Carrot Walnut Bread: Annie Says... "Absolutely not."

You ever have one of those moments in the grocery store where something on the shelf calls your name? That was me, standing in front of a display of carrot walnut bread. I could practically hear it whispering, "You know you want to try me."

And of course, since Annie the Porcupine is always on the lookout for new fruit-and-veggie-based treats, I figured she might approve. After all, carrots? Yes. Bread? Double yes. Walnuts? ...count me in.

Spoiler: Annie did not approve. I did not approve. The loaf is officially on the "never again" list.

In my mind, carrot walnut bread was going to taste like carrot cake's responsible older cousin — the one who pays bills on time but still knows how to have a good time if there's cream cheese frosting involved. Warm spices. Moist crumb. Gentle sweetness.

Reality? This loaf was more like a dry carrot in bread form.

Annie took one sniff, one cautious nibble, and looked at me like, "You really thought this was going to be good, didn't you?"Honestly? I did.

I'm not sure if it was the lack of carrots, the zero sweetness, the dryness, or the surprisingly strong ginger aftertaste, but one thing is certain: I need to come up with my own version to prove that carrot walnut bread can be good if done right. Because this store-bought attempt earned only 1 out of 5 quills from Annie.

But hey — at least it gave us a funny story and the perfect excuse to start experimenting in the kitchen. And you know Annie will definitely be supervising that adventure.

Let's see what I can come up with!