Feeling festive but tired of Aunt Bea’s old recipe? Try my variation for a sweet fix on pumpkin bread.

Candied Pumpkin Bread

For an intense pumpkin flavor, use half fresh and half canned pumpkin.

1 ¾ cups all purpose flour

1 ½ cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup mashed pumpkin (use sweet sugar pie pumpkins)

½ cup canola oil

¼ cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup butterscotch chips

Choose a 4 to 5-pound sugar pie pumpkin.  These are easy to find this time of year. Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds (save these and roast them with the kids). Like baking acorn or spaghetti squash, place split pumpkin on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.  Cool.  Scoop out pumpkin and mash or puree.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.  In another bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin, oil, buttermilk and vanilla.  Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.  Fold in butterscotch chips.  Pour into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for one hour and 20 minutes or until bread bounces back from touch.  Cool for 10 to 15 minutes before removing from the pan to a wire rack.

Yield:  1 loaf.  (I always double this recipe because one loaf goes too quickly.)