For the last several years autumn has sort of snuck up on my neck of the woods. The temperature dropping so slowly over September, October, and November that if it weren’t for the changing colors of the leaves, you’d never know fall had arrived. But not this year! Last week it was swelteringly hot and green. This week the leaves are red and orange, rain has been falling for four days and the temperatures are below 60. I knew it was time to pull out the pumpkin…nothing says autumn like a hot loaf of pumpkin bread!

We stuffed ours with loads of chocolate chips and used whole wheat flour. This bread is the perfect way to use whole wheat flour as it is so very soft, you’d never even know it was in there!

Welcome in the fall with your own batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread!

Makes 1 large loaf of pumpkin bread

• 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• ½ cup vegetable or Canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour blend (1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour, 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour)
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cups pumpkin puree, canned or fresh
• 1 cup almond milk (regular will work as well)
• 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large loaf pan with non-stick spray.
2. Add the oil and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat together with a paddle attachment. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. In another small mixing bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree and almond milk.
5. Add one half of the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, mixing in until just barely combined. Add half of the pumpkin/milk mixture, mixing in until just combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients, mixing in slightly. Add the remaining pumpkin/milk mixture and mix in until just combined but smooth.
6. Fold 1 ¼ cups of the chocolate chips into the bread batter. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips over the top of the bread.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the bread. It is done cooking when it comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Remove from pan and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!