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1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (a must)
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Beat all of the wet ingredients and sugar together until well combined and smooth. Beat in the dry ingredients just until combined then stir in the nuts and chocolate chips.
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Bake the bread in a greased 8" x 4" loaf pan, in a pre-heated 350F oven for 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick tests clean (see note below). Cool bread in pan, on rack, for 15 minutes, then remove from pan . Immediately, wrap hot bread with plastic wrap and cool.
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NOTE: Yes, that is snow (higher than my kitchen window) in that last photo. Snow also accounts for the ultra-bright window-light in the first photo. We live at the base of a mountain pass and we get a lot of snow...but, hey, it's nearly mid-March, so this is even a lot of snow for us. Tonight it's zero again. I heard on the radio today that the Iditarod dog team racers are experiencing 35 below zero this week!!
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By Coleen Marie