Can I freeze this zucchini bread?

This chocolate chip zucchini bread recipe freezes fairly well (although truth be told, we prefer it fresh out of the oven!) We recommend freezing individual slices of leftover bread in an airtight container, plastic wrap, or freezer bag and defrosting just a slice or two at a time, as needed. Sliced bread will keep in the freezer for 3-4 months before it starts to dry out. Defrost for an hour or two on the counter when you're ready to serve. You can also microwave bread for a few seconds to warm it up and bring it back to life.

Can I turn this recipe into muffins?

Yes! You can bake this easy zucchini banana bread batter in a muffin pan. You will need to adjust the bake time: we recommend checking muffins for doneness starting around 20-25 minutes and adding time as needed (for more guidance on great muffins, check out our banana chocolate chip muffins or apple butter muffins !)

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Description

This easy zucchini bread is lightly sweetened, but gets tipped into "dessert" territory thanks to plenty of chocolate chips! Shred the zucchini with the large holes of a box grater, but don't squeeze out any of the water - it will help keep our bread moist.

Ingredients

Scale

53 grams unsalted butter (½ stick, or ¼ cup), melted
80 grams milk (1/3 cup)
1 egg
4 grams vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
14 grams apple cider vinegar (1 Tablespoon)
180 grams shredded zucchini (about 1 medium-large zucchini; do not squeeze any of the moisture out)
100 grams sugar (1 cup)
270 grams all purpose flour (about 2 1/4 cups)
4 grams kosher salt (1 teaspoon)
5 grams baking soda (1 teaspoon)
7 grams baking powder (1 ½ teaspoons)
150 grams semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 1 cup), plus extra for topping

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Instructions

Heat oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Line a 9x5" metal loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, milk, egg, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar.
Stir shredded zucchini into the wet ingredients.
Add sugar, flour, kosher salt, baking soda, and baking powder to the wet ingredients. Stir until flour is about halfway combined, then add the chocolate chips and stir until no dry flour remains. You should have a fairly thick, fluffy batter. Don’t worry if the batter feels dry at first - just keep stirring! The zucchini will release moisture as you go and it will all come together.
Transfer batter to the prepared bread pan and spread it into a fairly even layer. Top with an extra handful of chocolate chips.
Bake at 325° F for 60-75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Let the loaf cool for 5-10 minutes right in the pan, then carefully transfer it to a wire rack. Let cool for an hour or so before slicing.

Notes

Don't worry if your zucchini isn't a perfect 180 grams. We've successfully tested this recipe with as low as 125 grams of shredded zucchini - the loaf won't be quite as moist, but it'll still taste good! If you have extra zucchini, save it in an airtight container in the fridge for other recipes later in the week.

Please use a kitchen scale! Measuring flour by volume (with cups) is notoriously unreliable – for best results, use a scale to measure by weight with the gram measurements provided! We use and recommend Escali kitchen scales. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, measure ingredients (especially flour, which is the most finicky) with the scoop and level method for best results.

Additions and substitutions. Use canola oil or vegetable oil in place of melted butter if you like. Swap some or all of the chocolate chips for toasted walnuts or chopped baking chocolate.