Are you reading Marvel’s The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl from writer Ryan Q. North and artist Erica Henderson? Why not? Do you hate laughter? Because it is the funniest series currently being published. It makes me laugh so hard that eventually no sound comes out, and then I almost pass out from lack of oxygen. If the series had a crossover with Chip Zdarsky’s Howard the Duck, which is very nearly as funny, I might need a doctor’s supervision to read it safely.
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is relentlessly silly, upbeat, and adorable. Doreen Green is an excellent role model. While her ability to keep her superhero identity a secret needs some work, her can-do attitude, amazing squirrel powers, and actual-squirrel sidekick Tippy-Toe make her truly unbeatable. She can handle Galactus without anyone getting hurt, which means she has one up on pretty much everyone else in the Marvel universe.
“Eats nuts, kicks butts” is Squirrel Girl’s slogan, and she’s enthusiastic about both things. That takes a lot of energy. Luckily, nuts contain a lot of energy. And this bread contains a lot of nuts. It’s not a cake, so most of its sweetness comes from the chocolate chips. It smells great while it’s baking and makes a tasty breakfast or snack.
Squirrel Girl’s Chocolate Chip Nut Bread
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
Directions
Cream the sugar and butter together in a mixing bowl. Add the buttermilk and eggs and mix to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the chopped nuts and chocolate chips. The nuts and chips are small, so they can disperse easily in the flour mixture. This will allow you to add the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture without over-mixing it which will make the final texture of your bread tough.
Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients in a few stages, folding it in gently. Once everything is combined, put your batter into a greased and floured 9″x5″ bread pan.
Bake at 350F for about an hour, then check for doneness. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
When the bread is done, let it rest for 5 minutes. Then use a knife or thin spatula to loosen the sides of the bread from the pan. Turn the bread out onto a cooling rack and let it cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Now you can share your delicious, power-packed nut bread with your friends, both human and squirrel. Wait…you should check on whether squirrels can have chocolate or not. If you’re expecting squirrel guests, or others who don’t want chocolate, you can leave out the chips and it’ll still taste great! And read The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl if you aren’t already. I recommend it unreservedly.
