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Prep time
10 minutes
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Cook time
1 hour
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Serves
8 servings
Author Notes
Zucchini bread is always at the top of my list of recipes to make when zucchini season rolls around. It’s an easy, great use of the zucchinis I always buy at the farmers market thinking I’m going to make something healthy with them. Even loaded up with chocolate and sugar—as close to banana bread (and pumpkin bread) as you can get—I don’t feel bad about snacking on it throughout the day.
This is a pretty classic zucchini bread recipe. I use oil for an extra tender and moist crumb, maybe too much zucchini, and of course, both walnuts and chocolate chips. The main twist is grated orange zest and juice that’s mixed into the batter for an added (and might I say, lovely) citrus flavor. Chocolate and orange is a combo that has only recently grown on me, but I have to say it might be a keeper in zucchini bread going forward.
—Nea Arentzen
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Ingredients
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3/4 cup
(165 grams) brown sugar, packed
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3/4 cup
(151 grams) granulated white sugar
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the zest of 1 orange
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2
large eggs
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1/2 cup
(99 grams) vegetable oil
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3 tablespoons
freshly squeezed orange juice
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2 1/2 cups
grated zucchini, packed (about 2 medium)
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2 1/2 cups
(300 grams) all-purpose flour
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1 tablespoon
cinnamon
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1 3/4 teaspoons
Diamond crystal kosher salt
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1 1/2 teaspoons
baking powder
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1 teaspoon
baking soda
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1/2 cup
(85 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
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1/2 cup
(64 grams) walnuts, chopped
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1 tablespoon
turbinado sugar, if desired
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 350ºF with a rack in the center position. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with neutral oil or line with parchment paper. (It has to be a 9x5-inch pan otherwise it will be too much batter.)
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Add the brown and white sugar to a large bowl, then grate in all the orange zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar to amplify the orange flavor. Whisk in the eggs, oil, and 3 tablespoons of the orange juice until no sugar clumps remain. Stir in the zucchini (no need to squeeze liquid out).
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In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda, chocolate chips, and walnuts (coating them in flour will help prevent them from sinking down to the bottom while baking). Stir into the zucchini mixture until no flour clumps remain.
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Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, then sprinkle with the turbinado sugar, if using. Bake until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour. (Because ovens tend to vary, you may need to bake it for longer. Just keep testing every 10 minutes after the hour is up).
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