I love receiving homemade gifts, be it from the kitchen or anything ‘crafty’ made by hand. It tells me the giver was not interested in just grabbing the first gift at a store they thought would get ‘the job done’, but that they put some thought and care into it.
For several years, we’ve been giving ‘gifts from our kitchen’ to our friends and neighbors. Every year I start thinking ahead and look for ideas to spark my imagination. A few years ago it was a homemade bean soup mix; another year it was jars of local honey to which I had added Meyer lemon and ginger slices; another year it was this recipe I found on line and tested to make sure it would work. It is a Pumpkin Cranberry Pecan Bread made in the Crock-Pot…and we loved it!
Photo: Lauhala basket holding 1 can pumpkin purée, the exact quantities of cranberries, pecans, and sugar...the all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt, were all put inside a single bag, all mixed already. I placed a kitchen towel in the bottom and a copy of the recipe rolled and tied with ribbon as a scroll. The whole thing then wrapped in Snowflake cellophane.
I bought several lauhala baskets which I lined with a kitchen towel and then added the ingredients (15 oz can of pumpkin purée, sugar, flour, baking soda/spices/seasonings, fresh cranberries and shelled pecan halves which I bought in Georgia during my recent mainland trip); I added copies of the recipe so my friends could make it at home. I let them decide whether to use the oil or the applesauce.
If you decide to make this, please read my notes at the bottom of the recipe before you start.
Slow Cooker Pumpkin-Cranberry-Pecan Bread
Nonstick cooking spray
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin purée
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil or natural unsweetened applesauce
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fresh cranberries (or frozen, thawed)
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup pecans, chopped and toasted
Coat the ceramic liner of a 4-quart crock-pot (mine is 3 1/2) with cooking spray; set aside. In a medium bowl combine eggs, pumpkin, sugar and oil (or applesauce); set aside.
In a large bowl stir together the 1 2/3 cups flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Add pumpkin mixture all at once to flour mixture; stir just until combined.
In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup cranberries and 1 tablespoon flour; toss gently to coat. Gently fold cranberries into batter.
Spoon batter into prepared cooker (cooker will only be about one fourth full if using a 4 quart cooker). Top with the remaining cranberries and the pecans.
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
When removing lid, lift carefully so condensation from lid does not drip on the bread.
Remove crockery liner from slow cooker. Cool, uncovered, on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen sides of bread, and use a wide spatula to lift bread from cooker. Cool completely on the wire rack
Source: Better Homes & Gardens Slow Cooker Holiday Issue via the blog ‘Home is Where the Boat Is’
See Notes below:
Sonia’s Notes: Since my crock-pot is a bit smaller than the one in the recipe, my bread domed nicely. I used the applesauce instead of oil. I also used a bit more pecans than the recipe called for and added some to the batter.
I checked the bread by inserting a very thin bladed knife at the 2-hour mark and it came out too wet. I let it cook a bit longer and checked about every 10 minutes or so. At the 2-1/2 hour mark I noticed the sides were cooking a bit too much and decided to stop cooking. Unmolded and wrapped the bread in a kitchen towel and let it sit for a bit. The bread was perfect by the time it was cut. The taste is delicious!
