Healthy Agave Zucchini Bread

My quest for a healthy zucchini bread that still tastes good has ended today. It took 4 tries but I finally succeeded with a bread that met my expectations which tastes good, has great texture and the kids will still eat. I used Mama’s Coconut Blend Flour in the recipe because I thought it paired nicely with the coconut oil, but feel free to use any of your favorite GF flour blends. The Chia seeds are optional but I highly recommend them. They are packed with fiber and omega 3’s.

One thing to remember when using liquid ingredients like agave and applesauce you want to measure them out in a dry measuring cup and then use the back of your rubber scraper and scrape across the top to level out. This will help give the most accurate measurement and not add any extra liquid that may cause your bread to fall. However, with other liquid ingredients always use liquid measuring cups.

Melt the coconut oil and alternate between coconut oil and flour until all ingredients are incorporated. When adding the melted oil at the beginning, the coconut oil hardens again when combined with the applesauce and eggs. Adding it at the end allows it to incorporate evenly into the batter. I baked mine for 64 minutes, however, ovens vary so check after 60 minutes with toothpick and then determine if you should add a few extra minutes. It is very important to cover last 20 minutes, because agave does tend to make baked goods brown more quickly.

Enjoy this recipe, and please let me know how you like it!

Healthy Agave Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

1¾ cup Mama’s Coconut Blend Flour
½ cup ground flax seed
2 tsp. chia seeds, optional
1 tsp.. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1¼ tsp. xanthan gum
½ cup chopped walnuts, optional

⅓ cup applesauce
½ cup agave
1½ cup zucchini, shredded
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

⅓ cup coconut oil, melted

*note measure out applesauce and agave in dry measuring cup. Scrape off top with rubber scraper to level.

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°.

In a medium bowl combine flour, flax, chia seeds, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum and walnuts.

In a mixing bowl combine applesauce, agave, zucchini, eggs and vanilla. Mix well to combine.

Melt coconut oil in microwave. Pour in half of flour mixture and half of coconut oil. Mix to combine. Repeat with remaining flour and coconut oil. Mix for about 1 minute or until all ingredients are well combined.

Spray bread pan with cooking spray. Spread batter into pan. Place oven rack just below center rack. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cover the last 20 minutes to prevent over browning.

Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.