Chocolate chip zucchini bread

finally, after what feels like a long hiatus, i'm back in the kitchen! i broke in the kitchen to our new house with this chocolate chip zucchini bread. i made some banana bread last summer, that to this day remains my absolute favorite bread recipe. a lot of things can happen in a year though... like the diagnosis of a banana allergy!? ... so frustrating, i know. so i did some tweaking of last year's banana bread and developed this chocolate chip zucchini bread. it is just what my sweet tooth was craving... with the bonus of a full fruit and vegetable serving. double score.

chocolate chip zucchini bread

ingredients:

• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup dried dates, chopped
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups zucchini, shredded (about 2 zucchini)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

preheat the oven to 350 F and pour the boiling water over the chopped dates. let the dates and water sit for about ten minutes. in the meantime, beat the eggs with a whisk in a large bowl. whisk in the zucchini, sugar, apple sauce, and vanilla extract. in a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring just until blended. 

After ten minutes, drain the dates and pat dry. [i did this with a paper towel.] Add the melted butter and dates to the mixture. fold in the chocolate chips. transfer the mixture into a 9x5 inch prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. the bread is ready when a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Let cool before serving.