Pistachio Carrot Quick Bread

Pistachio carrot quick bread – A quick, easy moist loaf cake with hints of cinnamon, ginger, and coconut.

I have been loving pistachios lately. Typically, I tend to snack on walnuts or almonds but I decided to pick up a bag of pistachios from the store. They were delicious! I was shelling the nuts and gobbling them up faster than I could bake with them. I am now hooked. Since I have rediscovered pistachios I want to use them in everything! Last week I made Pistachio Linzer Cookies with Nutella Filling and they were amazing. So of course I just had to try another pistachio recipe.

I’ve been wanting to experiment with quick breads for a while. The flavor combinations are endless. Since the spicy flavors of carrot cake have always appealed to me, I decided to lighten them up for the warmer temperatures. Here in the northeast we are finally getting some sunshine after so much snow! This quick bread is an easy springtime treat to get celebrating.

Pistachio carrot quick bread is soft and moist with some added sweetness from the coconut, and bit of crunch from the pistachios. Cinnamon and ginger add some spiciness to the batter without being overwhelming.

This bread can even be baked in mini aluminum loaf pans for the perfect spring gift. Anything mini is automatically cuter!! They would be so adorable 🙂

Any ways you are celebrating spring? What are you baking?

Pistachio Carrot Quick Bread (Makes 1 loaf)

1 stick of butter, melted and cooled

2 cups all purpose flour

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 and ½ cups shredded carrot

¾ cup shredded sweentened coconut

½ cup milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup coarsely chopped pistachios (1/3 for batter, 1/3 for topping)

1. Preheat oven to 350º and spray a 9 inch by 5 inch (or a 8½ inch by 4½ inch works too) loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Use a rubber spatula to mix in the carrot and coconut.

2. Make a small well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Combine using a rubber spatula until all the ingredients are moistened. Fold in the pistachios.

3. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, spreading evenly across the top. Sprinkle the remaining pistachios on top, pressing down gently. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes before removing. Once out of the pan let cool completely before cutting.

Adapted from Fine Cooking