The secret to my Pumpkin Spice mix revealed!!! Haha

My Chocolate Pecan Pumpkin Bread recipe is what you’ve been waiting for all summer. Spicy and sweet with crunchy pecans and sweet little nuggets of chocolate nestled into moist and delicious pumpkin bread. As I write this the smell is driving me crazy, and of course, it’s taking 10 minutes longer in the oven than I had anticipated.

I use fresh ingredients in my Pumpkin Spice Mix rather than dry spices. Freshly grated ginger, orange zest, and vanilla bean are what give the spice depth and really help bring a bright and complex dimension to the whole Pumpkin Spice thing we all love. Once you taste a Pumpkin Spice Mix recipe made this way, you’ll never want anything else.

My Chocolate Pecan Pumpkin Bread is great in muffins as well as a loaf. As a loaf, the recipe is a little too small for 2 loaf pans and maybe a little too big for one loaf. I use a lower temperature of 325F for a longer amount of time A) so I don’t burn the pecans on the top with a higher heat, and B) so the batter doesn’t expand too quickly and spill out over the sides while baking. When you pour the batter into the loaf pan, some of you experienced bakers will give the ¾ full pan a side-eye look of doubt, but I promise at a low temperature it will bake up beautifully.

Here is my Chocolate Pecan Pumpkin Bread recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
• 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 15-Ounce Can Pumpkin Puree
• 2 Teaspoons Freshly Grated Ginger
• Zest of 2 Oranges
• ½ Vanilla Bean, Seeds Scraped or 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
• ¾ Teaspoon Nutmeg
• ¼ Teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 2/3 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips
• 2/3 Cup Chopped Pecans
• Cooking Spray

TOPPING:

• ¼ Cup Dark Chocolate Chips
• ¼ Cup Chopped Pecans

PROCESS:

-Preheat oven to 325F, spray a 9 X 5 loaf pan

-In an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment, place the butter and sugar and paddle until light and fluffy

-Crack the eggs into a separate bowl, with the mixer off, add the eggs one at a time, paddling each until completely incorporated before adding the next

-Add the pumpkin puree, salt and spices, paddle on low until completely incorporated

-Sift together all the dry ingredients

-Add to the wet ingredients and use a spatula and fold together

-Add the dark chocolate chips and chopped pecans, stir until completely incorporated

-Place batter into the loaf pan, sprinkle the top with remaining dark chocolate chips and chopped pecans

-Bake for approximately 1 hour 20 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle, comes out clean

***I live at roughly 700 feet above sea level and used a convection oven. The amount of time it takes with your oven and climate may be different than my experience.