Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread (+ Easy Recipe)

Are you a sucker for chocolate muffins and pumpkin bread? If so, this chocolate chip pumpkin bread has your name written all over it.

It’s so soft, moist, and delicious, there’s no frosting or glaze needed.

It’s perfect for the holidays, but easy enough to make any day of the year. 

Let’s dive in.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread 

Whether you’re looking to make the perfect holiday dessert or a homemade gift to family and friends, the search is over. This bread is the clear winner.

This chocolate pumpkin bread is a quick and easy recipe that tastes like it came straight out of the bakery.

The aroma of pumpkin, spices, and chocolate baking in the oven is pure bliss. Its scent alone will make you drool.

The flavor and texture are absolutely phenomenal. It’s wonderfully soft and moist, dense but not rubbery, and bursting with chocolate and pumpkin.

It also contains cinnamon and nutmeg, so trust that it has all the cozy and warming flavors of the fall.

Did I mention that it’s super easy to make? No need for hard-to-find ingredients or an electric mixer!

All it takes are basic pantry ingredients, a whisk, and a bowl.

Pumpkin Pie Filling vs. Pumpkin Puree

Pumpkin pie filling and pumpkin puree are not the same! This recipe calls for the latter, so be sure to check the label.

Pumpkin puree is 100% pure pumpkin. Meanwhile, pumpkin pie filling has other ingredients and flavorings mixed with the pumpkin puree.

Why Is My Pumpkin Bread So Dense?

The first possible culprit is that you used too little puree and too much flour.

There should be a balanced ratio between the two to get a moist batter. If the proportions are off, your bread will be too dense, dry, and rubbery.

If you’re low on puree, you can substitute the missing quantity with a wet ingredient, such as oil.

Also, be sure to measure the flour accurately. You might think you’re doing it right, but are you?

If you use a measuring cup to scoop the flour from its container and then pack it down with your palm, you’re doing it wrong.

A kitchen scale is the best way to measure flour. For reference, 3 1/2 cups of flour is equivalent to 476 grams.

If you don’t have a kitchen scale, your next best option when measuring flour is to use the spoon and level method. 

Transfer the flour into the measuring cup using a spoon.

Don’t pack it down, as this will yield more flour than you need. Level it flat with the back of a knife or an offset spatula.

The next possible culprit is overbaking or baking at too high a temperature. This will reduce the moisture in the batter, resulting in dry and crumbly bread. 

Some ovens, especially older ones, tend to go beyond the temperature you set them to. To ensure accuracy, place a kitchen thermometer inside.

Tips for Making The Best Loaf 

• This recipe calls for canned pumpkin puree, but you can also use homemade. You can even roast the pumpkin beforehand for a deeper flavor.
• When making homemade pumpkin puree, choose a small, baking pumpkin, such as pie or sugar pumpkin. Large pumpkins tend to be bland. 
• The baking soda serves as the leavening agent that makes your batter rise. Be sure your baking soda is still potent. Your loaf will be flat if it’s already expired.
• Perform the baking soda test by combining a teaspoon of baking soda with a splash of vinegar, lemon juice, or any acidic liquid. It should foam up upon contact. If nothing happens, it’s time to discard it.
• Use room-temperature eggs – they’ll combine more easily with the rest of the ingredients. If you forget to take them out of the fridge in time, just submerge them in hot water for 1-2 minutes, and they’ll warm right up.
• Lightly coat the chocolate chips with flour. This will keep them from sinking to the bottom.
• Reserve some of the chocolate chips for the top. Or, just add more! This will give your bread extra charm and chocolaty flavor.
• Do not over-mix the batter, especially once the wet and dry ingredients are combined. Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour.
• Grease the pans well AND coat them with flour. Greasing alone is not enough, as the butter will only melt and combine with the batter, so don’t forget the flour.
• Alternatively, you can line the pans with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides so that you can easily lift out the loaves.
• Don’t over-bake the loaves. I like to check for doneness 2 minutes before the baking time elapses. Stick a toothpick into the center of the loaf – if it comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs, it’s done. If the batter is still wet, continue to bake and check every 2 to 3 minutes.
• If you notice the tops of the loaves browning too quickly, cover them loosely with aluminum foil.
• Variations
  • Instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, try dark, milk, or white. 
  • Swap out the walnuts for other nuts. Almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, pick your favorite.
  • Spice it up! This recipe already calls for cinnamon and nutmeg, but you can swap it out with pumpkin pie spice for even more fall flavors.
• Storage
  • Let the pumpkin bread cool completely before storing. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
  • Rewarm it in the microwave for 10 seconds.
  • Pumpkin bread freezes beautifully. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe container. Squeeze out as much air as possible before you seal. Label it accordingly and freeze. Pumpkin bread will keep well for up to 2 months.
  • You can either freeze the entire loaf or individual slices.
  • Thaw the frozen loaf overnight on the counter and rewarm in the microwave for 10 seconds.

What Do You Eat Pumpkin Bread With?

Personally, I like to eat pumpkin bread on its own with just a hot cup of joe on the side. It’s simple but always hits the spot. 

But sometimes, I also like to jazz it up with any of these toppings and spreads:

• Cream cheese – its tanginess is a wonderful contrast to the sweet bread.
• A drizzle of honey – I like my honey warm, so I pop it in the microwave for several seconds before I drizzle it all over my bread. Yum
• Butter – regular butter, honey butter, pumpkin butter, apple butter – you name it.
• Jams, marmalades, preserves – for a fruity twist.

More Bread Recipes You’ll Love

• Deliciously Moist Banana Bread
• Starbucks Lemon Loaf
• Starbucks Pumpkin Bread
• Hawaiian Banana Bread
• Honey Beer Bread

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Servings

36

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Calories

210

kcal

Ingredients

• 2 cups 2 granulated sugar

• 1 cup 1 brown sugar

• 1 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree

• 1 cup 1 vegetable oil

• 2/3 cup 2/3 water

• 4 4 eggs

• 1 tablespoon 1 vanilla extract

• 3 1/2 cups 3 1/2 all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons 2 ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon 1 ground nutmeg

• 2 teaspoons 2 baking soda

• 1 1/2 teaspoon 1 1/2 salt

• 1 1/2 cup 1 1/2 mini semisweet chocolate chips

• 1/2 cup 1/2 chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 3 (9×5-inch) loaf pans heavily with butter and coat with flour.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the white and brown sugar, pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, water, vanilla extract, and eggs until smooth.
• Sift in the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking, soda, and salt. Gently mix until streaks of flour disappear. Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.
• Pour the greased containers 1/2 to 3/4 full.
• Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the loaves cool in the pans for 15 minutes, before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

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