Healthy Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup of milk or water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend (or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon allspice or cloves)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (do not substitute for baking powder)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
• Optional: 1/2 cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit
• Pinch of ground cinnamon, for sprinkling on top

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix the oil and honey with a whisk. Add the eggs and whisk until blended. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for about 10 seconds in the microwave.)
3. Add the pumpkin puree, milk, pumpkin spice, baking soda, vanilla and salt, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon and stir in the flour until combined. Some lumps are ok! If you’re adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
4. Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. If you’d like a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zig-zag pattern.
5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the bread to a cooling rack to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.