pumpkin-chocolate chip bread

Based on Marion Cunningham’s Pumpkin Bread from THE FANNY FARMER BAKING BOOK, my version swaps out plumped up dried cranberries and raisins for dates, cuts down the sugar a smidge, uses butter rather than shortening, and then, just for fun, tosses in some chocolate chips!

Ingredients

½ cup EACH dried cranberries and raisins
½ cup EACH semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped walnuts
3 ½ cups PLUS 2 tablespoons all-purpose unbleached flour, divided
2/3 cup salted butter,softened
2 cups canned puréed pumpkin (I like Libby’s.)
4 large eggs
2 ½ cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk--can sub regular milk
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¾ teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and set rack at center. Grease and flour two 9”x5” loaf pans using one of the tablespoons of flour.
In a small bowl, stir cranberries and raisins together with a cup of hot water; set aside for 5 minutes and then drain.
In another small bowl, stir together the chocolate chips and walnuts with the other tablespoon of flour; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the pumpkin eggs, sugar, evaporated milk, and drained cranberries and raisins and beat until well-combined.
On top of the pumpkin mixture, measure the dry ingredients: 3 ½ cups flour, baking soda and powder, salt, spices, and reserved chocolate chips and walnut flour mixture. Using a small spatula, combine just the flour mixture briefly while still on top. Blend all of the ingredients together until just well-combined. (Little flecks of butter may remain that will disappear in the baking.)
Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake about an hour or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean or very nearly clean. (Turn and switch pans half-way through baking period.) Remove pans to a rack for 5 minutes. Using pot holders or mitts, bang each pan firmly on the counter and turn bread out onto rack to cool completely, using a small sharp knife to loosen edges if necessary. (Muffins: Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-17 minutes.)

Notes

There are so many bowls in this recipe already, that I left out the one in which you could first mix the dry ingredients and instead have you stir them together on top of the already beaten wet ingredients. If you'd like to wash another bowl, be my guest.