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Welcoming the weekend with this Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Zucchini Bread. One bowl, pantry staple ingredients, super quick to mix up, kind of healthy, and oh so delicious! That pretty much sums up this zucchini bread. With just a couple of zucchini, some pure maple syrup, creamy almond butter, and your favorite chocolate bar, this is sure to become your favorite way to use up your summer garden zucchini. Great for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or a late-night dessert…enjoyed just out of the oven with a generous smear of sweet maple butter. So GOOD!
We highlighted summer strawberries on Tuesday, so it only seems fair that today we highlight summer zucchini. But zucchini in a sweet way, and with the addition of chocolate and creamy almond butter.
Hey, it’s Friday…this is needed!
You guys, I love a good Friday dessert. You all know this. Last week we had cookies n’ cream ice cream sandwiches, the week before it was raspberry pies. And today we have zucchini bread. And yes, I know, zucchini bread…really? That doesn’t sound that exciting. But hear me out, I promise you this bread is worth your time. It’s delicious, and even, kind of sort of…healthy…depending on how you define healthy. For me ” healthy” definitely includes zucchini and chocolate, so…
The quick back story of this recipe is really pretty simple, I had a lot of zucchini in the fridge and a fresh jar of almond butter in the pantry. I’ve recently become very excited about baking with almond butter (more to come). The sound of a buttery zucchini bread with chocolate chunks and creamy almond butter was truly exciting to me. Normally I would sit on an idea like this for a while, probably overthink it, and then potentially never share it. But I have a new motto, stop over-thinking and just start doing.
So I went with it. It was kind of a dreary day and I felt like baking something slightly sweet anyway. And since I’ve been sharing plenty of berry-filled summer desserts, I thought I would switch it up and go for chocolate today.
A very good idea.
Making this almond butter zucchini bread is simple…
You only need one bowl, some pantry ingredients, fresh zucchini, about 20 minutes of time to prep, and about an hour for baking.
The first step is the zucchini. Here’s the thing, when baking with zucchini it’s really important to remove any excess moisture (so the water). You want to do this so your baked goods don’t end up super dense and watered down. Simply shred the zucchini, let it sit on paper towels for 10 minutes, then ring the zucchini out to squeeze out all the water. It’s really easy. The drier you can get the zucchini, the lighter your loaf of bread will be.
While the zucchini sits, make the batter.
The rest is so quick and easy. In a bowl, mix up melted butter, a couple of eggs, maple syrup – for sweetness, and a splash of vanilla. Then stir in the zucchini. Now add in some whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, cinnamon, plus a touch of salt. And lastly, add in the chocolate chunks.
The final step is essential to this bread. The almond butter swirl…well it’s not must, MUST, but it sure is DELICIOUS. But the chocolate chunks…well there’s no negotiating there, the chocolate chunks are a MUST!
Now, bake and wait…the absolute hardest part. Distract yourself and use the time to knock out some emails, watch your favorite show, sit in the summer sun. I could go on and on. Hey, an hour is a long time, but the upside is that the house smells incredible as this bread bakes away in the oven.
The final (extra special) finishing touch.
While the bread bakes, mix together a little butter and maple syrup to create a sweet maple butter to slather over the warm bread.
Is this really needed? No, but as I said above, it adds that extra special finishing touch. Especially if you plan to enjoy this warm…which you should do. It’s just perfectly sweet, nutty, and heavy on the melty, warm, gooey puddles of chocolate. The sweet maple butter creates that “roll your eyes back” deliciousness with every last bite.
So very good!
I’m thinking some afternoon/weekend baking sounds just perfect. Especially if it happens to be a rainy summer afternoon. Nothing’s better than this bread on a rainy day.
Looking for other sweet zucchini recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Sneaky Zucchini Chocolate Chunk Coconut Bread
Chocolate Chip Olive Oil Zucchini Banana Bread
Zucchini Peach Streusel Muffins
Lastly, if you make this chocolate chunk almond butter zucchini bread with salted maple butter, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How To video:
Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Zucchini Bread with Salted Maple Butter
Servings: 10
Calories Per Serving: 464 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 medium-size zucchini, grated (about 2 cups grated before squeezing out water)
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) melted coconut oil or melted butter
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chunks
- 1/2 cup creamy almond butter
Maple Butter
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 inch bread pan.2. Lay a clean towel on the counter and spread the zucchini out in an even layer, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover with another towel, and let sit 10 minutes, then squeeze out any excess water. 3. In a large bowl, stir together the melted coconut oil or melted butter, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Mix in the squeezed out zucchini. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate. Dollop the almond butter in teaspoon size amounts directly into the batter. Gently swirl the almond butter in, being careful not to overmix.4. Pour the batter into the prepared bread pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until center is just set. If the bread is browning before it's done cooking, cover with foil. 5. Meanwhile, make the maple butter. In a small bowl, combine the butter and maple syrup.6. Remove the bread and let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting...or just eat it warm with a smear of maple butter. Enjoy!
Notes
To Make Gluten Free: Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour.
Storing: this bread keeps well for 2-3 days at room temperature.
Freezing: cool the bread, wrap well with plastic wrap, then store in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw for a few hours on the counter before slicing.
SO BOMB. Made it twice, and it was devoured each time! First time with whole wheat flour, and felt like it could have been baked for less time. The 2nd time was perfect!
Wow yes!! So happy this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made this today, but as muffins. They get a big thumbs up from me, my boyfriend, and my 4 year old. For muffins they take 18-20 min in the oven at 350, and made about 14 muffins. Super delicious.
Thank you so much for trying this Kristen! I am so happy this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Oh yeah, uh huh, this is a keeper! Super moist, super yummy, and the maple butter is the epic finish to this bread that everyone needs to make!
Love to hear that! Thank you for trying this! xTieghan
I’ve always left zucchini bread up to my mom bc I thought mine would never measure up. Your recipe was approachable, unique and delicious! The whole thing was gone in 3 days!
Wow yes!! Love to hear that this turned out so well for you, Thy! Thank you for all of the comments! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious!! I liked this a lot better than the sneaky chocolate chunk zucchini bread, but I think that’s because when I made that one I didn’t let the zucchini sit with the salt long enough nor squeeze out enough moisture, and that made it dry. This time I let it rest for a long time and then squeeze the living heck out of that zucchini. I also veganized this recipe, using vegan butter and flax eggs. It came out incredible! So moist and chocolatey (with those extra choc chunks on top) and the flavor is on point. I’m definitely making this one again 🙂
Love to hear that! Thank you so much Anya! xTieghan
Don’t know where I went wrong with this. Batter was thicker than the photo, came out dense. Even baked it 10 minutes less than the initial time. I made sure to squeeze all the water out of the zucchini. It smelled great while it was baking, but taste wise, a bit bland. The chocolate chunks did not melt, which made me sad. I was so excited to make this, but am disappointed with the final product. What to do if the batter is too thick?
Hey Victoria! I am sorry you had trouble. Was there anything you did differently at all? Any ingredients different? Method of baking this? Any info will be helpful to help me problem solve and figure out what might be happening for you. It’s hard to know without knowing any details.
Also, what brand chocolate are you using? And what about the almond butter? Is that oily or dry?
Hope I can help you! xTieghan
The flavor is spot on and so delicious. But this is the second time I’ve made this bread and I ran into the same problem I did the first time. I followed directions to a T and everything looks great but once I slice into it it’s a crumbly mess and falls apart. The bread is moist so it’s not over baked. I’m not sure what causes this but it seems others ran into the same issue. I so badly want to love this recipe because the flavor is amazing but I wouldn’t be able to gift this or serve it to guests because of how difficult it is to handle which is a huge bummer. 🙁 maybe third times a charm? But side note the maple butter is a MUST. It really is so delicious with this bread!
Hey Alex! So sorry you are having some trouble. What kind of almond butter are you using? Is it very dry? I wonder if the almond butter is too dry and it’s causing the bread to crumble in the middle. I like to use an oily almond butter that you can easily spread. I have found this to have better results.
Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hoping that helps a little! Let me know! Thank you!! xTieghan
OMG SO DELICIOUS!!! I made this without the almond butter because they were out of my favorite one and I felt that my dislike for the flavor of the other options would have taken away from this delicious recipe, and after tasting it I am anxious to make it again with the almond butter!! Thank you so much for putting together such a scrumptious treat the even sneaks in some veggies. 10/10 would recommend!!
Hi Rachel! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! I hope you love it even more with almond butter when you get a chance to try it! xTieghan
love this recipe! i made one loaf last week and this week i’m making two!
Thank you so much Erin! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
So so yummy! I would love to see more baking recipes with zucchini!!
Thank you Sania!! I am really glad you liked this! xTieghan
Soooo delicious! This was my first time baking zucchini bread, and I’ll definitely be back for more! The loaf was super moist, it’s better to slightly under-bake than over-bake this one. I didn’t have that much maple syrup, so I used molasses instead and it really added a nice depth to the flavor.
Love that!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Neomi! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Absolutely amazing me and my family couldn’t stop eating it!!!!
Thank you Gillian! xTieghan
Made this today – it was INCREDIBLE. I did a mix of dark chocolate chunks and regular chocolate chips – so good!!
Thank you so much Lee! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
The bread looks beautiful once baked. I was surprised that it wasn’t sweeter, but with the maple butter it was PEFECT! Definitely needs the maple butter. My house smells amazing!
Thank you so much Tyra!! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I followed the recipe, even under baked. This was dry and mostly just lacking flavor. Find another tried and true recipe to use your zucchini.
Hi Stephanie! I am sorry this did not turn out well for you.. Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with! xTieghan