Maple Butternut Squash Bread

Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: June 8, 2023

I am taking a break from pumpkin recipes to bring you a different squash, butternut squash.  My typical method of cooking it is to slather it in maple syrup and bake it in the oven.  It is sooo tasty that way.  So I thought I’d incorporate that taste into a bread.  I’ve made Maple Zucchini Nut Bread and Maple Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, so why not Maple Butternut Squash Bread. There really is not much I wouldn’t add maple syrup to.

For my first attempt at making this bread, I just shredded the butternut squash and added it to the batter.  It was okay, but not as flavorful.  So the second go ’round, I made a squash puree.  It’s really easy.

I took half a butternut squash, cut it in half and scooped out the seeds.  If you want to use the whole squash, go ahead.  You can have the leftover puree as a side dish for dinner.



Then I flipped the two halves cut side down in a pan,added a cup of water and baked it in the oven at 350º for 30-40 minutes till it was fork tender.

Then I just scooped out the mushy squash.  You only need a cup for the recipe.  If you have extra you can mix it with a little butter and maple syrup and have it as a snack or save it for dinner.

For the bread I just used the plain puree because I was already going to be adding maple syrup and spices.  I added a crumble topping for a little bit of crunch.

I baked my bread in my 9″x 5″ Pampered Chef Stoneware Loaf Pan.  This recipe makes one loaf or you can use it to make muffins if you want.  It should make about 12 muffins.  For muffins I would bake it at 350º for about 15 minutes.

My husband had already devoured the first loaf I had made and had liked the flavors.  I just tweaked this recipe a bit to perfect it and he said it was even better.  The puree really brings out the flavor of the butternut squash.  The maple syrup gives it a nice sweetness and the allspice is a perfect compliment to the squash.  This loaf was gone in no time also.  The kids loved it too!  This would be great for holiday dinners or just anytime time at all.

Maple Butternut Squash Bread

by The Sweet Chick

Prep Time: 15 minutes



Cook Time: 50 minutes

Keywords: bake bread dessert maple syrup walnuts white chocolate chips butternut squash bread muffins American fall

Ingredients (1 loaf)

For the bread

  • 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground allspice
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1 cup butternut squash puree
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the crumble

  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons quick oats
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º F.

For the bread



In a stand mixer blend together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spice.

Then add eggs, maple syrup, oil and vanilla. Mix on low speed until everything in incorporated.

Scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Then add the butternut squash puree and oats. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes.

Add the white chocolate chips and walnuts. Mix until they are evenly distributed in the batter.

Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.

For the crumble

In a small bowl mix together the flour, sugar, and oats.

Then add the butter and mix with a fork until all crumbly.

Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the bread batter.



Place the loaf pan in the preheated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Then cut yourself a slice and enjoy!



Subscribe for New Racipies

Get mental health tips, updates, and resources delivered to your inbox.

Bacon Fat Gingersnaps

Christiana George
Bacon Fat Gingersnaps

We’re going back to California tomorrow (or today rather, as I write these posts the night before) for the holidays and we’ll be gone an entire two-and-a-half weeks! There’s still so much to do, so I’m keeping this post short. And then I must return to packing and meeting last-minute work deadlines and cleaning out the fridge (urgh).

After that, I foresee freeeeedom and warm-ish weather and long drives down the 1. We’re putting up the tree with my family, seeing friends, and hitting up all our old haunts. One of these days, I will write a long ode to California, but for now, I’m leaving you with a recipe for bacon fat gingersnaps.

I’m guessing you can tell why these cookies are special. Yup! They’re made with bacon fat. While the idea is that you’ve been collecting bacon drippings all along, saving it in a little bowl so you can re-use it for other recipes (something I vividly remember my mom doing when I was younger), I had to go out and buy a pound-and-a-half of bacon especially for this recipe, and then spent the better part of an hour frying it up. Later that night, and for days after, we reheated the strips and used them for sandwiches and omelettes and other such delights. These foods all benefit from bacon, I’m sure you would agree, so it wasn’t too much trouble for me.



The cookies themselves taste smoky and exotic, hardly like bacon, although you can tell there’s something in there that contributes an inexplicable… savoriness? Huskiness? I’m definitely not a slap-bacon-on-it-and-call-it-a-day kind of gal, by the way. But I do like my ginger-flavored sweets, and I love the softness of these cookies. (which begs the question: are they technically gingersnaps then? Aren’t gingersnaps supposed to be, I dunno, snappy?)

I also love the origin of this recipe, which comes from Cathy Horyn, the renowned New York Times FASHION editor who got the recipe from her mother. Yes! So I suppose this recipe is an old-new take on a classic gingersnap recipe that is perfect for the holidays.

BACON FAT GINGERSNAPS

Adapted from Leite’s Culinaria

Makes 3 dozen or so

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup bacon drippings (from 1 1/2 to 2 pounds bacon), at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for the work surface
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup molasses (not blackstrap) or cane syrup
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together until a smooth, stiff dough forms. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a few hours and up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking with parchment paper. In a small bowl, pour about 1/4 cup sugar. Break off 1-Tbsp chunks of the cookie dough and roll them into balls. Then roll them around in the sugar to coat and place them on the baking sheets, 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies 10 to 12 minutes, until dark brown. Let cool.





Subscribe for New Racipies

Get mental health tips, updates, and resources delivered to your inbox.