Hazelnut Nutella Zucchini Bread

I blogged a couple of months ago about the Lemon Glazed Zucchini Bread recipe I had been experimenting with.   And while I sit watching the rain run down my window panes, pondering when this government shutdown is going to end, I remembered I never shared the recipe and photos for that Hazelnut Nutella Zucchini bread.  My sincere apologies.  But honestly, this is just the recipe I need to share today to not only raise my spirits, but also to get my tastebuds going.  This one definitely feels like cheating.

All the necessary ingredients for the recipe.

I mean there is honey, brown sugar, Nutella, chocolate chips, chopped hazelnuts, yogurt,  oh....and zucchini.  :)  It is absolutely delightful.  And rather than making one large loaf this time, I decided to use my new mini-loaf pan.  The thought of being able to share these with friends, pull them out of the freezer for unexpected guests (or government furloughs! ugh!) was just the most comforting thought.  So I treated the mini-pan wells just the same as the larger versions by first spraying it with non-stick cooking spray and then fitting it with little slips of parchment paper.  Once I had that ready and waiting for me, I got down to business.

Greased and fitted with parchment
paper - ready for business!

I started with grating the zucchini so it could sit in the colander to drain off excess water while I got the other ingredients ready.  Grate it on the largest setting of a box grater so you get nice large strips of the beautiful zucchini.  Place that in the sink to drain, and get started assembling the ingredients in a nice large bowl.

First, cream together the room temperature butter and brown sugar.  You will not get as smooth of a batter if your butter is cold.  Make life easy and set it out a few hours before you plan to bake the bread.  If you forget, you can try one of these fun tips and tricks shared on Thekitchn.  But don't just stick it in the microwave and try to cheat.  The consistency of the half melted, half softened butter won't be the same (trust me!)  Once you have the sugar and butter creamed together, add in the eggs, vanilla and honey and mix well.  Then add in the yogurt as well as the dry ingredients --flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon.  Stir until just combined.

Mixed batter with the shredded
zucchini, chocolate chips and chopped
hazelnuts ready for mixing in.

Place the whole hazelnuts in a skillet, and toast them by setting them in the dry pan over medium-low heat.  The nuts will only need a few minutes to toast up and then you can remove them to a small plate to cool before chopping them.  Be careful because the oil in the nuts makes them hold onto their heat for a bit.  You can do this ahead of time if you want.  If you can't find hazelnuts or don't care to use them, you can substitute walnuts or leave out the nuts all together if you like.

After you have chopped the nuts, fold them into the batter mixture along with the chocolate chips and shredded zucchini.  Be sure and squeeze out any excess moisture you can from the zucchini before adding it to the batter.  Transfer the batter to your mini-loaf pan (or the larger loaf pan if you are using a traditional size), dividing it up evenly amongst the wells.  Place two small dollops (about a 1/2 teaspoon each) of Nutella on top of each of the loaves and swirl with a fork or knife.

Swirled Nutella on the tops of
each of the mini-loaves.

If you have never tried Nutella before you will be in for a treat.  This chocolate hazelnut spread is smooth and delicious and completely addictive!  You will find it near the peanut butter in the grocery store.

Once you have marbleized the tops of your loaves, place them into a 350 degree oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean.  For the mini ones it was only 35-40 minutes, but if you are using a larger loaf plan it will take longer.

Finished Hazelnut Nutella loaves cooling.  

I hope you will give this delicious recipe a try and let me know what you think.  As for me, the rain has stopped and the sun has finally come out.  I have to go pull a mini-loaf of this delicious bread out of the freezer and pretend it is a nutritious snack.




Happy baking!

Close up shot of the swirled finished loaf.  

Hazelnut Nutella Zucchini Bread
(adapted from The Ungourmet)
1/2 c butter (1 stick), softened
1 c brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1/4 c honey
2 tsp vanilla
1 c plain nonfat yogurt
2 1/2 c flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 c shredded zucchini
1/2 c chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
1/2 c chopped toasted hazelnuts
6 tsp Nutella (or to taste)