breakfast

Coconut Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Bread

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Coconut Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Bread

Have you ever had one of those recipes you can locate at anytime within a matter of seconds? You know, the tried and true and you almost don’t need the recipe but you keep an extra copy of it at arms reach just as a reference? For me, this is that recipe.

This started with an abundance of zuchinni more than a decade ago. We had a fantastic garden in Pennsylvania, as well as access to an amazing farmer’s market. While up to this point I was a zucchini evader (bring on the yellow squash all day…) I found myself growing and then harvesting, especially around this time of summer, an abundance of this green squash.

I am a veggie lover. I prefer “zoodles” to pasta at this point. We had created all sorts of healthy casseroles and zucchini lasagna, and yet…even after donating them to any who would take them, we still had more.

Here is where my life as a zucchini fan changed forever. A family recipe surfaced that included INSTANT PISTACHIO PUDDING, wait, and SHREDDED COCONUT? Squash drop. Sign me up.

Of course I added chocolate chunks. Because, hello? Chocolate chunks and steamy, beautiful bread work. If you are not a fan of coconut, I have to add that you really don’t notice it. I add coconut extract because I love coconut, but you can substitute it for vanilla extract as well. It doesn’t come across as one of those coconut cakes you see around Easter (which, I love, by the way). There is so much texture to the bread already, so I say, just try it. Worst case, you can give it away, and people WILL ask you for the recipe. Because, its that good.

This is a simple one bowl recipe the mixes quickly and easily. However, I must advise if for any reason you are a pre-measurer and want to get stuff done ahead, leave the pudding mix out until you are ready to go. Once upon a time I made zucchini bread with alien green chunks (apparently instant pudding will become pudding if say, there is any moisture at all present). It was good, but not as good.

The pistachio pudding makes the bread a little greener, but it also adds moisture and a nice flavor. I don’t always add additional walnuts to my bread, so the pistachio pudding gives it that nutty kick as well. You can substitute this flavor for vanilla or even chocolate if you feel festive. The bread mixture is versatile.

As for the zucchini, here’s where I do my thing. I like to use a fine grater for this. You can have your big chunkies of squash if you like it, but for me, a fine grate, and squeeze the moisture out. It just makes for me a more aesthetically pleasing bread.

Coconut Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Bread Mixture

You can make this recipe into two loaf pans, or as I do, in many smaller pans (then you have more to share). Either way, the recipe does take almost a full hour to bake, and trust me, you will want to slice into it as soon as it comes out of the oven. And hey, we need to taste the product before we give it away, am I right?

This bread freezes beautifully, so you can make a bunch of these breads and enjoy them later on, when the zucchinis in the super market are skinny and sad, and look road-travel weary. Some vegetables just taste better in the summer when they are fresh and local. Take advantage.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Coconut Chocolate Chunk Zuchinni Bread Finished Product

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Coconut Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Bread

Print Recipe

Deliciously moist zucchini bread with coconut and chocolate chunks! So fantastically

  • Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50-60 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minute
  • Yield: 2 loaves 1x
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Baking

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 C Oil
  • 2 C Sugar

Add:

  • 2 C Finely Grated Zucchini
  • 1 Tbsp Coconut Extract
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • ¼ tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 3 C Flour
  • 1 Box instant Pistachio Pudding
  • ½ C Shredded Coconut
  • ½ C Chopped Walnuts
  • ½ – 1 C Chocolate Chunks

 

Instructions

Prepare two loaf pans, combine first three ingredients. Add remaining ingredients until combined. Pour batter into pans.

Bake at 350* for 50-60 minutes

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I Messed With Betty’s Buckle

It’s blueberry season in our area. Call me an old fashioned girl, but there is something special when my daughter and I head out to our local farm, buckets in hand, ready to pick. Yes, you can buy them in the grocery store or your local farm stand, but there is nothing like being a part of the process. If you are lucky, the season extends for several weeks.

Often, you hear the people talking in the next row, or young families taking their children on an adventure for the first time. That’s when I look at my now willowy fourteen year old and think, “didn’t we do this with the baby carrier yesterday?” Sigh.

There is a sense of community and accomplishment to berry picking that is really unique. For every person I share this with who thinks, “OH COOL!” there is another person who gives the blank glazed over stare. As in, “That sounds painful.” I get it, to each her own. For some reason, I think the berries I pick myself…always taste sweeter. I’m sticking to it.

Blueberry picking is something we have done for years. I am a huge fan of supporting local businesses, and especially the farms in our area. By doing this, hopefully one day (WAY) down the road I can bring my grandchildren for the same experience.

A Blueberry Buckle is essentially a really great blueberry coffee cake. So for my base I used a recipe a friend of mine makes and brings to school if we are lucky. Thanks Lisa for sharing Betty’s goodness. Of course, leave it to me to mess with a good thing…

The original recipe can be found here and it is amazing.

https://www.bettycrocker.com Blueberry Best Coffee Cake

So here is where I went off trail…

  1. I switched out half of the flour with Cake Flour. Cake flour is silky and light, and I found it made the cake batter less dense.
  2. I also make extra crumble topping because, well, crumble topping is a good thing. You really can’t have too much crumble topping.
  3. The blueberries are almost doubled because I like a little cake with my blueberries. There is nothing like cutting a slice and seeing the abundant bright violet blue of steamy blueberries (I’m sorry, did you think I waited to slice this up?).
  4. I also switched out the extract to have either Almond or Vanilla because in our house…Almond Extract has a special place. Something about the smell, it’s a certain magic. (Yes, I swoon over extract). You can adjust the hot water to make the drizzle either thicker or looser depending on your taste.

This Blueberry Buckle is basically made in three bowls. The topping bowl, the cake batter bowl, and the drizzle bowl. It is made very quickly and is not stressful, I promise.

I used a smaller baking pan to make the serving size taller, and with the addition of the cake flour the overall result looked like one of those muffins you get at the good coffee shops…just bigger.

I tend to share everything I bake, so this got divided up and given away…which was a good thing, because it was really really good. It is quintessentially the perfect sidekick to my kick-off-the-day-large-cup of coffee.

Thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

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I Messed With Betty’s Buckle

Print Recipe

This is based on Betty Crocker’s Original Blueberry Buckle recipe. SO good, with some changes in the flour, berries, and spices.

  • Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

Crumble Topping 1⁄2 C Sugar

2/3 C Flour
2 Tsp Cinnamon
1⁄4 C Softened butter

Cake:
1 C All-Purpose Flour
1 C Cake Flour
1⁄4 C Oil
3⁄4 C Milk
1 Egg

1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 1/2- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 1⁄2 Tsp baking powder
3 -4 Cups Blueberries ( I used fresh- I believe frozen would work just as well)

Warm Vanilla Drizzle
1⁄2 C Powder Sugar
1⁄2 Tsp Vanilla or Almond Extract 1 Tsp Hot Water

Instructions

 

  1. Preheat oven to 375. Prepare an 9 x 9 inch pan with cooking spray.
  2. Prepare Crumble Topping. Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter until consistency is crumbly.
  3. Mix Cake ingredients until combined well and stir in blueberries. I typically like my blueberries with a side of cake- so you can tailor the quantity to your liking. 3 cups will be ample, 4 cups will be just shy of overboard…but that’s how I like it.
  4. Spread batter into pan,
  5. Top with Crumble Topping
  6. Bake for 40 -50 minutes.
  7. Prepare Warm Vanilla Drizzle
  8. When cake is slightly cooled – time to slowly drizzle the drizzle!

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Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!