Pumpkin Bread with Browned Butter Maple Frosting

Welcome to Pumpkin “season” or everything pumpkin spice season at least. I realize I could be tarred and feathered for saying this, but I’m actually not a huge fan of the famous PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte).

I am however; a HUGE fan of pumpkin and all of the wonderful spices that go into all things pumpkin! There are so many marvelous nutrients in pumpkin, I love to put it in my chili, it adds a lovely thickness and creaminess and I buy it by the case all year long as I put it in our dog’s food daily, for low-calorie bulk, antioxidants and nutrients.

PIN THIS DELICIOUSNESS NOW FOR LATER

I love pumpkin bread, but my old recipe had 3 cups of sugar in it, yikes! I don’t need it that sweet. This recipe is inspired by The Domestic Rebel. I made a couple of changes, some simple little tweaks, but I love that it has dark brown sugar vs light brown sugar and a lot less sugar to boot. It’s a denser quick bread than normal, with hints of ginger, mixed with the lovely earthy spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

I tried it out on my Bible Study group, they loved it, with one exception; one of my friends isn’t a huge fan of cloves and she could really distinguish it in the bread. But the beauty of spices are the ability to increase or reduce them according to your taste. So adjust away!

Start by creaming your butter and dark brown sugar for a couple of minutes, until it’s light and fluffy.

TIP: If you don’t have dark brown sugar, you may replace it with light brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of molasses, of course the likelihood of having molasses might also be slim! I haven’t tried it with light brown sugar, but give it a try and let me know what you think.

Next add your pumpkin, a generous, heaping cupful. Then add your eggs…and your spices.

Mix well, it will look a bit “curdled” because of the pumpkin, but it will combine once you add your flour and leavening, which we’ll do now. Place flour, leavening and salt in a small bowl and combine using a whisk.

Slowly add the all-purpose flour to the mixture, mixing on low until combined, scraping down the sides occasionally.

Spread dough into one large prepared (spray with oil) loaf pan or 4 mini loaf pans, the dough will be thick.

Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes for large loaf or 25-30 minutes for 4 mini loaf pans

Remove from oven, set on a cooling rack and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes

Invert onto cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting. If you don’t want hash marks on the top of your loaf, carefully turn it over back onto the bottom. Careful, as it will be hot.

Once cooled, make the AMAZING Browned Butter Maple Glaze

HOW TO BROWN BUTTER FOR THE MAPLE GLAZE

In a small heavy bottomed saucepan, melt your butter over medium-low heat, watching very carefully as it will burn. It will foam up after it’s melted, that’s when it’ll begin browning, gently stir or swirl over heat another minute or two until lightly browned and a wonderful “nutty” aroma starts wafting up to your nose.

Stir in your maple syrup and your powdered sugar, it might “seize” a bit, but keep adding liquid and whisking until you achieve a pourable consistency.

Whisk until blended, then add a bit of cream, milk or half and half, a few teaspoons at a time while whisking until smooth.

Add enough cream until it’s easily pourable, it will harden slightly once you pour it onto the pumpkin bread.

P.S. It’s delicious without the frosting too, toast it and slather a little butter on it, don’t try putting a slice with frosting in the toaster, it’ll melt, and make a mess of your toaster. Don’t ask me why I know this…oh all right, yes, I did it, duh! Not one of my finer moments.

Got a favorite addition? Here are some options:

• ½ cup chocolate chips
• ½ cup chopped nuts
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• ¼ cup shredded coconut

If you enjoy this quick bread recipe, give these others a try:

Lemon Zucchini Bread
Maple Pumpkin Scones
Strawberry Buttermilk Scones
Starbucks Copycat Coffeecake

SHOP THIS RECIPE

Pumpkin Bread with Browned Butter Maple Frosting

It’s PUMPKIN season!!  This tender, moist pumpkin bread with maple browned butter glaze is delightful! Reduced sugar, full of aromatic spices, it’ll become a family favorite

• Author: Kathleen | The Fresh Cooky
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 12 slices 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: Quick Bread

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup dark brown sugar (if using light brown sugar add 1 TBL molasses)
• 1 cup (heaping) canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger (to taste, reduce if necessary)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Glaze

• 1/4 stick butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2–3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1–3 teaspoons cream (sub. half and half or milk)

Optional Add-Ins

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and liberally grease (or spray) a 9″ loaf pan or 4 mini loaf pans.
2. In a mixer, on medium, cream together the butter and dark brown sugar until fluffy and combined.
3. Add pumpkin, eggs, spices and mix on low until combined. *It might look curdled, but don’t worry it will play well with the other ingredients.
4. Using a whisk, mix your flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
5. Slowly pour flour mixture into wet ingredients and mix just until combined, scrape down sides if needed.
6. Scoop the dough into prepared pan(s), it will be thick, using a spatula spread evenly.
7. Bake at 350 for 40-55 minutes for large loaf or 25-30 minutes for mini loaves.
8. Remove from oven when the top springs back slightly and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. Place on cooling rack for 10 minutes.
10. Invert loaf onto cooling rack, then carefully (it’ll be hot) turn it back to right side up so you don’t get the cooling rack marks on your quickbread.
11. Cool completely before glazing.

Making the Glaze (Pumpkin Bread is also delicious without the glaze)

1. Heat butter over medium heat in a heavy bottomed saucepan until melted.
2. While browning the butter will foam up, continue to occasionally stir through this stage.
3. Once it starts getting little brown flecks in it and the foaming subsides it will have a “nutty” aroma. Remove from heat.
4. Allow to cool for a few minutes while you measure out the rest of the glaze ingredients.
5. Add the powdered sugar and maple syrup and whisk well to combine, might “seize” up a bit.
6. Pour in your milk or cream and continue whisking and adding a little cream until it’s a pourable consistency.
7. Pour or spread glaze/frosting over pumpkin bread.
8. Store in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days. Pumpkin bread may be frozen if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap (does better if frozen before frosting).

Notes

© 2018 | This recipe for Pumpkin Bread was featured first on The Fresh Cooky.

Keywords: pumpkin bread, quick bread, maple syrup, browned butter, glaze

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