Cocao Nib Pumpkin Bread

A delightful fall treat: this moist Cocao Nib Pumpkin Bread is full of warm spices, iced with maple cream cheese frosting, and has a lovely texture thanks to crunchy, chocolaty cocao nibs. 

Yes, I have been on quite a pumpkin kick.

It is October, after all.

These past two weeks brought us espresso-laden Pumpkin Spice Smoothies. Spicy, good-for-you Pumpkin Turmeric Tea. And, spoiler alert: there’s going to be Maple Bacon Pumpkin Cupcakes in our near future.

I’ve also been on a cocao nib kick. I’ve always loved cocao nibs, but making the Cranberry, Pepita, and Cocao Nib Chocolate Bark reignited my fondness for them. I’ve been putting them in pretty much everything. To top my yogurt or smoothie bowls. In homemade trail mix. And on top of this bread.

I talked a bit about cocao nibs in the chocolate bark post above, but I’m going to talk about them again in case you missed it. These tiny little chocolaty shards are made from pure cocao beans. They’re raw chocolate (although some nibs can be roasted, I buy them raw), so they contain all of the true health benefits of cocao. The flavonoid-rich superfood has plenty of fiber, magnesium, iron, and mood-improving qualities.

Cocao nibs actually have more antioxidants than blueberries, goji berries, and tea. Plus, they’re delicious. Completely different in texture than your typical chocolate, cocao nibs are crunchy and they won’t melt in this bread. This provides a contrasting texture that’s lovely in baked goods, and resembles the texture of roasted coffee beans. It will still impart a rich chocolate flavor to the bread, which complements the pumpkin quite well.

I top the Cocao Nib Pumpkin Bread with a maple cream cheese icing, but you could really use any frosting/glaze you’d like, or none at all! It tastes just as good without it.

This bread is perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack with coffee or tea. It uses a whole can of organic pumpkin puree, which keeps it super moist and extra pumpkin-y. And it will fill your whole house with the most intoxicating, spicy, delicious smells.

Top it with even more cocao nibs for extra crunch! The bread tastes even better the next day.

Here are a few things you may need or want for this recipe:

Navitas Organics Cacao Nibs  //  Farmers Market Pumpkin Puree 100% Organic  //  Rodelle Pure Vanilla Extract  //  Farberware Bakeware 9 x 5-Inch Nonstick Loaf Pan

This post includes affiliate links but are always products I love + use myself!

Cocao Nib Pumpkin Bread

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Tiffany La Forge
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 55 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 10 1x
• Category: dessert, bread

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Description

A delightful fall treat: this moist Cocao Nib Pumpkin Bread is full of warm spices, iced with maple cream cheese frosting, and has a lovely texture thanks to crunchy, chocolaty cocao nibs.

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Ingredients

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For the Bread:

• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 15 oz. can organic pumpkin puree
• 1 + 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 cup cocao nibs

For the Frosting:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 to 3/4 cups powdered sugar (to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

For the Bread:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray (or butter and flour the pan), set aside.
2. Combine all of your dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and cloves) in a large bowl and whisk well.
3. In another bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, and both the sugars. Whisk in the pumpkin. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet mixture in 3 additions. Combine well but do not overmix (a few lumps are okay). Fold in the cocao nibs.
4. Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. If the top of your bread is browning too quickly, you can loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil half-way through baking. Let cool completely before unmolding or frosting.

For the Frosting:

1. Beat the cream cheese and butter with the sugar until smooth. Add in the maple syrup and vanilla. Frost the cooled pumpkin bread and top with cocao nibs.

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