I'm here to say this would be a good time to make some zucchini bread. If you can stir, you can make this delicious recipe and it's filled with zucchini, chunky walnuts and some whole wheat flour. All the good stuff in one yummy loaf. Zucchini adds a great moist texture and is really difficult to mess up. I like to add some orange zest to the batter and drizzle a orange icing over the top. If Blood Oranges are in season, it will give your icing a lovely pink color.
My mom made zucchini bread with chocolate chips, and I remember thinking it was the best thing ever. Maybe my tastes have changed, but these days I actually prefer them without chocolate. Instead, I like adding some roughly chopped walnuts to give it a nice nutty and crunchy bite. So are you Team Walnuts or Team Chocolate Chips? Or both? There really is no wrong answer. It's all very tasty.
The batter can easily be adapted for muffins which make a great snack or breakfast. It's delicious as is, so sometimes I skip the icing when I want something less sweet. You can also try spreading some nut butter over a slice which goes really well with the spices. This is a one bowl bread recipe that is a family favorite.
ZUCCHINI WALNUT BREAD
(MAKES ONE 9 INCH LOAF)
INGREDIENTS
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
3 eggs, room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped and toasted
(ORANGE ICING)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice, more if needed
Whisk sugar and orange juice in a small bowl until smooth.
METHOD
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 5 loaf pan with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl whisk oil, eggs, sugars, vanilla, salt and zest together until combined. Add the zucchini and whisk it into the egg mixture. Place a sifter over the bowl and sift the flours, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon directly into the mixing bowl.
Switch to a wooden spoon or rubber spatula and stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in the walnuts. Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Unmold the bread after 20 minutes. Cool completely before drizzling the top with the Orange Icing.
TIPS
There is no need to squeeze out the zucchini, if it seems very watery blot it lightly with a paper towel.
Instead of walnuts, try pistachios or hazelnuts.
Replace the nuts with chocolate chips, or do a combination of the two.
This recipe will make 12 muffins. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @mgracecreative_ on instagram and hashtag it #mgracecreative_
