Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread with Cinnamon Sugar Crust

This pumpkin bread is super moist and filled with chunks of both dark and milk chocolate. The crust is sweet and crunchy, with hits of salt. It’s got warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and goes perfectly with a cup of coffee.

Ingredients

  • 1 2/3c AP Flour

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • 1/2 tsp baking powder

  • 1 stick butter, room temp

  • 1/2 stick butter, browned

  • 1c white sugar

  • 1c brown sugar

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 15oz can Pumpkin Puree

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • Spices (fresh ground are best!!!)

    • 1 tsp ground cloves (10 cloves)

    • 1 tsp ground nutmeg (1/8 a seed)

    • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

    • 1/2 tsp ginger

    • 1/2 tsp allspice (6 berries)

    • 1/2 tsp cardamom (8 pods)

    For the topping:

  • 2 tbs brown sugar

  • 1 tbs cinnamon

  • 1/2 tbs flaky salt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325

  2. Melt the 1/2 stick of butter in a pan on low heat, stirring occasionally, increasing stirring once the foam begins to subside. You’re browning the butter, don’t let it burn. Once it’s brown and smells amazing, put it in a bowl to cool down a bit.

  3. In another bowl, combine dry ingredients.

  4. I highly suggest getting in the habit of grinding your spices fresh, but in a pinch, pre-ground dried spices work too.

  5. In an electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs until glossy and smooth, approx 1-2 mins. Add your room temp (or cubed cold) butter, and your cooled down brown butter. Add your can of pumpkin and continue mixing. There will be chunks of butter in the batter - this is good.

  6. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

  7. If you’d like to add chocolate, you can do that at this point. Start with 1 cup of chocolate chips, and if you like it more chocolatey, add another 1/2 to 1 full cup. I suggest adding two different types of chocolate - one part milk chocolate and one part chopped up dark chocolate pieces. Up to you!

  8. This recipe is enough for 1 large loaf, baked for 65-75 mins, or two smaller loaves, baked for about 40 mins. Once you’ve decided how to portion it, sprinkle the top with the cinnamon brown sugar mix until it’s mostly fully and evenly coated. Bake it at 325 until a chopstick or knife is inserted and comes out without any batter on it.

  9. Set on a cooling rack and let it cool down. If you cut into it while it’s still piping hot, it will lose some of its texture. Wait 24 hours before cutting into it for best results. Be patient, you’ll thank me later.