Cinnamon Applesauce Quick Bread Neighbor Gift Idea

The 12 Days of Christmas: Day 2

I'm excited for Valerie to share her Cinnamon Applesauce Quick Bread Recipe with you. Wait until you see her free printables! Ready to see this great project?  I know I am!  I'm excited to introduce Valerie, from Occasionally Crafty.

Take it away, Valerie!

Hi everyone!  I'm Valerie, and my sister Laura and I blog over at Occasionally Crafty.  We are two moms who love music, love to read, and are busy raising our rowdy kids.  We love to craft when we can and share our creations with you.  On our blog, you'll find a little bit of everything, including sewing, home, and seasonal decor, recipes, and more!

Today I'm sharing a delicious gift you can share with your neighbors, friends, and your children's teachers this holiday season.

I'm a sucker for anything mini (well, except mini-skirts!)  There's something so cute about something in miniature.  So, these mini loaves of bread, paired with a fun card, make a perfect gift.

I like to give something that fits the season, so I make this Cinnamon Applesauce Quick Bread. You could, of course, use any bread recipe you like.

Cinnamon Applesauce Quick Bread Recipe

*adapted source recipe, Cinnamon Applesauce Bread, McCormick

WHAT YOU NEED

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup regular applesauce (if using unsweetened, increase brown sugar to 1 ¼ c)
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ⅔ cup milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

MAKE IT

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Spray your loaf pan(s) with baking spray (preferably the kind with added flour)
3. In a large bowl, whisk together first 4 ingredients
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients
5. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients stirring just until moistened.
6. Pour into loaf pan and smooth top

This tastes great with some extra sugar sprinkled on the top.

7. Bake for 55-60 minutes for one large loaf or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

(For mini loaves, I baked eight at a time for about 30 minutes, and it was perfect!)

Now, I bake it right in these ceramic loaf pans (I bought mine at Michaels).

I let it cool for about ten minutes, and then I remove the loaves to finish cooling.  Then I wash out the pans and use them in packaging.  I wrap the loaves in saran wrap, put them back in the ceramic pans, and tie everything up with ribbon for the perfectly presented gift.

Free Printable Gift Tags

I attach a gift card with this note, which you can download print out below: "No matter how you slice it, you're an awesome friend/neighbor/teacher "

Just right click on the images, and save them to your computer.  I usually open them in Word or Publisher and copy the image for each loaf I make.

Don't forget to make a few extra loaves for you- it's delicious if I do say so myself!

Thanks for having me here today, Heidi!  I hope to see you readers over at our blog soon.  We're also social- you can find us here!

Hi, everyone.  This is Heidi.  I'm so glad Valerie could guest post today.  Be sure to stop by her site and look around.  You'll find lots of great ideas and inspiration.  I love this Pink Ballerina Bedroom makeover.  You have to see the display of ballet shoes.  It's my favorite part.