Maple Zucchini Nut Bread
Before I left for vacation, I was given a very large zucchini from someone’s garden. I didn’t want it to go to waste, so I shredded it and froze it in Ziplock freezer bags and put it in the freezer. Today I was ready for some zucchini bread, so I took the bags out of the freezer and let them defrost on the counter.
After draining out as much water as possible, it was time to put things together. I fished out a recipe from my mom’s archives and adapted it a bit. I think maple syrup and zucchini get along very well together. I put in a whole cup of pure maple syrup in the batch. The smell of maple in the kitchen was intoxicating.
And if that wasn’t enough. I thought I would make some maple butter to go with these beauties. My first attempt at making it the Quebeçois way didn’t come out so well, I think I didn’t boil the syrup long enough. Not to worry, I just did it the simple way. Butter + maple syrup= maple butter. The butter helped take away some of the sweetness. I know what I will be spreading on my toast in the morning.
The bread came out so good. It was full of maple flavor. I am pretty sure my husband liked it since he ate almost an entire loaf by himself. And then when I had the audacity to bring the other loaf to work, he called looking for it because he was in the mood for the some more. If I leave the sweets home with him, he complains he is getting fat. If I take them away, he complains because he wants more. And they say woman are complicated.
Maple Zucchini Nut Bread with Maple Butter
by The Sweet Chick
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 45-50 minutes
Keywords: bake zucchini maple syrup maple butter bread
Ingredients (2 loaves, 2 cups butter)
For the bread
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
For the maple butter
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
For the bread
Preheat oven to 350º F.
In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs. Then add the vanilla, oil, and maple syrup and whisk well.
Next add the wet ingredients to the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix together with a hand mixer.
Then shred the zucchini with a hand grater or food processor and add to the mix.
Add raisins and chopped walnuts. Mix with hand mixer until all ingredients are well incorporated.
Divide the batter into two loaf pans and bake at 350º for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
Let loaves cool before slicing.
For the maple butter
Place the butter in a small microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave for 20 seconds, until softened.
Add maple syrup and mix together with hand mixer until smooth.
Place in fridge for 1 hour to set.
After it is set, slice yourself a piece of bread and spread it generously with maple butter. Enjoy!
Better Than S’Mores Mini Cupcakes
I have been wanting to try Biscoff cupcakes for that past week. But I wanted to see what would happen if I tried to turn them into s’mores. The Biscoff is a bit sweeter than a graham cracker, but I though if I used a dark chocolate ganache to fill them, it might balance out the sweetness. What?? Me, make something less sweet?? Ask anyone who knows me and they would think something was wrong. But have no fear, sometimes it’s all worth it in the end. And these absolutely were. Topped with a marshmallow fluff frosting, these puppies came out better than expected, better than a s’mores!
Don’t mind my upside down flour bag. It had a hole in the bottom, so I had put it that way, otherwise that kitchen would look like a snowstorm had passed through.
| For the ganache filling |
filled cupcakes
At this point feel free to take any defect cupcake and pop it into your mouth. It is for quality control purposes only. Since it was late at night when I made the frosting, I forgot to take any pictures.
Of course before I went to bed I had to try one and gave one to my husband to try so I wouldn’t feel so guilty. Oh god, they were delicious. I am glad I made them bite size, the blend of tastes it just perfect. Unfortunately, that just means I will eat more.
Better Than S’Mores Mini Cupcakes
by The Sweet Chick
Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
Keywords: bake dessert biscoff marshmallow fluff chocolate ganache cupcake
Ingredients (24 mini cupcakes)
For the Biscoff Cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup Biscoff spread
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Ganache Filling
- 12 ounces chocolate, chopped into small pieces (I used a 3.5oz bar of Lindt dark chocolate and about 3/4 of a 12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips)
- 1 cup heavy cream
For the Marshmallow Fluff Frosting
- 1/2 stick butter, softened
- 2 cups marshmallow fluff
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon Wilton meringue powder
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
For the Biscoff Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350º F and fill muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Place flour, sugar, salt and baking soda into a large bowl, mix to combine. Set aside.
In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, place oil, sour cream, Biscoff spread, eggs and vanilla into the bowl and mix on medium speed until well incorporated. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly, about 30 seconds. Spoon batter into prepared mini cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake for 10-15 or until toothpick inserted in center comes out dry. Remove and let cool completely.
(For regular sized cupcakes, bake 18-22 minutes).
Recipe by healthyfoodforliving.com/recipes
For the Chocolate Ganache Filling
Place chocolate pieces in a large bowl.
Heat heavy cream on medium high until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately pour cream over chocolate and stir until completely mixed and glossy.
Allow ganache to cool. The longer you allow the ganache to cool, the thicker it will set. You can place it in the fridge to cool faster. The ganache needs to be completely cooled before piping it in the cupcakes.
While the ganache is cooling cut a hole in the middle of each cupcake and scoop out the center (not all the way to the bottom). I used a vegetable peeler, but you can also try a apple corer.
With a frosting piping bag or a plastic freezer bag with tip cut off, pipe the ganache filling into each cupcake and place back in the fridge.
Recipe by https://www.healthyfoodforliving.com/recipes/
For the Marshmallow Fluff Frosting
In a stand up mixer or using a hand mixer, blend butter and marshmallow fluff until smooth.
Sift in confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder and beat on low speed.
Add vanilla and milk and increase speed to high. Beat for 1 minute.
Using a frosting piping bag and your favorite tip, frost each cupcake and place back in fridge to set.
Recipe by The Sweet Chick