Carrot & Zucchini Bread With White Chocolate and Macadamia Nuts
Yes, this recipe is as amazing as it sounds. If I do say so myself. If you’re like me and always drowning in garden zucchini, try this recipe. It’s a tropical twist on traditional zucchini bread. You can’t help but love it. Did I mention it’s moist. Wildly moist. And it freezes really nicely too!
Easy & Delicious Twist On Zucchini Bread
If you’re like me, then you’re always looking for ways to elevate traditional recipes.
And while we can all agree that zucchini bread is a Summer staple. It could use a revamp. Right?
Introducing this carrot & zucchini loaf with white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
Adding carrots makes the bread so moist and fluffy. Plus, is a great way to use up more garden harvest!
The white chocolate chips elevate the loaf to dessert status.
Finally the macadamia nuts. Oh macadamia nuts. They are often forgotten! But really shouldn’t be. Add them to your zucchini bread whole or chopped and you won’t regret it!
The final product; white chocolate chip macadamia nut Subway cookie meets the most moist zucchini loaf EVER.
A Different Zucchini Bread Recipe
Sure, traditional zucchini bread is great. It’s a classic. We all love a classic.
But this twist on zucchini bread is way more exciting. Dare I say tropical? The white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts and hint of lemon brighten up this classic loaf.
Want to take it a step further?
Try adding your own twist on this zucchini bread with these add-ins:
- Shredded coconut
- Orange or lime zest
- Pineapple
- Other toasted nuts
- Raisins
What’s the best type of zucchini for baking?
While there’s so many great varieties of zucchini out there to grow, there’s one that’s the best for baking. In my humble opinion.
For the best zucchini bread, skip the unusual squash varieties.
Cocozelle and Romanesco are slightly too watery for bread. Whereas a more sphere-shaped Summer squash, like Cue Ball tends to be too seedy.
Instead go with the most traditional, green style of zucchini you can find. Something like a Desert Zucchini or Black Beauty works best!
These zucchinis are uniform in shape and dense in flesh. Perfect for adding to your zucchini bread!
Do you peel zucchini before shredding for bread?
No, in my experience I don’t peel my zucchini before shredding. There’s no need to!
Zucchini peel adds nice texture and a little density to the loaf.
Generally, peeling zucchini will make it more mushy. Something you definitely want to avoid when making zucchini bread.
So no, there’s no need to peel your zucchini before shredding it for bread.
How do you get moisture out of zucchini for bread?
This is arguably the most important step when making your zucchini bread.
While you do want a moist loaf of zucchini bread, you definitely don’t want a soggy loaf!
So how do you keep zucchini bread from getting soggy?
First, start by shredding your zucchini into a large bowl.
Next, use your hands to squeeze out the initial bit of water. You should notice quite a bit of liquid is released just from using your hands.
Now take it a step further,
Put your squeezed out, shredded zucchini into a tea towel. Wrap it tightly and then squeeze out the remaining liquid.
You should be left with a dense ball of shredded zucchini. It should bind together easily and be damp but not wet.
And there you have it! Follow those easy steps and your zucchini bread will be moist but not soggy.
Tips For Zucchini Bread Success
Zucchini Bread Tip 1: Wring out all moisture from the zucchini
As we discussed above, this is key! To avoid a soggy loaf, you need to wring out all the moisture from your zucchini.
Do so in two steps. First, use your hands. Then, wring out additional moisture in a tea towel.
Zucchini Bread Tip 2: Cream butter, sugar & eggs until the texture of mayo
Use a stand-mixer to do this effectively.
Your wet ingredients will be quite thick and look like the texture of mayonnaise. This is what you want!
Zucchini Bread Tip 3: Gently fold in add-ins
Avoid over mixing your batter. When you are ready to fold in your add-ins, do so gently.
Zucchini, carrot, white chocoloate chips and macadamia nuts should be added last.
Zucchini Bread Tip 4: Add additional add-ins on top of the loaf
Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips or other add-ins on the top of the zucchini bread. This will ensure there’s a delicious add-in in every bite.
However, this doesn’t apply to zucchini and carrot. Those should be only folded into your batter for even distribution.
Zucchini Bread Tip 5: Bake in middle rack of oven
This is a dense loaf of zucchini bread and needs to be baked for at least 85 minutes.
Pre-heat your oven to 350°F. Then place loaf pan in the middle rack of your oven. This will ensure even baking.
What is the best way to freeze homemade zucchini bread?
I love freezing zucchini bread. It’s one of my favourite things to enjoy in the middle of Winter.
In my experience, zucchini bread freezes best when frozen whole.
Slices of bread tend to break apart when thawed.
And there you have it!
I hope you enjoy this carrot and zucchini bread recipe with white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
If you make this recipe, leave a comment below! I’d love to hear what you think. Or if you try some new add-ins, let me know! I answer all comments, always.
You can follow @fromsoiltosoul on Instagram, Pinterest and Tik Tok for more gardening content too.
More Garden-Inspired Recipes:
Print
Carrot and Zucchini Bread With White Chocolate and Macadamia Nuts
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 85 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf/8-12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This recipe is as amazing as it sounds. If I do say so myself. If you’re like me and always drowning in garden zucchini, try this recipe. It’s a tropical twist on traditional zucchini bread. And so moist! Plus freezes well too.
Ingredients
- 1 small zucchini (about 1 cup shredded and wrung out)
- 2 small carrots (about 1 1/2 cups shredded)
- 1¾ cups of all-purpose flour
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
- Zest of 1 small lemon
- Juice of 1 small lemon
- 1 cup of white chocolate chips
- 1 cup of macadamia nuts whole or chopped
Instructions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350°. Move rack to the middle of the oven if it isn’t already positioned there. Then grease an 8×4 loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Grate zucchini and carrot using a box shredder. After grating zucchini, squeeze out excess liquid with your hands. Then squeeze out remaining liquid by placing zucchini in a clean tea towel. You should be left with a dense ball of zucchini that is damp but not wet. Set both carrot and zucchini aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
4. Using a stand or hand mixer on high speed, beat eggs until fluffy. This should take 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then gradually add in the sugar. Beat on high for another minute.
5. With the mixer still running on medium-high speed, gradually add in the oil. Continue beating on medium-high until the mixture is a thick consistency, like mayonnaise. Then beat in the lemon zest and juice.
6. With the mixer now on low speed, add in the dry ingredients. Be cautious not to over mix here, mixing just until wet and dry ingredients are fully combined.
7. Using a spatula, gently fold in the shredded zucchini, carrot, white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. The batter will be very thick, this is what you want!
8. Carefully transfer the batter to your loaf pan. Sprinkle a few additional chocolate chips and nuts on top.
9. Bake for 85 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. If your oven runs hot, 75 minutes may be sufficient. If the top is browning too fast, gently cover with a piece of aluminum foil.
10. Remove from oven and place entire loaf pan on a cooling rack. Wait 20 minutes before serving. If freezing, wait til cooled and then freeze entire loaf without slicing in a sealed freezer bag. It should keep in the freezer for at least 3 months.
Notes
This is a dense bread and requires adequate baking time so the middle is not raw. While 85 minutes may seem long, it’s important to test with a toothpick to ensure you’re not over or under cooking.
Get creative with additional add-ins; shredded coconut, diced pineapple and raisins would all make great additions.
If freezing, opt to freeze the entire loaf whole rather than sliced as it will thaw nicer and hold its shape better.
Keywords: zucchini bread, twist on zucchini bread, zucchini loaf, easy zucchini bread recipe