The Best Chocolate Chip & Zucchini Banana Bread

- Amanda

With all the quarantine baking going on, I think it’s safe to say banana bread might be at the top of the baked goods charts right now. I’ve been seeing so many beautiful loaves and loaves of banana bread swirling around social media. That’s not surprising during these difficult times as it’s such a comforting classic for so many of us.  And it comes with two big bonuses. A guaranteed smile from it’s lucky recipients (at least in my family) and it makes use of the less desired brown bananas, so they don’t have to go to waste. A win-win all around. And if that isn’t enough, bananas being available all year long mean delicious banana bread is always in season.

While many might have a trusted banana bread recipe they turn to when the urge strikes to do some baking, do they have one that includes ripe summer zucchini and chocolate chips??  Well in case you don’t, or perhaps could use one that is absolutely scrumptious, let me tempt you to try what I call The Best Chocolate Chip & Zucchini Banana Bread. 

This recipe is really easy and straight forward. And best of all, it can be done in one bowl and doesn’t require any fancy equipment. Just a bowl, a whisk or fork and a spatula. I absolutely adore recipes like this. There’s no hard to find ingredients here and some can easily be substituted, like the whole wheat flour for example, if you don’t have it on hand. The chocolate chips add something special to this otherwise, pretty healthy treat, but leave them out if you desire. And for the walnuts, unless there’s an allergy, if you’re kids prefer no nuts in most of their baked goods, give them a try here. If you chop them small enough, they aren’t noticeable and really add to the flavor. My littles love this bread. Same goes for my husband. And even his Turkish co-workers liked it so much, they took some home to their families. Now that’s saying a lot for guys who are otherwise a bit picky to some of my “foreign” treats. Though they did say it’s not bread, it’s “kek” (cake.) Potato, patato right?

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The Best Zucchini Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Servings 1 loaf
Author Amanda @ A Treat Life

Ingredients

  • 1 cup grated & drained zucchini (about 1 large)
  • 1 cup mashed banana (about 2 bananas)
  • 1/3 cup (66g) brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp(12g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup grapeseed or vegetable oil (or other mild oil)
  • 2 lg eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tbsps Greek-style yogurt
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (128g) all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cups (96g) whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 tsps baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I prefer the mini for this)
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1 banana for the top (Optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F/177C and spray an 8×5" or 9×5" loaf pan with baking spray and line it with parchment paper going up the sides for easy removal.

  2. Grate the zucchini, then place in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze as much of the liquid out as possible. Check to make sure it measures about a cup. Set aside.

  3. In a large bowl, mash the bananas and check to be sure it measures 1 cup. Then whisk in the sugars, salt, cinnamon and oil until combined. Whisk in the two eggs, 2 tbsps of yogurt and vanilla until completely combined.

  4. Then switch to a spatula and stir in the grated and drained zucchini.

  5. Next, gently fold in the two flours, baking powder and baking soda until almost completely incorporated. Then fold in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts until everything is combined (reserve a few chocolate chips if you want to sprinkle some on top.) (Do not overmix or you won’t have super tender bread.)

  6. Pour into the prepared pan, smooth out the top to even it out. Slice the banana into desired shapes if you want and arrange on top. Brush the cut side of the banana with a little maple syrup or sprinkle with brown sugar. Add a few more of the reserved chocolate chips on top if desired and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 50-55 minutes until the top is set, springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

  7. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 15 minutes then remove from the pan and cool directly on the cooling rack. Once cool keep tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze this loaf whole or by the slice tighlty wrapped and then placed in a ziptop bag for up to 3 months.

Recipe Notes

*Overripe & browning bananas make the best banana bread.

*You can substitute the Greek-style yogurt with sour cream or regular yogurt that has been strained a bit in a cheesecloth or fine-mesh strainer.

*Pecans taste great in this as well or you can omit the nuts all-together.  Same goes for the chocolate chips.

*For the top of this, I just thinly sliced some fresh banana into squares and placed them on top, then brushed the exposed and cut sides of the banana with a little maple syrup to prevent too much browning.

 

And just a note….If you like the look of the banana cut in half above but don’t want the center to get so dark, brush the cut side with some maple syrup or sprinkle it with brown sugar. I left the bananas plain, with no sugar above so you can see the difference between the ones brushed with maple syrup at the top of the post. happy baking!