Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Banana Bread

Yields: 1 loaf, 12 slices

This healthy banana bread is perfect for breakfasts and snacks, or even a little after dinner treat! It’s supremely moist and tender with lots of warm spices, soft zucchini, and rich chocolate chips. Leftovers will keep for at least five days (if not longer!) if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.

2 ¼ cups (270g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp white vinegar
¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 cup (260g) mashed banana (about 2 medium)
½ cup (12g) Stevia In The Raw® Bakers Bag
6 tbsp (90mL) nonfat milk
1 cup (107g) freshly grated zucchini, thoroughly patted dry (see Notes)
3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla, and vinegar. Add in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the mashed banana and Stevia In The Raw®. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.) Gently fold in the zucchini and 2 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the top. Cover the top with foil, and try to push up the foil in the center to ensure it doesn’t touch the batter while baking. Bake covered at 350°F for 35 minutes. Acting very quickly, remove the pan from the oven, and carefully remove the foil. Immediately put the pan back in the oven, and continue baking the banana bread for an additional 28-32 minutes (for a total of 63-67 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes: For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ¾ cup (90g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 2 teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will also work, if measured like this.

Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

For a stronger spice flavor, increase the cinnamon and nutmeg by ¼ teaspoon each.

The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the banana bread rise and create a more tender texture. Don’t skip it! (And I promise you can’t taste it!)

For best results, use the ripest, darkest, most spottiest bananas you can find! The ones with more brown color than yellow are ideal. They have a stronger and sweeter banana flavor than pure yellow bananas. Measure the bananas by cups or grams. Not all “medium” bananas are the same size!

The mashed banana and Greek yogurt combined need to measure 1 ¼ cups. If you have slightly more than 1 cup mashed banana, then reduce the Greek yogurt by the same amount, and vice versa.

Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

Measure the zucchini before patting it dry. You must pat it dry to remove the excess moisture because that excess moisture will cause the banana bread to collapse while cooling. To pat the zucchini dry, lay a double-thick layer of paper towels onto a cutting board, and arrange the freshly shredded zucchini on top. Place another double-thick layer of paper towels on the zucchini, and firmly press down until the top towel turns completely wet. Set a fresh double-thick layer of paper towels on top, and firmly press down again. (This second set probably won’t turn completely wet like the first!)

You must cover the batter with foil during the first stage of baking. This allows the center to cook through without the top turning overly brown or burnt. Work very quickly when removing the foil! If you leave the pan out of the oven for too long, the loaf will start to collapse, and it won’t recover to fully rise properly.

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, lower sugar}

Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2018/12/11/healthy-chocolate-chip-zucchini-banana-bread/