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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:Â
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.Â
Storing:Â this bread keeps well for 2-3 days at room temperature.Â
Freezing:Â 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.Â
One of our favorites! I normally use a bit more zucchini, white whole wheat flour and do muffins. Thank you!
Hi Tieghen,
Love your blog!!
My bread came out a little dry, I used raw almond butter and kind of mixed it all together without swirling ?
Is this probably why it came out dry? Thanks so much!
Hey Yuko,
So sorry to hear this, yes next time I would just gently swirl the almond butter rather than mixing it in:) xTieghan
Can it be regular whole wheat flour or does it have to be ww pastry flour?
Hey Kelly,
Whole wheat flour will work, the pastry flour is just lighter in texture:) I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Could this be made into muffins?
Hey Debbie,
Sure, that should work well for you, I would just be sure to reduce your baking time. I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Excellent recipe as usual! BTW, I used Bob’s Red Mill GF 1 to 1 Baking Flour, and dark chocolate chips. Also, baked in a oval ceramic baker instead of a bread pan, and it worked like a dream (and the bake time a little less)!
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! xTieghan
Made into muffins, turned out perfect. I did only cook them about 25 minutes.
In my country i can found creamy almond butter
Some substitute?
Hey there,
You can also use peanut butter or another nut butter for this recipe. Please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Do you have any recommendations on how to keep the bread more firm? This was delicious but it kept falling apart!
Hey Brandon,
So sorry, was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Did it need to be baked a little longer? xTieghan
Absolutely delicious — and a little bit healthy! What could be better!?
Hey there,
I am delighted you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
So amazing!
Thanks so much Emma! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! Is it possible to use almond flour? Also, can maple syrup be substituted with stevia?
Hey Joanna,
I would not recommend using almond flour, I like Cup4cup GF flour. I’ve never used stevia so I am unsure of those results. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I must have messed up this recipe somehow. I cooked the bread for 50 minutes and it was extremely dry. Any ideas on what went wrong?
Hey Sue,
So sorry about the bread, did you happen to adjust the recipe at all? Since all ovens can be slightly different I would recommend to start checking for doneness around 45 minutes next time. I hope this helps! xTieghan
I tweaked the recipe a bit, didn’t have almond butter so added 1/2 cup almond flour and 1 n 1/2 cup all purpose flour. Also replaced 1/2 cup maple syrup with equal proportion of honey.
I ate it warm just out of the oven, and loved it!!
Thanks for this super easy recipe and a cure for the extra lot of zucchini 😀
Hi Piyu! I am really glad this bread turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
To date, I have baked this recipe three times. The first was a fail only because the loaf did not hold it’s shape, and was basically just mushy, but once my wife and I got to the tasting part, all was well. DELICIOUS! What I was most disappointed about was not being able to get some food photography practice in with this recipe. All you have to do is scroll up and see how such a simple food item can look SO appetizing through some good camera and post processing work. The second and third bake were excellent. My main adjustment was giving the zucchini extra time to dry and REALLY making sure I squeezed out the moisture through a thin dish towel. Combined between those two bakes I have had nine people try a slice and everyone has loved it…..especially with the maple butter. Looking forward to posting it on my Instagram story!
Great recipe Tieghan
Thank you so much! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I’ve made this twice now and it just keeps getting better! I subbed almond flour for regular and used Lily’s dark choc chips. SO delicious!! Thank you for the recipe and I love the videos on your Instagram where we can see how you make it 🙂
I am really glad you enjoyed this recipe, Katie! Thank you! xTieghan
This is incredible! I’ve been making zucchini bread for years and this is my new go to recipe. I love the coconut oil and almond butter. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Thank you for trying this Lindsey! I am so glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan