The Best Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Ever

Our favorite family home-baked good of all time is chocolate chip zucchini bread. The recipe for this yummy quick bread has been in the family for over 35 years.

The recipe was originally shared with us by a realtor neighbor, who we purchased our home from in Ohio.

My earliest memories of this moist and delicious bread were of my mom whipping this up when we were youngsters.

Nothing makes a house smell like home more than the heavenly aroma of freshly baked zucchini bread.

My two siblings and I would return home from school and gobble up the warm bread fresh from the oven.

Nowadays, my son begs me to make this for him as soon as he is home from college. My kids always devour it within a couple of days tops. I love it now just as much as I did as a little girl.

Since then, I have tested out multiple zucchini bread recipes. However, we keep returning to this perennial favorite. The other recipes all lack a certain je ne sai quois.

It is a terrific way to incorporate zucchini into our diet, as the taste of the vegetable is well hidden in the recipe. In addition, zucchini is a wonderfully versatile vegetable chock full of vitamin C.

This recipe comes out fabulous every time. It is simple and easy to follow for even a novice baker.

It is perfect for breakfast, dessert, or as an anytime treat.

The zucchini bread tastes fantastic with a tall glass of ice-cold milk.

Whenever I am craving something sweet, I zap a slice of this bread in the microwave oven for 20 seconds, and my tastebuds are appeased.

The bread is not too sweet and is so soft on the inside. The crunchy corner slices are my favorites.

You can adjust the number of chocolate chips you add per your taste. Our family loves it loaded with chocolate chips, so it comes out chewy gooey right out of the oven. We prefer Nestles or Ghirardelli’s semisweet chocolate chips over other brands.

It makes two large loaves or three small loaves. My friends love this bread, so I often share extra loaves with them. I always receive tons of compliments on it.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Recipe

Wet Ingredients

• 3 eggs

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• 1 cup oil

• 3 tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups zucchini - shredded in a grater
• 1 cup of chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the wet ingredients.
3. Whisk the dry ingredients.
4. Combine the wet and the dry ingredients together.
5. Add the shredded zucchini.
6. Add the chocolate chips.
7. Mix well.
8. Pour the batter into prepared loaf pans.
9. Bake for one hour until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
10. Once you remove it from the oven, let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Then remove it from the pan.

Tips

• Select small to medium zucchini for baking as they have more flavor and are less watery.

• Do not peel your zucchini as it has nutrients and gives the bread more flavor and texture. However, if you absolutely must peel the zucchini, know that the bread will still turn out great.

• Dry the zucchini before mixing it with other ingredients by lightly blotting with paper towels.

• Try not to overmix as it will toughen up the bread.

• Spray or butter the loaf pans and then line with parchment paper to easily lift the bread.

• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for one week or in the freezer for two months.

• To reheat, microwave for 20 seconds.

Happy Baking!

Writing this blog post has whetted my appetite. I am going to bake some zucchini bread right now.

This article originally appeared on Medium.