Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

I have zucchini.

I have chocolate chips.

I have a cold....cough...cough...sniffle...

I need comfort.

I need bread...warm, lovely bread to make myself feel better.

That makes sense, right?

Sometimes baking is the only thing that makes me feel better...and I'll do pretty much anything to make this cough go away!  I promise not to cough on the dough...PROMISE.  I'm really good at coughing into my elbow.  I just wish that my students were better at it...then maybe I wouldn't get these stupid colds.

 

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Slightly Adapted from Paula Deen's Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini (I used 3 cups of zucchini- it needed to be used)
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon orange zest ( I had lemons, so I zested one.)

Directions:

1. Shred and drain the water out of the zucchini...always an important step.

2. Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Grease (2) 9 by 5-inch loaf pans. Normally I use smaller loaf pans because I have a difficult time getting the middles baked up well. 

3. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and baking soda. So I really need to get a large sifter...I have a little one and it just doesn't handle this kind of sifting.  I end up just fluffing it up in a big bowl, which isn't the best way, but it does the trick.
4. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, nuts, chocolate chips, and lemon zest.
5. Stir in sifted ingredients. Mix well.
6. Pour into prepared loaf pans.

7. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the middle is done. Remove loaves from pans and cool on a rack.

Yummy! The flavor of this bread is delicious, though if you're not a big fan of zucchini, then don't increase the zucchini amount.  But for me, well, adding more zucchini makes me feel like it's healthier.  Especially, since this recipe has all of those cute little chocolate chips...I used the mini chips, so the chips are really spread out.

Delicious! :0) And there wasn't even a stick of butter in this recipe!

Now cold, you have to go...though thanks for making me need this bread.

It not only tastes good, my house smells yummy too.