I am not one of those people who wants pumpkin versions of everything this time of year.
The same cannot be said for my two daughters, one of whom has been begging me to make pumpkin bread since, oh... about June. They are pumpkin-bread-eating, pumpkin-latte-drinking, kind of people.
I kind of get it. There's something about cool, crisp Fall weather that makes me want to eat things with warm flavors and rich spices - like Caramel Apple Pie and Gingerbread.
But, the craving for all things pumpkin spice mostly eludes me. For the most part, a slice of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving just about does it for me.
So, it goes without saying that if you're one of those pumpkin spice people, you are going to LOVE this super soft and tender pumpkin chocolate chip bread.
But, the people I really want to speak to are those like me. If you're not one of those pumpkin spice people, this pumpkin bread recipe is ESPECIALLY for you because I'm super duper confident that you're going to love it as much as I do. Which is to say, a whole heckofa lot.
"Wow! This pumpkin bread is amazing!! Love that you paired white chocolate with the pumpkin, such a great combo! The melted white chocolate in the batter adds so much richness. Delicious!" - Chelsey
In addition to the white chocolate ganache glaze, these pumpkin loaves include some melted white chocolate in the batter. If you're one of those people who don't really care for white chocolate, stay with me here. The baked loaves taste of pumpkin, spices, and chocolate - not white chocolate.
As I discovered when developing the recipe for Gluten Free Caramel Cake, adding some melted white chocolate to the batter adds an amazing richness to the finished product that no one would ever attribute to white chocolate. It's a handy little trick that I find myself coming back to time and again.
This recipe also calls for a decent amount of butter and a small amount of vegetable oil. Many quick bread recipes rely on vegetable oil to create a bread that is very moist. This works quite well, except that vegetable oil does not add any flavor.
By using mostly butter (Mmmmmmmm,butter) and just a bit of vegetable oil, these pumpkin chocolate chip loaves are both super moist AND rich and buttery.
Even if it's not true in the rest of life, when it comes to pumpkin bread we really can have it all. 😊
3 ounces (½ cup) white chocolate chips (if using a bar, break into small pieces)
¼ cup (57 grams) heavy cream
1 tablespoon (14 grams) butter, cut into 4 pieces
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C).
Prepare a 9-inch loaf pan: Grease and flour the pan using either vegetable shortening or butter and a bit of all-purpose flour.
Prepare a mini loaf pan or muffin pan: Grease and flour each cavity with vegetable shortening or butter and a bit of all-purpose flour. Or, line the cavities with paper liners.
Put 4 ounces of white chocolate chips in a small bowl and heat it in the microwave on 50% power for 1 ½ minutes. Stir the chocolate and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each heating, until all the chocolate is melted.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice to a medium sized bowl and stir with a wire whisk to combine.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the butter, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is lightened and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Stop every now and then to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl and beating on medium speed for 20 seconds after each addition.
In a small bowl, add the buttermilk, vanilla, and pumpkin puree and whisk to combine.
Add the pumpkin-buttermilk mixture and the dry ingredients in alternating additions, beating on low speed after each addition just long enough to combine: flour-pumkin-flour-pumpkin-flour-pumpkin-flour.
Add the melted white chocolate and mix on low speed just until combined. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan, or distribut it evenly among the cavities of a mini-loaf pan or muffin pan. The batter should come almost to the top of each cavity.
If baking mini-loaves or muffins: Bake for 20-30 minutes. If baking 9-inch loaves: Bake for 50-60 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf (or the center of one of the mini loaves or muffins. If it comes out without any sign of raw batter, the pumpkin bread is done.
Allow the pumpkin bread to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
PREPARE THE WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
Add the chocolate to a small bowl.
Pour the cream into a glass measuring cup and microwave on high for 45-60 seconds, just until it begins to boil.
Pour the cream over the white chocolate and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Stir the cream and chocolate, until all the chocolate is melted and the ganache is smooth. Add the butter, and stir until completely incorporated.
Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature, then drizzle over the mini pumpkin loaves.
The size of mini-loaf pans vary, so one recipe may, or may not, yield the same amount of mini loaves as it did for me. I used this 18-Cavity mini-loaf pan, which creates loaves that are approximately 2 ½ inches wide and 3 ¾ inches long.
+ Check out Let's Get Lost, my Substack newsletter for more new and exclusive recipes in your in-box every month! As a full time traveler, living, working, cooking, and baking from a 5th wheel RV, it's also where I share our experiences of life on the road.
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