After-School Snack: "Sugar-Crusted Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread"

The kids are back in school, and if yours are anything like mine, they come home from school starving! We have harvested several jumbo zucchinis from our little garden boxes and one of our favorite snacks is zucchini bread.


I've tried lots of bread recipes over the years, and I always come back to this tried and true favorite, and have tweaked it a bit to my family's liking. If you don't have a zucchini plant nearby, I urge you to run to your nearest farmers market or to the grocery store, and grab a few! The zucchini in this recipe is virtually undetectable (we gotta get those veggies in to the kiddos somehow, right?), and it leaves your loaf of bread incredibly moist. I promise...the loaf won't last long!

"Sugar-Crusted Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread"

3 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. oil
1 T. vanilla
2 c. raw zucchini, peeled and grated (after peeling, slice in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds before grating)


3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 T. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
6 oz. (1/2 bag) MINI Chocolate Chips (The regular sized chips will work, but they are heavier and often sink to the bottom of the loaf pan. The mini's work much better in this recipe.)

Directions:

1. Blend the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla.

2. Stir in the zucchini.

3. Add flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Spray bottom and sides of two large loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.

5. Mix an additional 1/2 c. sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon in separate bowl. Sprinkle mixture along the bottom and sides of pans. Pour batter into pans. Sprinkle a small amount of additional cinnamon-sugar mixture on top. This will give you a slightly crunchy, sugary crust on your bread. (It's yummy!)


6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of your pans and your oven. Remove from oven when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

7. Loosen edges of pan with a knife, and turn onto a cooling rack.

8. Slice and serve. (My kids love it spread with butter!)

Not only will your kids love this treat, but your house will smell delicious and inviting for them to come home to.

Now, another little tip is this: To have zucchini bread year-round, simply freeze grated zucchini in 2 cup proportions, and defrost when ready to use it.



Enjoy!