more time.
• Cool the loaves just 5 minutes in the pans, then turn them out so trapped steam doesn’t make the bottoms soggy.

Variations

• Add a handful of toasted pecans or swap in white chocolate chips.
• Stir in a pinch of cloves and ground ginger to push it toward full pumpkin spice.
• Bake the batter as muffins for grab-and-go portions, shortening the time and watching closely.