Moist Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bread with Apricots and Walnuts

This bread came out absolutely delicious and I can't wait to make it again with new fruits and nuts! As summer turns to fall, I have a greater desire to bake breads that can be enjoyed after dinner with a cup of tea and some fruit. I love mixing in nuts and dried fruit to standard breads to add texture and flavor. This bread takes no time to make and it stays moist and delicious for about a week. I had some left over dried apricots and a cup of walnuts laying around so I decided to incorporate them in a quick bread. I adapted this recipe from an Apricot, Orange and Chocolate Loaf from the blog BakingBites. With a glass of milk and some banana slices, this bread really hits the spot!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bread with Apricots and Walnuts

(Makes one delicious moist loaf)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 cup quick rolled oats

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup walnuts

3/4 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup dried apricots chopped

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs (I use fake eggs)

1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix together the flour, oats, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Mix in the chocolate chips, walnuts and apricots.

3. In a seperate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and butter. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well using a spatula to incorporate all the ingredients that get stuck along the sides of the bowl.

4. Pour the batter into a greased 9 x 5 baking dish and place in the oven for about 50 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let the loaf cool completely before cutting. YUM :)