Pumpkin Pecan Bread

Day three of my pumpkin-mania! Honestly - yesterday should have been day three, but I was too damn tired. I even took a 3 hour nap! I never take naps on Sunday - I always feel like I'm missing out on the last day of the weekend lol.

Anyhoo... let's get on with this morning's fabulous little pumpkin loaf. I am in love with this right now! And not just 'cause it's yummy, but also because it's really a no-guilt recipe! Nothing bad in it whatsoever! (And, it's 21 Day Fix Friendly!)

(Just LOOK at how moist that is!! Sooo delish!)

Ok, so now that you know that you need to have this in your life, here's the steps to make that dream a reality...!

There's only a few simple ingredients you need for this one - and you probably have most of them just sitting there waiting to be used. Make sure when you gather your pumpkin that you look for straight pumpkin puree - no other ingredients should be listed on the can. One large can has gone a long way for me! I've done cookies and waffles already and I still keep the rest in the fridge in a container!

But here's the real secret ingredients... (ready for it??).... Super over-ripe banana! As you can see, we keep the pretty ones for snacking on, but those super ripe ones have a natural sweetness in them that allows your baked goods to get the added sweetness they need without any of the excess sugar.

In fact - in one of the recipes I saw while dreaming up this one, the loaves called for 2 cp white sugar! (Don't even get me started... but in case you haven't read it yet, this one's important for every kitchen...)

Start off by melting your coconut oil in the microwave. Add in your pure maple syrup, organic honey and over-ripe banana, and blend until mixed together.

Add in your room temperature eggs, one at a time, and blend (having your eggs at room temperature will help them to blend more evenly and will help your loaves to rise nicely).

Next, add your pumpkin puree, water, buttermilk, and dissolved baking soda (dissolving it activates it) - and you guessed it... blend some more!

Time for the dry ingredients. Turn off the mixer and head over to your chopper (yes, you know I used my favourite kitchen tool on this one too! lol). Add in your oats...

... and pulse until they become flour-like... (took all of 3 seconds)

Add oats with the remainder of your ingredients into the pumpkin mix and blend until mixed together thoroughly.

(It smells soooooo good!!!)

Pour the batter into your loaf pan. I have a mini loaf pan that I use - grease with butter and dust with flour (I wasn't sure how many I would get out of this batch and so I prepped for 4, but only got 3).

And right before you pop it into the oven, sprinkle chopped pecans on top and gently push them into the top of the batter...

Bake at 375°F for 35 minutes. They will brown up, and start to pull away from the sides.

Let them cool for a few minutes on a rack and then flip the loaves out onto the rack to finish cooling.

(Hint - if you are having trouble getting your loaves to pop out, consider prepping your loaf pans like I show in this recipe, except you would need single loaf pans - not a 4 in 1).

And if you can wait long enough before cutting them - you're better than me! Ha! I just had to try a piece!

You can even add a little butter to the top of one if you like ;o)

When you make your own, don't forget to take a photo and share it online at Facebook,Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #recipesbyjenn and by tagging @recipesbyjenn. That way, I can see your photos and share them with all my friends! Plus, I get to feature them on this site along with all my other photos!