If you’re not in the fall spirit yet, this Pumpkin Bread with Maple Candied Walnut Streusel will do the trick! This super moist loaf is loaded with warm fall flavors such as pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. To (literally) top things off, it’s coated in a sweet, crunchy streusel made with granulated and brown sugar, cinnamon, and maple candied walnuts!
After testing this recipe out more times than I care to admit, I’m excited to share this perfected recipe with you! It’s actually two recipes in one. I had made some maple glazed walnuts the other day and thought they’d make an amazing streusel for this pumpkin loaf. I was right-it’s sooo good!
Making maple candied walnuts might sound a bit complicated, but they only take a few minutes to make.
To make the maple candied walnuts, toss them with a little salt and cinnamon then add them to a hot skillet over medium high heat. Have your wooden spoon handy and a few minutes free so that you can stir pretty much nonstop. Stir until the nuts have toasted and are coated in the syrup. The syrup will caramelize after 3-4 minutes.
A little tip? Double the maple walnut recipe so that you end up with some extra! You can enjoy them as a sweet snack or add them to salads or cheese boards.
CAN I LEAVE OUT THE MAPLE CANDIED WALNUTS?
The candied walnuts are delicious, but if you prefer, you can substitute them.
Here are some other options:
- Use a Different Nut: If you don’t have or care for walnuts, almonds and pecans are also really nice in this recipe.
- Skip the Maple Glaze: Another easy option is to just use walnuts and skip the maple glazing part. Just add an additional tablespoon in place of the maple syrup.
- Leave Out the Nuts: Replace the walnuts with an additional 1/4 cup of flour and an extra tablespoon of brown sugar.
Spread the nuts out on some parchment paper and use a couple of forks to spread them apart. They only take minutes to dry. Once dry, I chop them a bit more so that they blend in a bit more with the rest of the streusel.
The flavor of the inside of the pumpkin bread is as tasty as the topping. Brown sugar makes it extra moist and tasty. Vanilla and warm fall spices add flavor and bring out the flavor of the pumpkin! I like to use cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Allspice makes a nice addition or substitute to one of the above spices as does pumpkin pie spice!
Once the batter is mixed and in the pan, you’ll take the streusel out of the fridge. Break it into evenly sized clumps and cover the top of the batter with it.
Once the bread is ready, let it cool in the pan placed over a wire rack for ten minutes. Remove it from the pan and allow it to finish cooling on the rack.
It never ceases to amaze me how good pumpkin and warm spices and flavors of fall taste together! The maple candied walnuts and flavorful streusel add even more flavor and a welcomed crunch. For more fall flavors, try my Cinnamon Apple Peach Smoothie!
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Pumpkin Bread with Maple Walnut Streusel
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy recipe for Pumpkin Bread with Maple Walnut Streusel makes the most delicious, moist pumpkin bread! Whip it up from scratch and enjoy the best pumpkin bread!
Ingredients
FOR THE MAPLE WALNUTS
- 1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
FOR THE STREUSEL
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup maple glazed walnuts, cooled and chopped (recipe above)*
FOR THE BATTER
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups plain pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup milk
Instructions
FOR THE WALNUTS
1. In a small bowl, toss the walnuts with 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon and a small pinch of salt. Add them to a dry skillet on medium-high heat. Add the maple syrup and stir to coat the walnuts. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 3-4 minutes until the nuts are toasted. Turn nuts out onto a sheet of parchment paper. Spread the nuts out (they’ll be hot and sticking together, so you’ll want to use two forks to unclump them instead of your hands). Allow nuts to cool and dry for about five minutes and then lightly chop them.
FOR THE STREUSEL
1. Combine the butter, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and prepared maple walnuts in a bowl butter in a small bowl. Set aside in the fridge to chill while you prepare the batter.
FOR THE BREAD
1. Set your oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray or grease the sides with butter and line with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and brown sugar, oil followed by the eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla.
4. Stir half the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients followed by the milk. Add the rest of the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix. Pour the batter into the loaf pan.
5. Take the streusel out of the fridge and use a fork or two forks to break it up into chunks of the same size. Cover the top of the batter evenly with the streusel. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs on it when inserted into the center. Begin checking at about an hour and check it every five minutes or so until it’s done.
6. Let cool for ten minutes in the pan on a wire rack and then remove it from the pan to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy warm or once cooled and at room temperature.
Notes
CAN I LEAVE OUT THE MAPLE CANDIED WALNUTS?
Substitution Options for Maple Candied Walnuts: Use a Different Nut, Skip the Maple Glaze (Just add an additional tablespoon in place of the maple syrup), or substitute the walnuts with an additional 1/4 cup of flour and an extra tablespoon of brown sugar.
Keywords: pumpkin bread, pumpkin, breakfast, dessert, fall
