Pumpkin Cranberry Bread Recipe

It’s October – can you believe that?!  Two fruits of fall are cranberries and pumpkin (although pumpkin is probably not considered a fruit).  Anyway, I made this bread recipe the other day, and it filled the house with its sweet smell.  So much better than burning any candle, and you can’t eat a candle – so this Pumpkin Cranberry Loaf is the clear winner.

A slice with a little margarine is perfect for breakfast or for an afternoon snack.

You will need:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup chopped walnuts  (optional)
• 1 cup chopped fresh cranberries (defrosted if frozen)

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin and mix well (it appears curdled). Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and baking powder; add to pumpkin mixture, beating on low speed just until moistened. Fold in walnuts (if using) and cranberries. Pour into two greased 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

I omitted the nuts because my husband prefers it that way, and I didn’t want my daughter to get anything caught in her throat.  I think next time, I’ll make one loaf with nuts.  Also, I only had one loaf pan in the house so I made some muffins too – both bread forms came out great.