Description
Packed with the flavors of peanut butter and melty chocolate chips, no one will guess there’s a green vegetable hiding in this simple quick bread. Like banana bread, the flavors really stand out on day 2. (Should any slices survive that long!!) See recipe Note about turning the batter into muffins.
Ingredients
- 1 and 2/3 cups (208g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil or olive oil
- 1/2 cup (125g) creamy peanut butter (processed or natural)
- 2/3 cup (133g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (113g) honey
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80ml) milk (any kind), at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) shredded zucchini (no need to blot)
- 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, peanut butter, brown sugar, honey, eggs, milk, and vanilla together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently stir or whisk until *just* combined; do not overmix. With a silicone spatula, fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Batter is slightly thick.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55–70 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from over-browning. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs.
- Remove the bread from the oven and set on a wire rack. Cool in the pan for 1 hour before removing from the pan. You can slice the bread at this point, but it will still be warm in the center and may not slice neatly. For neat slices, cool the bread completely on a wire rack before slicing.
- Cover and store bread at room temperature for 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Bread tastes best on day 2 after the flavors have settled together.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze baked & cooled loaf, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. If desired, bring to room temperature before serving. To learn more details about how to freeze quick breads, see my post called Make-Ahead Baking.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan or this 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Box Grater | Cooling Rack
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins: Grease a 12-count muffin pan or line with liners. Grease or line 3 cups in a second muffin pan; this recipe yields 15 muffins. Prepare batter as directed in steps 2 and 3. Spoon the batter evenly into each liner, filling each all the way to the top. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C); then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16–18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 21–23 minutes, give or take. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Yields 15 muffins.
- Can I Use Whole Wheat Flour? Yes, you can replace the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour with no other changes needed. The loaf will taste denser.
- Honey: I don’t recommend using all honey in this recipe; use the combination of honey and brown sugar as listed in the recipe. If you don’t want to use honey, replace it with pure maple syrup or white granulated sugar. No other changes needed to the recipe.