It usually takes me months to get around to posting a recipe, but I couldn’t wait with this one.  I made it today, and I’m posting it today because I’m durn proud of it!  I threw a bunch of stuff together in a bowl and was delighted when it came out even better than I expected.

It started with the marked down holiday baking stuff last year.  I can never resist it.  Among bags and bags of peppermint baking chips, I bought maybe ten boxes of pumpkin spice pudding mix, having no idea what I was going to do with it.  (Making pudding with it would be too obvious.)  Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I bought some eggnog because I can’t resist that either.  I have to have at least one glass of eggnog a year.  I love it.  However, I don’t need a whole half gallon all to myself and my husband won’t touch it, so I now had two things I wanted to include in a recipe in order to get rid of them–pumpkin spice pudding mix and eggnog.  And then I found the finishing touch–something I’ve been scouring the store shelves for for two years! Cinnamon baking chips.  I was ready to bake, baby.

The loaves came out super-moist thanks to the pumpkin and pudding mix…and maybe the rich eggnog and oil had a little to do with it, too.  :)  There is a good balance of flavor between the pumpkin and taste of eggnog, enhanced by extra rum and nutmeg.  The cinnamon chips are perfect with the flavor of the bread but they can be left out if you prefer.  I hope you try it this holiday season!

Eggnog Pumpkin Bread

I weighed my flour and sugar as I measured them so I could be sure to get the same amounts the next time I make the bread. If you don’t have a scale, be sure to scoop the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon and level it rather than scooping it with the measuring cup, or you may get too much flour in the recipe, resulting in heavier, drier loaves.
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

3 cups (13 ¾ oz) all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups (11 ¼ oz) granulated sugar
1 (3.4 oz) package Jello Pumpkin Spice pudding mix*
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 eggs
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
1 ½ cups eggnog
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon rum or 1 teaspoon imitation rum extract
1 (10 oz) bag cinnamon chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9×5 loaf pans; set aside.

Stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs and add the eggnog, pumpkin, oil, and rum. Beat until incorporated and smooth. Pour liquid into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Add the cinnamon chips and fold them in until combined.

Divide batter between prepared pans and bake 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack ten minutes, then remove from pans to cool completely on rack.

*You could probably substitute another flavor of pudding mix, like vanilla, if you can’t find the pumpkin spice, and just add some extra spices to the batter to make up for it not being in the pudding mix.

Recipe by Veronica Miller