Fall is around the corner, coming faster than we could have ever imagined. The air is getting cooler and the leaves are changing colors. Sooner than you know it, you will find yourself in the midst of autumn: smelling pumpkin spice and holding a cup of steaming cider.
Speaking of fall… a big part of the season is characterized by desserts. The comforting and delectable flavors of autumn bring about the need to make as many treats as we can, whether it be pumpkin pecan pies, snickerdoodles, or apple bundt cakes. What’s not to love?
Yet, part of the reason these seasonal desserts are so beloved is because of the ingredients they all have in common. Butter. Sugar. More sugar. Although this makes them delicious, the incredible amounts of these ingredients in the foods we eat in the fall are not beneficial to our health.
In order to enjoy these fall flavors in a healthier way, more nutritious versions of the desserts we love most can be made. Key ingredients like whole wheat flour, coconut oil, and honey or maple syrup can be used as a healthy alternative to chocolate chunk pumpkin bread. After trying the more nutritious pumpkin bread, MHS students had a lot to say on its validity as a healthy alternative to the sugar-laden fall desserts that we all find ourselves guilty of eating.
Laura Cordova (‘26) loved it, revealing that she is “such a sucker for any sort of pumpkin or banana breads in the fall.” She mentions that she would be making the recipe the following weekend.
However, the overarching question remains: does it really taste as good as the classic pumpkin bread, or has its flavor changed? Teagan Young (‘26) likes this new recipe just as much, stating “I love how this dessert is made with cleaner ingredients, and it tasted just like any other pumpkin bread that could be made with refined sugar.”
Clearly, this alternative is a success. Pumpkin bread made with coconut sugar and only whole food ingredients is both guilt free and delicious. So, get ready to snuggle up on your couch to watch your favorite fall episode of Gilmore Girls, because these recipes are sure to bring you right into fall.
Healthy Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
A pinch of ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice blend
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups pumpkin puree, canned or fresh
⅓ cup melted coconut oil
¼ cup milk
⅔ cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, beat the oil and coconut sugar together with a whisk. Add the eggs and whisk until blended.
Add the pumpkin purée, milk, pumpkin spice, baking soda, vanilla and salt, and whisk to blend.
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.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, then 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.
