We highlighted summer strawberries on Tuesday, so it only seems fair that today we highlight summer zucchini. But zucchini in a sweet way, and with the addition of chocolate and creamy almond butter. Hey, it’s Friday…this is needed! You guys, I love a good Friday dessert. You all know this. Last week we had cookies n’ cream ice cream sandwiches, the week before it was raspberry pies. And today we have zucchini bread. And yes, I know, zucchini bread…really? That doesn’t sound that exciting. But hear me out, I promise you this bread is worth your time. It’s delicious, and even, kind of sort of…healthy…depending on how you define healthy. For me ” healthy” definitely includes zucchini and chocolate, so…
The quick back story of this recipe is really pretty simple, I had a lot of zucchini in the fridge and a fresh jar of almond butter in the pantry. I’ve recently become very excited about baking with almond butter (more to come). The sound of a buttery zucchini bread with chocolate chunks and creamy almond butter was truly exciting to me. Normally I would sit on an idea like this for a while, probably overthink it, and then potentially never share it. But I have a new motto, stop over-thinking and just start doing.
So I went with it. It was kind of a dreary day and I felt like baking something slightly sweet anyway. And since I’ve been sharing plenty of berry-filled summer desserts, I thought I would switch it up and go for chocolate today. A very good idea.
Making this almond butter zucchini bread is simple…
You only need one bowl, some pantry ingredients, fresh zucchini, about 20 minutes of time to prep, and about an hour for baking. The first step is the zucchini. Here’s the thing, when baking with zucchini it’s really important to remove any excess moisture (so the water). You want to do this so your baked goods don’t end up super dense and watered down. Simply shred the zucchini, let it sit on paper towels for 10 minutes, then ring the zucchini out to squeeze out all the water. It’s really easy. The drier you can get the zucchini, the lighter your loaf of bread will be.
While the zucchini sits, make the batter.
The rest is so quick and easy. In a bowl, mix up melted butter, a couple of eggs, maple syrup – for sweetness, and a splash of vanilla. Then stir in the zucchini. Now add in some whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, cinnamon, plus a touch of salt. And lastly, add in the chocolate chunks. The final step is essential to this bread. The almond butter swirl…well it’s not must, MUST, but it sure is DELICIOUS. But the chocolate chunks…well there’s no negotiating there, the chocolate chunks are a MUST! Now, bake and wait…the absolute hardest part. Distract yourself and use the time to knock out some emails, watch your favorite show, sit in the summer sun. I could go on and on. Hey, an hour is a long time, but the upside is that the house smells incredible as this bread bakes away in the oven.
The final (extra special) finishing touch.
While the bread bakes, mix together a little butter and maple syrup to create a sweet maple butter to slather over the warm bread. Is this really needed? No, but as I said above, it adds that extra special finishing touch. Especially if you plan to enjoy this warm…which you should do. It’s just perfectly sweet, nutty, and heavy on the melty, warm, gooey puddles of chocolate. The sweet maple butter creates that “roll your eyes back” deliciousness with every last bite.
So very good! I’m thinking some afternoon/weekend baking sounds just perfect. Especially if it happens to be a rainy summer afternoon. Nothing’s better than this bread on a rainy day.
Looking for other sweet zucchini recipes? Here are a few ideas: Sneaky Zucchini Chocolate Chunk Coconut Bread Chocolate Chip Olive Oil Zucchini Banana Bread Zucchini Peach Streusel Muffins Lastly, if you make this chocolate chunk almond butter zucchini bread with salted maple butter, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How To video:
