Family Favorites - August 2020: Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread (Wheat, Milk, Fish and Nut-Free, Can Be Soy and Egg-Free)

I decided to keep posting a family favorite recipe from the blog (with any adaptions that we use regularly, if applicable) on the fourth Friday or Saturday of every month this year.  {Sorry for the late post!  Life has been more than a little crazy lately!}  This recipe will be one that we make quite often and that we all enjoy greatly.  This post is the eighth Family Favorites recipe of 2020.

If you have a recipe on your blog that you consider a family favorite that you'd like to share, please comment below with a link to the recipe, and I'll make sure to pop on over and visit your site to check it out (and leave a comment), and hopefully some of my other readers will, too.

This month's Family Favorite recipe is Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread.  This is basically a reposting of my original Zucchini Bread recipe made gluten and dairy-free with {allergy-friendly} chocolate chips added.  It is a family favorite for several reasons.  It's one of those "healthier for you" recipes because of the zucchini, but it tastes like a "not so healthy for you" recipe because of the chocolate chips.  It's also just delicious.  It is also wheat, milk, fish and nut-free (if all your ingredients are), and can be soy and egg-free (see variations).  There are also a lot of things you can add in, if desired, to truly make this recipe all your own.  What's not to love?  Give it a try - you won't be sorry!

Note: The gluten-free flour I recommend does not technically contain soy, but it does contain xantham gum (see "Soy-Free" under variations for more details) which can cause issues for people with soy sensitivities or allergies.  For this reason, I will not claim that this recipe is soy-free.  I will share a soy-free alternative in variations, though.

Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

3 Cups Cup-for-Cup gluten-free flour blend

(We normally use and highly recommend Namaste Gluten-Free Perfect Flour Blend.)

1 teaspoon salt

(We normally use Himalayan pink salt.)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 Cup Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips or Enjoy Life chocolate chunks or a combination

3 large eggs

1 Cup extra virgin olive oil

2 1/4 Cups white sugar

(We always use cane sugar.)

1 Tablespoon gluten-free vanilla extract

2 Cups grated zucchini (DO NOT DRAIN!)

1. Grease and flour two 8x4 pans with fat of choice.  (Note: Oil works just as well as shortening, butter, lard, etc. to grease the pan with.  Use the same type of gluten-free flour that you are using in your recipe to flour your pan with.)

2. Preheat the oven to 325^oF.

3. Mix gluten-free flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and chocolate chips/chunks together in a medium bowl; set aside.  (Note: Mixing the chocolate chips in with the flour keeps the chips from sinking to the bottom of your bread later.  Also, use the type of chocolate you like best - chips or chunks.  You can even use a combination if you wish.)

4. In another large bowl, beat eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar until well blended.

5. Add dry ingredients to the creamed sugar mixture and beat well.

6. Stir in zucchini until well combined. (Note: The grated zucchini should be very wet - DO NOT DRAIN!  The moisture is needed.)

7. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 40 to 60 minutes or until tester/toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

8. Cool in pan on wire rack for 20 minutes before removing the bread from the pans.

9. Allow the bread to cool completely on the wire rack before enjoying.

Makes two 8x4 loaves.

Variations (Please keep your individual dietary/allergen needs in mind when using substitutions!):

• Soy-Free: Namaste Gluten-Free Perfect Flour Blend does not claim to contain soy, but it does contain xanthan gum, which can cause issues with people who have soy sensitivities and allergies.  For these reasons, I will not claim that this recipe is soy-free.  You can use regular flour (if you can have it) or a soy-free, gluten-free flour of your choice.  Keep in mind that if your gluten-free blend doesn't contain guar gum or xanthan gum, you may need to add between 3/4 to 3 teaspoons of ground flax seed, guar gum or xanthan gum to help with textural issues, too.  You'll have to make sure all of your ingredients are soy-free, too.
    
• Egg-Free: Use any of these egg substitution ideas here in place of the eggs.  
  
  
• Zucchini Nut Bread: Add 1 Cup walnuts or pecan pieces with the dry ingredients and make as directed.  You can add the nuts in place of the chocolate chips or along with.  Just make sure your total add-ins are no more than 2 Cups.
     
• Carrot Zucchini Bread: Either reduce the zucchini to 1 Cup and add 1 Cup grated carrots, or keep it 2 Cups zucchini and add 1/2 to 1 Cups carrots.
    
• Reduce the oil: Reduce the oil to 1/2 Cup and add 1/2 Cup natural applesauce.
     
• Other stir-in ideas: Stir in up to 1 Cup of golden raisins, sunflower seed, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), other types of chocolate chips (if you can have them),  chopped up apple and/or crushed pineapple.  You can do these add-ins in place of the allergy-friendly chocolate chips or along with.  Please try to keep your add-ins to a total of no more than 2 Cups, though.  Also, please note that if you are adding crushed pineapple, that that will greatly change the liquid content, and I recommend reducing the oil by 1/2 if you use it.  If you add the pineapple and use the applesauce, I'd say use 1 Cup total (1/2 Cup of each) and 1/2 Cup of oil so that your loaf cooks up properly.
     
• Zucchini Carrot Cake: Follow the recipe for Carrot Zucchini Bread, but reduce the oil to 1/2 Cup and add 1/2 Cup natural apple sauce.  Bake in a 13x9 pan instead of loaf pans and cook at 325^oF for 40-45 minutes or until a tester/toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Top with Sweetened Whipped Cream or frost with Vanilla Buttercream or the Cream Cheese Frosting Listed below, if desired and they fit your allergen needs.  You can also top it with or stir in chopped walnuts or pecans if it doesn't need to be nut-free.  Note: You can try your hand at making a soy-free version of cream cheese from scratch if you like (I've not tried it, so I can't vouch for the taste, though.). You can also try using a dairy-free, soy-free "butter" (Earth Balance has one) if you want to make the buttercream dairy and soy-free.  There is a recipe for a dairy and soy-free "cream cheese" frosting here, but it is not nut-free and I've never tried it, so I cannot vouch for the taste.  You can also just dust the cake with powdered sugar or eat it plain as well.

Cream Cheese Frosting

(Adapted from a recipe on allrecipes.com submitted by Janni to be egg, fish, wheat, and nut-free)

1 package cream cheese (8 oz.), softened

1/4 Cup full-fat, salted butter, softened

1-1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

dash of salt

1 to 2 Cups powdered sugar

1. Cream butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl until creamy.

2. Mix in vanilla and salt until well blended.

3. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar until well incorporated.

4. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Variation:

• Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting: Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 Cup cocoa powder with the powdered sugar.

So many options, so little time!

I hope you will give this recipe a try soon and that it becomes a family favorite for you, too!