Who isn’t ready for fall?? I might be jumping the gun a tad on this one, but I couldn’t wait to enjoy my favorite autumn flavors. So I put them all together in this one moist loaf, combining pumpkin and apple and topping them with a crunchy nutty crumb and spicy glaze. I created this recipe this week especially for my Daytime family. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Apple Bread

yields one 9 X 5 loaf

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make Ginger Sugar: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar with 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger.

Grease 9 X 5 loaf pan with shortening or butter. Coat with some of the ginger sugar.

Shred peeled Granny Smith apples into a small bowl, with a large grater, like a carrot. You need about 1 1/2 cups of shredded apple, which took 2 average-sized apples for me. Toss shredded apples with:

3 tablespoons ginger sugar

juice of half a lemon

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice (or your equivalent)

Set apple mixture in a small strainer and set over a small bowl to catch the juices. You’ll use those later. Set aside for now.

Make crumb topping: In a microwave melt 1/4 cup of unsalted butter. Stir in 1/2 cup each of rolled oats, chopped pecans, packed brown sugar, and all-purpose flour. Add a pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

In one bowl, whisk together:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or equivalent of your favorite spices)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

In your ‘wet’ bowl, whisk together:

2 beaten eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp minced ginger (I use a bottled version for convenience)

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2/3 cup vegetable oil

Pour the “dry” ingredients into the “wet” ingredients and mix in completely.

Take the apple mixture and press into the strainer, squeezing out as much of the juice as you can. The dryer the better. You’ll be surprised how much it compacts.

Add the shredded apples to the batter, pulling the compacted apples apart as you add them, so they’re not in one large lump. Use a spoon or spatula to thoroughly mix them in, until they are evenly distributed into the batter.

Pour your batter into the loaf pan. Top with crumb topping as desired (a lot or a little, whichever you like.) Bake at 350 degrees for 65 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

(You can also make muffins (bake for about 22 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test), or as mini-loaves (about 35 minutes, same toothpick test.))

Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and cool on wire rack.

Make Apple Spicey Glaze: Take the remaining juice and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Boil on high until mixture reduces by half, 5 minutes at least, possibly more. I actually do this while the loaf is baking. I stir it a few times to check for viscosity and to stir in spices that hang on the side. Once it’s reduced, I add a teaspoon of unsalted butter, a small splash of vanilla, and about a cup of powdered sugar to start, and add a little more powdered sugar and stir until I get the consistency I want…not too thin but not too thick. Taste and adjust as needed. Drizzle the glaze over your cooling loaf or muffins. Glaze is optional of course, but I think it’s a great finishing touch.