With just 4 ingredients and a few minutes of prep, you’ll have a fun and yummy Bible treasure hunt ready for your family.

Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread:
1 Box Spice Cake Mix (Duncan Hines brand works best)
1 15 oz Can of Pumpkin
1/2 Cup Water
1 Bag of Chocolate Chips (any kind, but Durbins prefer Dark)
Recipe can be made without chocolate chips, buy why would anyone do that?!  😉

Prep Ahead Instructions:
Gather your 4 ingredients and print out the list of verses consolidated at the bottom (in maroon).
Cut the verses apart and hide them as follows.

• Spice Cake Mix –
  Carefully open the box, insert John 6:35, and reseal the box with glue or tape so it looks unopened.
• Can of Pumpkin –
  Carefully take off the label, tape Matthew 5:16 to the back of the label, and put the label back on the can so it looks untampered.
• 1/2 cup water –
  Fold and tape Psalm 42:1 to the bottom of the measuring cup so that the cup sits as flatly as possible.  A measuring cup that isn’t see through is preferable.
• Chocolate Chips –
  Tape Psalm 119:103 to the seam of the back side of the bag, folding it so it will show as little as possible.
• Big Mixing Bowl –
  Tape Psalm 34:8 to the bottom of the bowl so that the bowl sits as flatly as possible.

Pre-heat oven to 350.
Grease & flour 2 loaf pans. (Spray works fine.)

Teachable Moment Time!
God’s word is like a treasure hunt.  We have to make time to dig into it and explore its depths.  Doing so will bring priceless blessings.  Today we are going to remind ourselves of that by going on a Scripture treasure hunt with our recipe!  As I tell you each ingredient to put into our big bowl, you have to find the hidden verse.

Box Spice Cake Mix
Read and discuss the verse once it’s found.  Then, dump the mix in the bowl.
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.   John 6:35

1 15 oz can of pumpkin
Read and discuss the verse once it’s found.  The connection here is that pumpkins are often used at jack-o-lanterns this time of year.  Then scoop the pumpkin into the bowl.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.  Matthew 5:16

1/2 cup of water
Read and discuss the verse once it’s found.  Then, pour the water into the bowl.
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.  Psalm 42:1

NOW blend these ingredients with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer for a full two minutes.

1 Bag Chocolate Chocolate chips 
Read and discuss the verse once it’s found.  Then, pour the bag of chips into the bowl and mix by hand with a large spoon.
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!  Psalm 119:103

Pour the batter evenly into the greased loaf pans.  As your child is helping pour and scrape the batter into the pans, see if he notices the verse on the bottom of the bowl.  Read the verse, discuss, and then ask him if he sees a clue in the verse as to what to do next. 
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.  Psalm 34:8
Taste the batter!

Bake both loaves at 350 for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
It’s delicious eaten warm.  We often microwave it a bit if we are eating slices later on.  It can also be made into muffins or mini-muffins.  Just adjust the cooking times.  This bread freezes well, but ours never makes it to the freezer!  We love that it makes two loaves, because often we eat one and give one away.  I watch for sales this time of year for the ingredients and stock up.  It’s not unusual for us to make as many as 15-20 batches of this between Sept – Dec each year.  We LOVE it and it’s the aroma of fall in our home.  I bet it will become a favorite of yours, too!

For further discussion –
“I hid verses in our ingredients for fun, but where does the Bible say we should hide God’s Word?  And, why?”
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11
Consider following that up with finding a verse or two in Parenting with Scripture: A Topical Guide for Teachable Moments to memorize and continue discussing.

Cut and paste verses from here into a printable document for use in your own hunt:
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.   John 6:35

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.   Matthew 5:16

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.   Psalm 42:1

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!   Psalm 119:103

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.  Psalm 34:8

Your family’s pumpkin carving can turn into a meaningful and memorable lesson!
We are  fans of Liz Curtis Higg’s book, The Pumpkin Patch Parable.

This is written for preschool through early elementary and has great Biblical analogies for the whole pumpkin growing and carving processes!  These principles have stuck with us beyond those ages as we continue to discuss them during our annual carvings.

Quick Pumpkin Craft Instructions, left to right:
Toilet Paper Pumpkin – Cut orange felt and wrap a roll of toilet paper, stuffing the edges in the top.  Roll a piece of brown paper and stuff in for the stem.  Wrap a green pipe cleaner around a pencil to make a curly-q.   Attach the following verse.

You are the light of the world…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.  Matthew 5:14a, 16b

Paper Plate Pumpkin –  Paint a paper plate orange.  Glue raffia bow, pumpkin seeds, and green paper leaf that says, “Thank you God for….”

Paper Bag Pumpkin –  Stuff a brown paper bag with crumpled newspaper, paint 3/4 orange and 1/4 green or leave it brown.  Tie green curly ribbon to create the tendrils and attach a green paper leaf with the child’s name on it. 

“What other time do friends, neighbors, and strangers knock on your door and ask for a treat?!”  I wish I could remember who I heard say that years ago because I would thank him or her for the impression it made on me.  What could be a better treat than the “Good News?!”

My family makes the most of this opportunity by having tracts mixed in with the candy bag.  American Tract Society www.atstracts.org has a number of fun Halloween themed, child-friendly tracts available for ordering.

Because we are out trick-or-treating with our own children on Halloween night, we are not at home to pass out the treats.  So, every year we decorate a brown grocery bag, fill it with candy and tracts, and leave it on the porch along with a note instructing the trick or treaters to only take 2-3 things.

Who knows whether or not they all abide by “take 2-3 things” note, but we figure whoever gets the tracts are the ones meant to have them.  My kids love prepping the bag and then together we pray over the bag that God would use the tracts to help the recipients learn more about Him and salvation through Jesus.

Have another  idea for bringing God’s Word into Halloween?  Please share!
I know Halloween can be controversial among Christians.  Let’s not get into that debate here, please.  🙂

“What other time do friends, neighbors, and strangers knock on your door and ask for a treat?!”  I wish I could remember who I heard say that years ago because I would thank him or her for the impression it made on me.   My family makes the most of this opportunity by having tracts available to give out with the candy.  American Tract Society www.atstracts.org has a number of child-friendly tracts available for ordering.  I’m about to order ours so we’ll have them in plenty of time before Halloween.

Because we are out trick-or-treating with our own children on Halloween night, we are not at home to pass out the treats.  So, every year we decorate a brown grocery bag, fill it with candy and tracts, and leave it on the porch along with a note instructing the trick or treaters to only take 2-3 things.  Who knows whether or not they all abide by that rule, but we figure whoever gets the tracts are the ones meant to have them.  My kids love prepping the bag and then together we pray over the bag that God would use the tracts to help the recipients learn more about Him and salvation through Christ Jesus.

Here’s what ours and some of our friends’ looked like from a couple different years…