Applesauce Oatmeal Bread with Butterscotch Chips

As I’ve mentioned, I love making quick breads (and my daughter enjoys making them with me); so, this was a fun after-school activity in anticipation of a snowy day.

I had bookmarked this recipe from King Arthur a couple of weeks ago because I kept seeing the same three individual serving cups of applesauce sitting in my fridge and wanted to figure out a way to use them.

An applesauce – oatmeal bread sounded like a great sweet treat that could be an after-school snack or a breakfast sweet.

Some notes:

• We reduced the amount of allspice to 1/4 teaspoon and slightly upped the cinnamon.
• We used vanilla, 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour, and old fashioned oats because that’s what I had in my pantry.
• We omitted the walnuts and added 1/2 cup of butterscotch chips to the batter instead.
• To finish, we sprinkled the top of the uncooked batter with coarse sugar, oats, and some additional butterscotch chips.

The verdict: the bread was moist, had a great flavor from the apple sauce and spices, and the butterscotch chips added just a bit of decadence.

Applesauce Oatmeal Bread
King Arthur Baking

• 1 cup (198g) sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (99g) vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla or boiled cider
• 1/2 cup (57g) White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 cup (120g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (45g) rolled oats, old-fashioned or quick-cooking
• 3/4 cup (191g) applesauce, unsweetened preferred
• 1/2 cup (57g) chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder and soda, spices, and salt, and add them to the wet ingredients in the bowl.
4. Mix in the rolled oats, applesauce, and walnuts.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake the bread for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool completely.
6. Store cooled bread, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage.