“…but you’ve got weeds in your bread.” These fine words were spoken to me by my veggie hating husband. He of course would not touch this to save his life. His loss.
Living in Arizona a good portion of my life there weren’t that many gardeners.
Well, I am pretty sure there were gardeners, I just don’t think their gardens produced very much.
And what it did produce, they kept to themselves.
So imagine my delight when I moved to WA state and had people offering me free fruits and veggies.
How exciting I thought.
At first I thought they were being nice (which yes, they were) but I would soon come to realize you are just the dumping ground.
The first time someone asked me if I wanted some zucchini I uttered the words that no one should say.
I said, “sure, I’d love some, I’ll take whatever you got, whenever.”
Very bad thing to say.
Because though in AZ, that would me about 2 zucchini a year, up here it means about 200.
Every time I turned around there was a bag of zucchini on my door step.
And just like rabbits, it seemed to just multiply without even trying.
Zucchini fritters, zucchini/potato pancakes, zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, zucchini soup, zucchini just about everything.
I got very sick of zucchini, especially since I am the only one in the household who eats it.
Luckily that neighbor moved.
Not happy they moved but happy that I would not be getting zucchinipoloza the next Summer.
I learned also to just say that I will take a couple.
I got a couple.
I decided that I wanted some white chocolate in them.
I only used 3.5 ounces but you really do taste it throughout the bread.
I learned the hard way that my baking soda was dead.
I learned that last week and forgot.
Opps. Oh well, it still tasted really good.
White Chocolate Walnut Zucchini Bread
1 pound zucchini, shredded
2 eggs
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
4 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature.
3 ½ ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1 TBSP unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
Preheat oven to 325F.
Take shredded zucchini and place in a paper towel. Rink out the moisture. Do this about 5 times, each time with a new, dry paper towel. Set aside.
In a microwaveable bowl, add white chocolate and butter. Heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir. Then another 15 seconds. It should be melted at this point. If not continue to heat at 15 second intervals. Stir in mascarpone cheese until blended. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat eggs on medium speed for 5 minutes.
Add granulated sugar, in two additions, beating for 3 minutes after each addition. Add brown sugar, in two additions, beating for 3 minutes after each addition.
Add white chocolate/mascarpone cheese mixture to the batter and beat for 2 minutes.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda,salt, and spices. Pour into bowl and mix on low speed until incorporated.
Add vanilla, zucchini and walnuts and mix on low speed until all is fully incorporated. You will see a lot of zucchini…that’s okay, you should actually see zucchini in zucchini bread. 😉 Fold in walnuts.
Spray mini loaf pans (4) with baking spray. Pour batter into loaves and fill 2/3 of the way full. Place loaf pans on cookie sheet.
Bake in the middle rack for about 50 minutes. Make sure to use a knife or wooden skewer to see if it is baked through or not.
Let cool on wire rack.
Steph says
The flecks of zucchini look so good in the bread!
colleen says
I made zucchini bread today. I love your idea of adding white chocolate.It must have been so good. I am using your recipe next time. Thanks!
Barbara says
Can’t wait to try this when I’m overloaded with zucchini!
Mary says
hee hee hee weeds in the bread. I agree it’s totally his loss!
Susan says
What a great way to change up the zucchini bread. Definitely going to have to give this a try.
Susan at Sticky,Gooey,Creamy,Chewy says
Oh, if only to have the problem of too much zucchini….. I’m lucky to find any at the market that doesn’t look like it’s been trampled by wild elephants!
Love the zucchini bread, weeds and all! 😉 Looks like it has lots of tasty stuff in it.
Bobbi says
Oh that looks yummy and just in time for our budding zucchini crop. I still have some in the freezer from last years bunch – I hope I can find a few friends that want a couple 😉
cheffresco says
This looks delicious! Especially w. the cheese and white chocolate. We just made some squash fritters tonight & were talking about how we should add some zucchini next time 🙂
Claire says
I was hoping you’d have this here soon! Sounds WONDERFUL! I just love zucchini…could eat it every night.
Ivory says
This is the BEST zucchini recipe ever!
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2006/may/10/recipe-please-may-10/
jacquie says
looks yummy. any idea on what 1 pound of zucchini is in cups?
thanks.
anna says
I love zucchini bread! And white chocolate sounds like a really great addition.
snooky doodle says
this bread looks dellicious. I ve always wanted to try zucchini bread. I ll try this recipe:) can I substitute mascarpone with something else since I don t have it 🙁
muffin says
Mmmmmm I love zucchini bread, and if you add walnuts, I’m sold
Rosa says
A wonderful bread! Zucchini adds so much moisture to things… Delicious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Katrina says
I bought three overgrown zucchini at the farmer’s market last week and still need to use them. (It’s been too hot to bake!) Hey, we lived in AZ (Tucson) for five years and I had a little tiny garden. Zucchini and carrots. I only planted like two zucchini plants, but we had them coming out our ears. There’s a Top 10 floating around out there on the internet about things you can do to get rid of zucchini (like leaving it on neighbors doorsteps, etc. It’s pretty funny.)
ANYWAY, your bread looks de-lish to me. Men are just still this way, they won’t even try stuff.
Erin says
I never would have thought to put white chocolate in zucchini bread. It sounds delicious!
Sarah says
I love zucchini bread but never thought to add the chocolate… I’m going to have to give it a try!
Connie says
I am definitely going to have to try this recipe. I adore zucchini.
I currently live in AZ, and have for the past 10 years and can say that nobody here has ever given me a zucchini. Only citrus.
katie says
I hate to tell you this….
I’m a zuchinni giver! But i don’t let them grow super huge, I should go to the garden right now and look at them..they’ve likely doubled in size since yesterday! lol The bread looks excellent!
Sarah says
I kind-of want to bonk your husband in the head for not wanting to eat this because it has zucchini in it! Crazy man 🙂 I love, love zucchini bread and this recipe sounds like a winner.
Kerstin says
LOL, very cute comment by your hubby. I love the mascarpone cheese and white chocolate in these, they look fantastic!
MyKitchenInHalfCups says
Weeds in your bread … what a man!
Walnuts in my zucchini bread I’ve done. White chocolate in cranberry coffee cake I tried and found it missing.
White chocolate in zucchini bread I think deserves a go.
Lush looking and I know there will be lots of zucchini coming soon.
Heather says
Mmmmm. Mine aren’t ready yet. But *I* am ready for this bread!! 🙂
maggie says
My favorite bread! Thankyou!
Elle says
A new twist on my favorite ‘weed’ bread! White chocolate is not an obvious pairing for zucchin, but I’m sure yours is superb. I’ve been grilling most of my crop of zucchini, but soon will have so much extra that I thank you for all the ways to get rid of it that you have experienced.
Felice says
Wow, you had me worried with that title. I thought you might have been about to say that this was your last post. A big sigh of relief. I love zucchini and can’t wait to try this. When my DH asks me what is in something I just tell him that there are lots of good things. If he presses with this recipe then I will just have to admit that there is chocolate in it.
HeartofGlass says
Agh! I just had a flashback from my one attempt at gardening, known as The Year The Summer Squash Ate My Garden. And there is nothin’ you can do with those. Bland and uninspiring, best for garnish.
Zucchini I love–this look so unusual yet tempting.
Jenny says
I agree, his loss.
Nutmeg Nanny says
Zucchini bread is one of my favorites and I love that you paired it with white chocolate. I bet it was super scrumptious.
Dimitra says
Amazing recipe, I will definately give it a try!
In Greece we eat a lot of zucchini as a salad, boiled, with lemon, olive oil and origano and as a classic mediterrenean dish, with eggplants,peppers,potatoes,onions,garlic,parsley and fresh tomatos in the oven. We also make zucchini-cheesepies and other “salty” things. With white chocolate?! Fantastic idea!
Jonella says
Sounded so good I had to make this! It is cooling on the rack as I type so I can’t tell you how the finished product tastes. The batter was yummy 🙂
and it smells delicious and looks great.
I added 1 tsp salt and 2/3 cup chopped walnuts. I skimped on the ginger since I’m not a big fan. I also skimped on the zucchini drying process. I’ll have to slice into it to find out if I’m gonna be sorry about that.
Thanks for the fabulous recipe.
Manggy says
Hee, maybe you should’ve peeled them and lied to your husband 🙂 Never had zucchini bread before, but not from lack of trying! Yours looks delicious and white choc sounds like an excellent addition (if I don’t eat the bar first!)
Erin says
That sounds amazing.
Jenny says
My husband is the same way, he would say oh that smells good and then before cracking it open he sould say oh that looks good and then he would see the green and I’d have to get a paper bag to get his breathing back.
Morgan says
Peabody,
This looks wonderful and I will be making it. I do have a seemingly insignificant question though–where, oh where, do you get the corrugated cardboard packaging that’s in the background of your picture? I love how clean and crisp it makes desserts look but I have no idea what to call it, so I am having trouble searching to find it!
Thanks 🙂
Margaret says
White chocolate is a new one, but sounds interesting. I’ll keep this in mind when I have the inevitable overpopulation of zucchini later this summer.
Lynn says
Weeds in your bread – hilarious! I can’t get away with trying to hide zucchini in anything – my husband always finds it and whines.
Pamela M says
Aww… sorry to hear that the yummy looking bread didn’t pass your hubby. My boyfriend probably wouldn’t touch it either if he saw the little green bits before tasting it. Looks tasty, though!
Melinda says
Your bread looks wonderful. The added white chocolate sounds good.
I love the zucchini overload syndrome, and I miss the generousity of neighbors with bountiful gardens. My neighbors don’t share, so you are lucky… really!
I love zucchini soup and stuffed zucchini. mmmmmmmmm
The recipe out of the Tartine cookbook for zucchini and orange marmalade is so delicious. I bet you could put a Peabody spin on that and make it even better!
Joelen says
I’ve had chocolate zucchini bread but your use of white chocolate is such a great idea! Looks fantastic!
Colleen says
I just made zucchini bread last week! (posting it later this week). I love it! And I love your variation too.
Deborah says
I’ve already pulled 2 big zucchinis out of my garden this year – I have a feeling I’m going to be looking for every recipe I can find! I’m bookmarking this one!
joey says
I’ll take some of that white chocolate zucchini bread off your hands if the hubby won’t 🙂
Holly says
I am patiently waiting for my zucchini to be ready. Thanks for the recipe; white chocolate sounds great!!
Eliana says
Great looking bread. Awesome job (as always).
jennywenny says
I wish I could see your lovely pictures at work 🙁
This reminds me of the barbara kingsolver book animal vegetable miracle. She mentions being really careful to lock your car otherwise it might be full of squash when you return to it!!
The Food Hunter says
I’ll be trying this real soon.
June says
Boy, are you right about gardening or the lack thereof in “Aridzona”. Your zucchini bread looks delish, but I’m afraid I’ll never be able to make it. Our mini schnauzer would attack me if I ever used ONE of his precious snacks to bake with – he’d keep a zucchini farmer in biz because he eats one a day..no matter what size. The little herbivore
Catherine says
White chocolate in zucchini bread? Brilliant!
Kevin says
I always like those green and/or yellow flecks in zucchini bread. I like the sound of adding white chocolate!
Voodoo says
I was so excited when a friend dumped on me – er, gifted me with – a giant zucchini because I finally had an excuse to make this luscious sounding bread!
Sadly, I had several problems with it – the first being that the ingredients are listed in random order, forcing me to go on a wild goose chase through the list at every step while preparing the recipe. So when I scanned the list multiple times to see how much walnuts to add, I finally realized it was not listed and just dumped until it looked “right”. Also, the recipe does not call for salt, which I did not notice until tasting, unfortunately. A little salt in baked goods helps bring the flavors into balance.
Also, the recipe only gives instructions for using a stand mixer and not hand mixing. I am accustomed to the “muffin method” of mixing quick breads, which calls for gentle handling of the ingredients, especially after the flour is added, to avoid toughness.
As a cooking instructor, I always tell my students to read through a recipe before preparing it. Perhaps I should have followed my own advice here. Had one of my students submitted this recipe, I would have given them a “do-over.” Sadly, I tossed the bread out and will not doing this one over.
Peabody says
Voodoo- thanks for pointing out the lack of walnut listing as well as the salt. Sometimes I type these out late at night and things get over looked.
As someone who has had few baking classes in her time as well as someone who has taught them I am aware that salt helps balance.
If you are accustom to the muffin method than you should use that.
I made several muffins and quick breads using a mixer just fine. And not tough.
Good thing I’m not one of your students then. But then again, all I do is run a free website.