Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
My simple pumpkin chocolate chip bread recipe is moist, sweet, spicy, and oh-so delicious! This quick one-bowl recipe makes the perfect little sweet loaf of pumpkin bread to give away or snack on with friends and family. All you’ll need to get started is a can of pumpkin puree, some chocolate chips, and a few pantry staples.
Pumpkin chocolate chip bread is one of my all-time favorite fall treats! It’s so simple to make but is so rich and delicious. The brown butter adds a deep and complex nuttiness to the finished loaf that really helps to highlight the other sweet and spicy flavors. You’ll find me enjoying a slice of this pumpkin chocolate chip bread as a late-night snack, weeknight treat, or even indulgent breakfast. Believe me when I say that you’ll have a hard time keeping a loaf of this moist pumpkin bread around; your family and friends will devour it faster than you can make it!
Ingredient Notes
- Pumpkin Puree—Canned and unsweetened. Will add a sense of earthy richness and tons of fall flavor to your finished bread. Read here about using Canned vs Fresh
- All-Purpose Flour—Gives your finished pumpkin bread a delicate chew and fluffy structure.
- Light Brown Sugar—Adds a subtle caramelly sweetness to this pumpkin bread.
- Eggs—Act as a binding agent to hold all your other ingredients together.
- Butter—Helps lock in moisture and adds tons of rich flavor.
- Baking Soda—Gives this quick bread plenty of rise as it bakes.
- Vanilla—Just a splash will give your finished pumpkin bread a lovely homemade flavor.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice—A blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
- Chocolate Chips—I like to use semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe, but feel free to use dark or milk chocolate chips instead.
How to Make the Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
In a small saucepan over medium heat, brown your butter until fragrant and amber in color. Allow it to cool. (Do not stop stirring once the butter is melted, it can burn easily)
Beat together the cooled brown butter and brown sugar until light and creamy.
Add the eggs and continue mixing until they are well incorporated.
Whisk in the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
Next, gently fold in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice until no clumps of flour remain.
Add the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Transfer your pumpkin bread batter to a greased loaf pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Allow your finished pumpkin chocolate chip bread to cool slightly before slicing, serving, and enjoying.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you brown butter?
Browning butter is actually a pretty simple process! You’ll want to add your butter to a small saucepan and begin warming it over medium-low heat. If your burner is too hot, you risk burning the butter. First your butter will melt and then it will get very bubbly. After it bubbles, the milk solids in the butter will begin to caramelize. This will turn your melted butter mixture a rich amber color and give off a nutty, toasty smell. When this happens, remove the browned butter from the stovetop and allow it to cool before adding it to any baked goods.
How do I make sure my pumpkin chocolate chip bread stays moist?
Because of the natural moisture in the pumpkin puree and melted butter, I find that this pumpkin chocolate chip bread turns out perfectly moist and delicious without any additional ingredients or modifications. However, if you’re really worried about your bread being dry, or like your pumpkin bread on the gooey side, try adding ¼ cup of sour cream or greek yogurt to your batter. This will further help to lock in moisture.
Can I make this pumpkin chocolate chip bread gluten free?
I’ve personally never made this pumpkin chocolate chip bread gluten free, but I would imagine that you could! I would simply swap out the all-purpose flour for your favorite 1:1 gluten free flour blend and bake the bread as normal. Because there is so much moisture in this pumpkin bread, I don’t anticipate the gluten-free flour affecting the finished texture too much.
How to Serve and Store Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
My favorite way to enjoy this pumpkin chocolate chip bread is warmed in the microwave with a little bit of butter on top. I find that this sweet bread makes for a great weeknight dessert or after-school snack. Or, if you’re feeling a bit indulgent, pair a slice or two of this easy bread with a tall glass of milk and enjoy it for breakfast!
A loaf of this pumpkin chocolate chip bread hardly lasts longer than a day in my house, but if you do have leftover bread, you can wrap it in plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container. When properly stored, this bread should stay good on the counter for up to five days, in the fridge for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to two months. I prefer to eat this bread warm, but you could also enjoy it at room temperature or even cold.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Don’t want to hassle with slicing and serving a big loaf of pumpkin bread? Try baking your batter into muffins instead! Just be aware that your muffins will be done baking after only 25-30 minutes.
- Be careful not to overmix your bread batter! If you mix too vigorously, too much gluten will develop leaving you with a bread that’s tough and chewy instead of soft and tender.
- Allow your bread to cool completely before serving. This will make it much easier to slice and transfer!
- As your butter browns, be sure to stir it frequently. This will help keep it from burning.
The Fall is my favorite time to bake, so here are a few more of my favorites to make: Pumpkin Cake, Banana Bread, Cinnamon Raisin Bread, or my Brown Butter Sandwich Bread
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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup salted butter browned
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
Equipment
- 9×5 Loaf Pan
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
- Melt your butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the butter is completely melted, continue to stir it constantly for 3-4 minutes, or until it develops a deep amber color. Immediately remove the saucepan from the burner and let the browned butter cool for 20 minutes on the counter.
- Once the butter has cooled down, add it to a large mixing bowl along with the brown sugar. Use an electric hand mixer to whisk the ingredients together for 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Add the eggs and continue whisking the mixture for an additional 2 minutes. Once the eggs are incorporated, whisk in the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
- Reduce the speed of your hand mixer and gently whisk in the baking soda, flour, and pumpkin pie spice. Ensure no pockets of dry ingredients remain in the batter and then gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into a 9×5 inch loaf pan coated with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Bake your pumpkin bread for 40-45 minutes, or until you can cleanly remove a toothpick from the center of the loaf.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- If you let your bread cool down, it will be easier to remove from the pan and slice. Let your bread cool for about half an hour in the pan and then transfer it to a wire cooling rack.
- You can store your pumpkin bread on the counter in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. As long as you keep the bread tightly covered, it will be good for up to 5 days.
- Enjoy your pumpkin bread at room temperature or reheat a slice or two in the microwave for about 20 seconds.
- The chocolate chips are optional according to your taste. We love the rich, gooey sweetness they bring to the bread but you are welcome to omit them if you want to focus solely on the flavor of the pumpkin.
- Make sure you constantly stir the butter after it has melted. If you don’t stir the butter then it can easily burn, ruining its flavor.
- Don’t forget to scrape the saucepan out completely after browning the butter. You don’t want to leave out any of the little browned bits of butter that sink to the bottom of the pan as the butter cools.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.