Pineapple Coconut Quick Bread with Mac Nuts

Adapted from About.com.

So, I still have mac nuts from our Hawaii trip last year sitting in the nut drawer in my fridge. And I was thinking about making cookies but then remembered that I had a recipe bookmarked for a tropical fruit bread and thought this would be a great time to try it out. Alas, the recipe I bookmarked was gone--having been lost last year when my computer crashed--but I found one I liked and tweaked it a bit to serve my needs.

Note: for this recipe I used unsweetened coconut flakes but next time I'll use sweetened. There's only 3/4 C sugar in the whole thing and while it tasted really good, I think I'd like a smidge more sweetness.

2 large eggs
1/2 C coconut milk (I used lite)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut extract if you have it
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
3/4 C sugar
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour (I used 1.5 C white WW and 1 C AP)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
6 T melted butter
1 cup grated coconut, or use flaked (see note above)
3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. In a 9x5 pan it will take about 1.5 hrs to bake so if you want to bake it in less time I would use an 8x8 pan.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs lightly; beat in the butter, milk, vanilla & coconut extracts, pineapple and sugar. Combine the flaked coconut, flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir almost all of the dry mix into the first mixture until moistened. Add the chopped mac nuts to the bit of remaining flour and toss to coat. Add to mixture and fold just until blended. Try not to over-mix the batter. If you want, you can sprinkle the top with 1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped macadamia nuts and sanding sugar but I didn't do that.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hr to 1.5 hrs, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Tent with foil to prevent over-browning while baking. Cool completely in pan before slicing. Wrap well with foil to store. My co-workers devoured this within a few short hours so be sure to cut a slice for yourself before sharing!

* could be made vegan by subbing margarine for butter and using egg replacer for the eggs (Ener-G is a reliable replacement)

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