Studded with walnuts and topped with a crunchy, crackly sugar crust.
This Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread is incredibly moist and super easy to make. Scented with cinnamon and vanilla and loaded with chocolate and chunks of buttery walnuts, it might be my favourite summer baked good and that’s saying a lot because who wants to turn on the oven in the summer? It also holds a whole lot of zucchini which means it’s acceptable for breakfast. Or lunch. Veggies are ok to eat anytime at all. I don’t make the rules.
How do you like to eat your Zucchini Bread? I like to cut a thick slice and eat it slathered with a big spread of salted butter. I also like it with a spread of peanut butter or almond butter and sometimes I eat it with some sliced cheddar cheese which probably sounds weird but is actually very good.
The other day I made a very grave mistake – and let it serve as a warning to you friends. Never, I repeat, never ever turn your back on a zucchini plant. I mean it. Not even for a minute. I looked away and as soon as I turned back there were at least 387 new zucchinis ready for picking including one that was at least as big as my leg. If you think you want to grown your own zucchini then I think it’s important that you know what you’re getting yourself into. (Need tips? Read this)
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread, how to make it…
Step 1: mix together some melted butter and olive oil in a large bowl along with some sugar and some brown sugar. Whisk it really well. Mix in an egg and vanilla and whisk well again. Add in some grated zucchini and give it one more good mix.
Step 2: mix together some flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
Step 3: add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until it’s all just combined. Don’t over-mix, it doesn’t have to be completely smooth.
Step 4: fold in the chocolate chips and the chopped nuts and then pour the batter into a 9″x5″ loaf pan.
Step 5: don’t skip this step and don’t skimp on the sugar… you can if you want to, but you will regret it and then you’ll call me and ask me why your Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread doesn’t have the most amazing crackly, crunchy sugar crust and I’ll tell you it’s because you skimped on your sugar. A serious error. Don’t do it. So, take a full two tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle it evenly over the surface of the batter.
Step 6: bake. Bake the loaf at 350 for about an hour. Sometimes I find this is sufficient and sometimes it needs another 5-10 minutes. A toothpick is your best friend here.
Step 7: let it cool in the pan, then remove, slice, eat.
chocolate chip zucchini bread Recipe ingredients, tips, substitutions:
Zucchini – to prepare the zucchini you simply grate it on a box grater. No need to peel it. Do you squeeze the liquid from the grated zucchini for the bread? Nope. No need. Do you remove the seeds from the zucchini for the bread? if I’m using one of those zucchinis that’s as big as my leg I might scrape out the seeds in the middle first. You don’t have to with the smaller zucchinis.
Oil – I use olive oil in this bread as I do in a lot of my baking, but you can use any oil.
Walnuts – these are optional. Feel free to omit the walnuts if they’re not your thing, or sub in another nut of your choosing… pecans, pistachios, slivered almonds, hazelnuts. All good choices.
Chocolate – regular chocolate chips are what I use, but use chunks or mini chips if you like.
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Recipe Variations:
- Milk chocolate and hazelnut
- Dark chocolate chunk and espresso – add 1 Tbsp instant espresso powder to the dry ingredients
- White chocolate and dried cranberry – omit the cinnamon and add in some orange zest
- Salted caramel chip and pecan
interested in more zucchini recipes to use up the garden haul? try these…
- Mozzarella Stuffed Zucchini Arancini
- Zucchini Lasagna
- Zucchini Ribbons Salad – with Shaved Lemon & Parmesan
Recipe-ish…
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups grated zucchini packed
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- 2 Tbsp sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the melted butter, olive oil, brown sugar, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Whisk well.
- Add in the zucchini and mix well again.
- In a separate bowl coming the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix well.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and the walnuts.
- Pour the batter into a greased and/or lined loaf pan.
- Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the top.
- Bake at 350 for about an hour.
Let me know what you think below and if you like this Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Recipe I know you’ll also love my Banana Bread with Oat Flour, Chocolate & Cinnamon Sugar
