A tale of two loaves; that was the extent of my zucchini bread dilemma over the weekend. On the upside- it’s a pretty good problem to have, no? This girl was avidly recipe-testing two different loaves; each with a different spinoff and their own little allure or appeal.
The first zucchini loaf involved sliced fresh figs (PSA: do not attempt it with dried ones, I repeat: do not attempt) and the crunch brought forth by your choice of raw or roasted walnuts. The combination of zucchini, figs and walnuts was absolutely DELISH and made for the best kind of breakfast-style bread.
The kind of breakfast bread you want to break coffee with. The kind of breakfast bread you can enjoy fresh outta the oven or warmed up in the toaster, with a dab of almond butter…. Or equally enjoyable straight out of your fridge with a cold and creamy drink. Hint: cashew milk is my favorite; but I’m also envisioning how you could dip some of the bread into a foamy oat milk latte. I was entirely sold on the above.
But, somehow…. I decided to fatefully test a second variety and add chocolate chips and more intense vanilla flavors, as well as play with the ratio of zucchini to flour in this recipe. I also baked mine with vanilla ghee; one of my favorite secret weapons when it comes to healthier baked goods.
Ghee resembles butter the most (ghee is clarified butter- AKA sans lactose); and is great in loaves and brownies. Plus, the vanilla flavor makes it a little extra, ya know?! 😉 Note: there’s a specific vanilla infused variety that’s great for baked goods. FYI- not all ghee tastes like vanilla.
I love to offer it up in this recipe because a lot of you don’t like “coconut flavors”- but are sensitive to lactose and casein. Ghee has far less of both when compared to butter counterparts and is a totally viable alternative if you’re not looking for a vegan option. For vegan options; stick to coconut or avocado oils.
This second zucchini loaf variety unequivocally screams dessert. It says: serve me up warm with a dollop of coconut or cashew vanilla ice cream on top. It also says: I can take a drizzle of chocolate ganache, s‘il vous plait! It’s decadent, without giving away that it’s made with all good things and loaded with good fats and vegetables.
Needless to say, I was super smitten by the second chocolate chip (vanilla loaf) variety. So were my munchkins. And, so were you guys when I ran an Instagram poll. 4 out of every 5 of you said you’d like to have this recipe down first, so here we are! Or as I should say, the people have spoken. I truly love to cater to what catches your eye, because you’re as much a part of this blog as I am. I say it all the time, but I also feel I don’t say it enough. Thank you for your readership, your support, your amazing recipe shares, your encouragement and above all, your excitement for these recipes.
Happy Cooking~ x
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1 + 1/3 cups of all-purpose (gluten-free) flour, spelt OR oat flour*
- 1 + 1/3 cups of shredded zucchini
- 2 large eggs OR flaxseed eggs for vegan options*
- 1 tbsp pure Madagascar vanilla extract
- 2 tsp of ground cinnamon p.s. I love Ceylon cinnamon!
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp of sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil, high-heat avocado oil or melted vanilla ghee
- 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup (or agave or raw honey)
- 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips or chocolate chips of your choice
- some more chocolate chips to sprinkle on top before it goes into the oven
- aluminum foil to cover it as it bakes
*to make your own oat-flour: blitz ~2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats (large-flake ones) in your blender, this will yield the 1 cup + 1/3 cup of flour the recipe calls for.
*per each egg: 1 tablespoon of flax seed to 3 tbsp of water, stir well and allow it to sit for 5 mins and thicken before adding to the batter. I place them inside the fridge during that time, to speed up the thickening.
Instructions
- Turn the oven on to 350 F and line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl mix the flour (I used oat flour in mine!), sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, & baking soda.
- In a smaller bowl whisk the 2 eggs with the pure maple syrup, add the splash of pure vanilla extract and oil or ghee. Whisk well.
- Incorporate wet ingredients into dry ingredients bowl, whisking as you go.
- Fold in the grated zucchini and the chocolate chips. Zucchini tips: before adding it to the batter, I use a washcloth to squeeze/ ring out any excess water out.
- Pour batter onto the loaf pan and with the spatula, even out/layer the surface.
- Bake for approximately 50-55 mins or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
By: Aleyda | The Dish On Healthy
This recipe was brought to you in partnership with Mr. Miles, who was busy nursing in a baby wrap while I typed this up. He also got in there while in the test kitchen and *may or may not have ended up with some bread crumbs in his plentiful mane of thick brown hair. He’s the best little sous chef and co-writer!
