Boozy Pumpkin Bread with Pepita & Pecan Streusel [Art in the Age SNAP]

It's another Monday and I'm back at it again with some sugary-carb overload. Also: yes, it's seasonal! I've officially used two cans of pumpkin, and am gearing up to use more as the leaves continue to change colors and fall. I love pumpkin pastas to the moon and back, but we all know this vegetable is best enjoyed in a sweet context.

Pumpkin bread is similar to banana bread. It's super moist, spicy, sometimes dotted with chocolate, and moms make it best. To me, baking pumpkin bread is a right of passage into the fall season. Chocolate chips weren't really calling to me...but something else on the shelf was: Art in the Age SNAP! It's basically a boozy, bottled version of a gingersnap. Inspired by the Pennsylvania Dutch, SNAP is a distilled liquor with a list of simple (and delicious!) ingredients: blackstrap molasses, clove, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, rooibos tea, and vanilla.

There are few obvious choices in life, and using this in pumpkin bread was one of them. I love drinking as much as the next 20-something year old, but with flavors like these? Baking with liquor can be just as fun (maybe more).

Side note: Up until last month, when I stopped by a dinner at The Savory Grain, I had never heard of Art in the Age liquors. They're a company that crafts extremely unique and organic spirits, which are available at most stores that sell alcoholic beverages in the United States. Besides SNAP, other spirited products include Root, Rhubarb, and Sage. Interesting, right?

The bread comes together like most---no standing mixer required!---and SNAP takes the place of most of the spices. I chose to cut half the oil by swapping in some natural applesauce (optional). Also, the recipe makes just one loaf. You can, however, easily double it to make two (which use up the entire can of pumpkin). 

While I do love knowing there's alcohol in my slice of bread, my FAVORITE part of this recipe is the crunchy sweet topping. There's no filler: just pepitas (pumpkin seeds), pecans, and coconut covered in a bit of sugar, applesauce, and some more SNAP. Also, isn't it pretty? The shiny pale green against the orange interior screams "FALL!"

*Disclosure: Art in the Age kindly provided me with some products to test out in my own kitchen. The content and opinions expressed here are completely my own.*

Boozy Pumpkin Bread 

with Pepita & Pecan Streusel

Servings: 1 9x5 inch loaf (can be doubled to make 2 loaves)

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon*

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup applesauce, natural and unsweetened

1/4 cup grapeseed or vegetable oil

2 eggs

3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)

1/4 cup Art in the Age SNAP

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Streusel Topping

2 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon applesauce

1 teaspoon Art in the Age SNAP!

1/4 cup pepitas, unsalted

1/4 cup pecans, chopped

1 tablespoon shredded coconut, unsweetened

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon with a fork. Set aside
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining wet ingredients (sugar, applesauce, oil, eggs, pumpkin, SNAP!, water and SNAP!). Mix until well combined. Gently fold in the flour mixture until just incorporated---there can be a few lumps of flour remaining.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and make topping: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the topping and stir with a fork until seeds and nuts are fully covered in sticky sugar. Using your hands, evenly sprinkle streusel over the bread batter so that it is fully covered. 
• Bake for 55-70 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out mostly clean (edges should be brown and center should be completely set). Allow loaf to cool until the bottom of the pan is luke warm, then remove the bread to finish cooling on a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container for about 5-6 days.