Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2

Mix pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla, and unsweetened applesauce together in a large bowl.

Step 3

Add the remaining ingredients, except for chocolate chips, to pumpkin mixture and stir together until everything is well combined.

Step 4

If using chocolate chips, fold into batter.

Step 5

Pour mixture into a nonstick loaf pan and bake for 40-50 minutes. If you don’t have a nonstick pan, you can line with parchment paper. If you do use a cooking spray, just lightly mist the pan.

Step 6

The loaf is done when a knife tester is inserted into the center and comes out clean, except for a few chocolate chips.