Maple Butternut Fruit Bread

Recipes

Sure, you’ve heard of butternut squash, but what about butter nuts? Also known as “white walnuts” the butternut tree grows throughout the Northeast but had been on the demise due to disease. Luckily,  wild groves have begun popping back up. Look for these football-shaped nuts covered in a fuzzy green husk while walking in the woods in mid-September to mid-October or search them out at your local farmers market. When ripe the nuts fall from the tree and although similar in taste to walnuts, butter nuts are a bit sweeter and milder like a pine nut.

 

Sweetened by maple syrup, maple butter nut fruit bread is sure to be your new go-to sweet bread, replacing banana or even pumpkin bread!

Maple Butternut Fruit Bread

This bread is best if “ripened” at least one day before serving

Ingredients

1 cup maple syrup                           
2 tbsp. melted shortening                         
1 egg, well beaten                                       
3 tsp. baking powder                                             
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup chopped butter nuts
¾ cup orange juice
2 ½ cups flour

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350º F
  2. Blend shortening, maple syrup, egg and orange juice with an electric mixer on medium speed
  3. Sift in dry ingredients and stir until mixed
  4. Add nuts and mix
  5. Bake in greased loaf pan for 60 mins
  6. Cool and remove from pan

 

Recipe adapted from Recipes Across the Fence, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT