Garden Fresh Zucchini Bread

Photo: Denine & Daniele

Ingredients

3 eggs

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cups freshly grated unpeeled zucchini

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons cold butter

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

Wash zucchini and slice in half. Scoop out seeds.

Using a hand grater, finely grate the washed zucchinis with their skins on, onto paper towels. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs until just blended. Add applesauce, oil, both sugars and vanilla to the eggs; stir well.

In a separate bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients; mix until all ingredients are blended.

Fold in grated zucchini. [*If you want nuts in the batter, fold them in as well.] Set batter aside.

For the topping: Cut cold butter into tiny pieces; set aside. In a clean bowl, add brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, walnuts and butter. Rub ingredients together until small clumps are formed. Set aside.

Pour batter into four, greased and floured, mini-loaf pans.

Generously sprinkle walnut topping all over the loaves.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 40-60 minutes. [*Check loafs with a toothpick at 40 minutes; mine were done at 50 minutes.]

Cool in pan for 10 minutes and allow them to cool the rest of the way on cooling racks.

Cut yourself a big 'ole slice and wash down with a glass of milk!

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About

Once upon a moon ago, I was an e-commerce Marketing Manager at Van Bourgondien’s, a flower bulb company. I was blessed with a wonderful staff of women to work with, and one day, my assistant, Marie, came in with some delicious-smelling bread. I eagerly pounced upon her cubicle and asked what she had whipped up the night before. She proudly told me it was zucchini bread – made with fresh zucchini pulled right out of her garden. Would I like a slice?

I immediately started backing away…zucchini? Yuck! I hated zucchini – it was something my mother forced me to eat as a kid and there was no way it was going to taste good baked in a loaf of bread. Thankfully, the phone in my office rang and I made a mad dash for it.

When Marie came into my office a few moments later, I was horrified to see that she came with a slice of her vegetable bread. I was trapped, and I knew I would have to try it because she was just so gosh-darn nice, that I couldn’t say no.

So I mustered up my courage and slowly took a bite…

What?!

It was sweet?

And, tasted delicious too?

This bread couldn’t have a vegetable in it: especially, if it was the mom-forced-upon-me zucchini from my childhood past!

Yet, when I inspected the bread, I saw the trademark green flecks scattered throughout the slice. At that point, I forgot all about my bad zucchini past, and promptly shoved the rest of the piece in my mouth. While chewing, and spitting crumbs everywhere, I begged Marie for the recipe.

I was younger then, and didn’t understand the importance of storing my beloved recipes properly. I know that I put it in one of my “safe spots”, but when I went to make Marie’s recipe the other day, I couldn’t find it anywhere.

Sadly, Marie wasn’t online, so I knew I’d have to fend for myself. I knew she found her recipe on AllRecipes.com, so I poked around on the site and reviewed several recipes until I could piece one together that most closely resembled Marie’s original. I’m happy to report that it turned out well: so well, that it even passed the Tyler and Abbey test!

So, if you’ve got a bumper crop of zucchini in your yard and want to sneak some veggies into your kids’ diets, give this recipe a whirl…

[The original recipe that I altered can be found on AllRecipes.com. It is called "Mom's Zucchini Bread" by v.monte.]