Double Chocolate Chai Zucchini Muffins Are Exactly What You Need to Use Up All that Zucchini

Do you ever get a recipe idea in your head that you just can’t shake?

That’s how I felt about these chocolate zucchini muffins with chai spices – once I dreamed up the idea, I couldn’t stop thinking about them! Rich chocolate and warm chai spices are delicious together and I had a feeling that they’d make an especially delicious treat when added to zucchini muffins.

It took me a few tries to perfect this recipe, but I’m glad I kept going until I nailed it.

The chocolate and chai flavors are nicely balanced, and the muffins are moist and cakey. I love that they’re healthy enough for breakfast, but decadent enough for dessert.

What you’ll love about this zucchini muffin recipe:

• A great way to use garden-fresh zucchini with unexpected flavor from chai spices
• Grab and Go. Muffins are a great option for a breakfast or snack on the go. 
• Under 200 calories each

What you’ll need to make them

To make these double chocolate zucchini muffins, you’ll need:

• Unsweetened Coconut Milk. For this recipe, you’ll need refrigerated coconut milk beverage (not canned coconut milk). You could also use almond milk or dairy milk if you prefer. 
• Spiced Chai Tea bags. For the best flavor and texture, I found that using chai spice tea bags works best. I like the ones from Tazo a lot!
• Zucchini. One medium to large zucchini should be plenty. 
• Coconut Oil. Cocout oil is a nice alternative to butter in this muffins. If keeps them dairy free and adds lots of moisture. 
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. My absolute favorite is Ghirardelli but you can never go wrong with Hershey’s either!
• Chocolate Chips. Milk, dark, or semi-sweet. It’s your choice!

You’ll also need standard baking supplies like flour, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. 

Substitutions:

• Try applesauce instead of coconut oil
• For a healthier muffin, use whole wheat pastry flour in place of all purpose flour
• You can also use a cup for cup gluten-free flour blend. 

How to make them:

1. Brew the chai. Heat the coconut milk until it’s lukewarm, then steep the tea bags until it take on a deeply spice flavor. Press as much moisture form the tea bags and as you before discarding them.

2. Combine the dry ingredients. Be sure to whisk everything well so you don’t end up with clumps of baking powder in your muffins!

3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. The method of adding wet ingredients into the dry ones is key to muffin-making and is one of the key differences between muffins and cupcakes!

4. Scoop the batter into your muffin pan. I like to use a large cookie scoop or ice cream scoop for this. It’s less messy and means all of the muffins will be the same size. If you want, sprinkle the top of each muffin with a few chocolate chips. 

5. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the top of a muffin comes out clean. 

Frequently Asked Questions

More delicious muffin recipes

• Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins
• Spiced Sweet Potato Blender Muffins with Pecan Streusel
• Apple Cheddar Corn Muffins with Honey Butter
• Chocolate Cinnamon Muffins
• Roasted Peach Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel
• Bakery Style Raspberry-Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Peanut Butter, Banana + Bacon Muffins

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Chocolate Chai Zucchini Muffins

Moist and decadent double chocolate zucchini muffins with chai spices. These amazing muffins make a great grab and go breakfast or snack!

Course 14 Sweet Breakfast Recipes

Cuisine American

Keyword zucchini muffins

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes minutes

Total Time 37 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 194kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 bags chai
• 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup coconut oil melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini about 1 large
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350ºF. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray it with cooking spray.
• In a small saucepan, heat the coconut milk over medium heat until its lukewarm. Add the tea bags. Remove from heat and let steep 5 minutes. Squeeze out as much liquid from the tea bags as you can, then discard the bags.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In a second bowl, combine the brewed chai, coconut oil, and vanilla. One at a time, whisk in the eggs. Stir in the zucchini.
• Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.
• Divide the batter between the muffin cups, filling each cup 3/4 of the way to the top. If desired, top each muffin with a few chocolate chips.
• Bake 22-25 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 193mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 87IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg

When I think about all of the recipes in my new Healthy Eating One-Pot Cookbook, there are two that jump out as being my favorite: Instant Pot Red Curry Ramen and Cranberry Oatmeal Bars. Both of them were instant hits, and I’ve been making them all winter. Even though these recipes only have 10 ingredients each, they have complex, layered flavors that make them seem much more complicated than they actually are. 

When I asked people on facebook which recipe they’d like me to share, I wasn’t sure which recipe I was rooting for. It was a close call, but Cranberry Oatmeal Bars won by a super narrow margin. I’m sharing that recipe here today – if you want the ramen you’ll need to check out the book! 

I’m completely obsessed with these vegan cranberry bars. They’re sweetened with maple syrup and flavored with vanilla extract and a hint of cinnamon. The crumbly oat topping is buttery and sweet, which balances the tart berries perfectly. 

These bars are crisp straight from the oven but will soften overnight if kept in an airtight container. Either way, they’re fantastic. The recipe makes six big, bakery-style bars, but if you’re looking for a treat that’s lower in calories you can easily cut them into nine or even twelve portions and still be satisfied. 

Tips for making cranberry oatmeal bars:

The best way to make these oatmeal bars is with fresh cranberries, but frozen berries work too. I couldn’t find either variety last weekend, so I made this batch with sugar-free raspberry preserves. Raspberries are pretty tart, so they make a great stand-in for cranberries in this recipe. The bars will be thicker and more colorful if you use whole berries, but they taste great either way.

This is actually a swap that I suggest in the book. One of my favorite parts of the book is that every single recipe has a tip that will help you pick the best ingredients, make smart swaps, or repurpose your leftovers. The book has 101 recipes in it, but when you include the variations from the tips there are really so many more! 

I put these cranberry oatmeal bars in the dessert chapter of the book but, if you’re anything like me, you’ll be tempted to sneak one for breakfast!

If you love cranberry desserts, you also love this cranberry orange shortbread!

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Cranberry Oatmeal Bars from my Healthy Eating One-Pot Cookbook (Vegan)

I’m obsessed with these cranberry bars. The crumbly oat topping is buttery and sweet, which balances the tart berries perfectly. These bars are crisp straight from the oven, but will soften overnight if kept in an airtight container. Either way, they’re fantastic. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be tempted to sneak one for breakfast.

Course Healthy Dessert Recipes

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 373kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• ½ cup coconut oil
• ¾ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups rolled oats
• 1 ½ cups white whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 3 cups fresh cranberries chopped
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, whisk the coconut oil and maple syrup until smooth. Stir in the vanilla.
• Gently mix in the oats, flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda to form a crumbly dough. Press half the dough onto one side of a sheet pan, forming a layer about 1/2 inch thick.
• Spread the chopped cranberries over the dough and sprinkle with the sugar.
• Crumble the remaining dough over the berries. Sprinkle the top with the almonds.
• Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until light golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Cut into 6 bars to serve.

Notes

If fresh cranberries aren’t in season, use frozen. Or, swap them for whole-fruit raspberry preserves and omit the sugar.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 373kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Fiber: 5g

This morning, I saw my first red-orange tree of the season.

Later this week, the temperatures are going to drop into the 40s. We’re talking about turning on the heat. You know what that means – baking season is back!

My oven has definitely been getting a workout over the last few weeks. These peanut butter and jelly muffins (and gluten free zucchini muffins!) are just the beginning.

Even though I don’t have kids, fall still always means back to school for me.

And back to school means peanut butter and jelly everything. Or sunflower seed butter and jelly everything. Both are great! Last year, I made PB+J baked oatmeal that’s still in heavy rotation.

This time around, I’m all about muffins.

Peanut butter is mixed right into the batter, giving it tons of flavor. And there are little pockets of jelly that are goopy and sweet and remind me of a jelly donut. For extra credit, they’re sweetened with a combination of honey, mashed banana, and brown sugar. Insert all the heart eye emojis.

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ½ cup brown sugar

½ cup brown sugar

• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg beaten
• ½ cup peanut butter or sunflower seed butter
• 1 banana mashed
• ¼ cup butter melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ cup strawberry or raspberry jelly

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. 
• In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together until combined. In a separate bowl, add milk, egg, peanut butter, banana, butter, and honey. Beat until creamy. Pour the wet mixture into dry ingredients, and mix gently until just combined.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Spoon a half of a tablespoon into each muffin cup; use a knife to gently swirl the jam into the batter.
• Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the tops begin to lightly brown. 
• Optional: If desired, melt 2 Tablespoons additional peanut butter and drizzle over the cooled muffins.
  

Notes

For gluten-free muffins, I’m a big fan of King Arthur’s Gluten-Free Baking Mix. 

November – that time of year when thoughts turn half to holiday baking and half to trying not to put on holiday weight. The struggle is real. Luckily, there are some recipes – like these spiced sweet potato blender muffins topped with pecan streusel – that let you have the best of both worlds.

They’re springy and moist, just like muffins should be, with a crunchy sweet topping and tons of holiday flavor. And thanks to Whole Earth Sweetener Co.‘s Baking Blend, they have less sugar than traditional muffins! It’s a little bit like Christmas came early.

These blender muffins start with wholesome ingredients like sweet potatoes, oats, nuts, and eggs. Warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom give them that holiday flavor you crave; Whole Earth Sweetener’s Baking Blend gives them the perfect kiss of sweetness.

The Baking Blend is a mixture of raw sugar and stevia, so you can use half the amount but achieve the same level of sweetness.

Instead of using a bowl, mix the ingredients in a blender. It’s super easy and ensures that all of the ingredients are perfectly incorporated. You can also make these muffins by hand, but the batter is thick and difficult to mix because of the sweet potato.

Unlike other lower calorie sweeteners I’ve tried, this Baking Blend didn’t have any aftertaste. We couldn’t distinguish between the muffins made with the Baking Blend and those made with all sugar. It definitely impressed me and I plan to make this a staple for my holiday baking!

If you’re a fan of unique muffin flavors, you’ll also want to try these citrusy orange muffins.

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Spiced Sweet Potato Blender Muffins with Pecan Streusel

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 469kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

For the Muffins:

• 1 large sweet potato
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• ½ cup oats
• ¼ cup Whole Earth Sweetener Baking Blend or 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon cardamom

For the pecan streusel:

• ½ cup oats
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons Whole Earth Sweetener Baking Blend or 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

• Use a sharp knife to score the sweet potato. Microwave on high for 10 minutes, or until soft. When cool enough to handle, scoop the potato into a small bowl and discard the skin.
• Heat the oven to 375ºF and line a 12 cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.
• Add 1 cup of sweet potato along with the eggs, buttermilk, flour, oats, Baking Blend sweetener, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices to a blender or food processor, in the order listed. Cover and blend on high 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed, until the batter is smooth and all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.
• Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups.
• In a small bowl, combine the streusel ingredients. Mix the ingredients together until they resemble coarse, wet sand. Spoon the topping onto each muffin.
• Bake for 21-23 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Nutrition

Calories: 469kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 23g

I have a love-hate relationship with bananas. I love keeping them around for easy snacking and to add to smoothies, but they always seem to go from underripe to overripe in the blink of an eye. I bought a big bunch of them last Saturday thinking I could eat them all week, and by Monday they were already soft and black. I was basically left with no choice – it was time to make cajeta banana bread!

I love making banana bread because it’s really easy to play around with new, fun flavors. You can add anything from chocolate chips to peanut butter and bacon to Earl Grey tea and it’s always delicious. This time around, I swapped out some of the sugar for cajeta syrup, which gives the bread rich caramel notes. Then I topped the bread with more cajeta and a layer of chopped walnuts for some sticky-sweet crunch. This cajeta banana bread would make a great addition to your Easter brunch!

Cajeta (dulce de leche) is a sweet, complex caramel traditionally made by cooking goat’s milk and brown sugar until it forms a thick, creamy syrup. When I saw that Amoretti makes a cajeta syrup, I knew I had to try it!

So far, this is my favorite product of theirs. It’s thicker and creamier than other syrups, but not quite as thick and gloopy as other brands of dulce de leche that I’ve tried, which makes it perfect for drizzling over pancakes, mixing into yogurt, and swirling into coffee.

The cajeta syrup is amazing in this banana bread. Swirled into the batter, it complements the bananas nicely without adding too much sweetness. Another layer of cajeta drizzled over the top caramelizes onto the walnuts, making them extra delicious.

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Cajeta Banana Bread

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 12

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe bananas
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup Amoretti® Cajeta syrup
• 2 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• ¾ cup spelt flour
• 2 Tablespoons Amoretti® Cajeta syrup
• ¼ cup walnuts chopped

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
• In a large mixing bowl, mash together the bananas, coconut oil, and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in the cajeta, yogurt, and eggs. Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix well. Gently fold in the flours.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of syrup evenly over the top; sprinkle with walnuts.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top of the bread of domed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Notes

Click here for nutrition information

I developed this recipe for my client, Amoretti. For more information about their products, visit them on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram and YouTube. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep me inspired in the kitchen. 

A few years ago, I went on a pumpkin rampage. I made everything from homemade pumpkin ravioli to pumpkin chili. I must have overdone it, because I hardly used any pumpkin at all for the next few years. This year, I’m ready to tiptoe back into the world of pumpkin.

I’ve been in the mood to bake lately, and have spent the past few weekend in the kitchen perfecting some new pastry recipes. These pumpkin pie sticky buns were an immediate favorite – they’re perfect as an easy breakfast along with a cup of steaming hot coffee.

When I first started dreaming up this recipe, I thought I would use pumpkin in the sweet dough and fill them with a classic cinnamon roll filling. After giving it some more thought, though, I decided to keep the dough plain and make an easy pumpkin pie filling for the rolls instead. I couldn’t be happier with my choice! The custardy filling gives the buns loads of pumpkin flavor and eliminates the need for any butter in the filling.

I topped the pumpkin pie sticky buns with chopped hazelnuts and Amoretti Crema di Pumpkin Pie syrup. I love the way the sweet, buttery hazelnuts pair with the pumpkin-pie flavor but, if you prefer, you can also use pecans for a more traditional sticky bun. Whichever you choose, be sure to completely cover the bottom of your pan with chopped nuts – they’ll form a barrier between the syrup and the dough, ensuring you’ll get that nice, sticky topping that’s so important in a sticky bun.

Amoretti Crema di Pumpkin Pie Syrup made the perfect sticky topping without having to mess around with boiling sugar.It has a great pumpkin pie flavor – I can really taste the nutmeg in it – and I love that it’s made from all natural ingredients. It’s richer and more concentrated than other flavored syrups, without being as cloyingly sweet. You can buy it on Amazon here.

I’ve been enjoying the syrup in my coffee for the past few weeks (it’s delicious in hazelnut coffee, which is where I got the idea to use them instead of pecans on these buns) but since a little goes a long way, there’s plenty in the bottle to use in culinary experiments, too (call me crazy, but I really want to try it in baked beans. I think it would be fantastic!)

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Pumpkin Pie Sticky Buns

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk or unsweetened nondairy milk of your choice
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 1 packet 0.75 ounces instant yeast
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all purpose flour

For the filling:

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 Tablespoon milk or nondairy milk of your choice
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon sugar

For the topping:

• 12 pumps Amoretti® Crema di Pumpkin Pie syrup
• 2 tablespoon butters cut into 12 pats
• 1 cup hazelnuts roughly chopped

Instructions

• Add the milk and butter to a medium saucepan set over low heat. Cook until the butter is melted and the milk is very warm, but not hot (about 120ºF.)
• Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast into the warm milk; let sit 10 minutes. Stir in the sugar and salt. Add the flour little by little, stirring to form a thick dough. When the dough gets too thick to stir, turn it out onto the counter and knead it a few times to work in the lats of the flour. Shape the dough into a ball.
• Lightly grease your mixing bowl, then add the dough. Cover loosely and let rest in a warm place until doubled in size – about 40 minutes.
• Heat your oven to 350ºF.
• While the dough rests, prepare the filling by mixing together the pumpkin, milk, cinnamon, and sugar. Prepare two 6-cup cupcake tins by adding 1 pump of syrup and 1 pat of butter to each cup. Divide the hazelnuts among each cup.
• Roll the dough into a large rectangle (about 9x13 inches). Spread the dough with a thin, even layer of the pumpkin filling. Working from a long side, tightly roll the dough.
• Use a serrated knife to cut the dough into 12 rolls. Place 1 roll into each prepared cup.
• Bake 20-25 minutes, until the buns are puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes, then run a knife along the edge of each roll to help loosen it and invert onto a baking sheet. If any topping remains in the pan, spoon it back onto the sticky buns.

Notes

I've made these sticky buns with unsweetened coconut milk, since that's usually what I have in my fridge, and they're delicious. Please note, however, that the syrup itself does contain dairy so the recipe in it's entirety isn't dairy free.

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Kitchenaid Stand Mixer

Last year, I created a few “perfect pairing” recipes for Liberté yogurt. Earlier this spring, they asked me to create a few more pairings using their newest flavors — cappuccino and caramel. They sent me a sneak preview and let me tell you, these flavors are every bit as delicious as I hoped they’d be. They have the same thick, luxurious texture as the rest of the line, but the sweeter flavors make them perfect for breakfast or dessert.

When I first heard what the new flavors were going to be, I was naturally most excited about the cappuccino one (me + coffee = BFFs). Since I love topping my cappuccino with cinnamon, I thought it would be fun to incorporate that flavor in my pairing. I ultimately came up with these chocolate cinnamon muffins, which are pretty awesome. They’re topped with crunchy turbinado sugar and they remind me of the giant chocolate muffins we used to get out of the bakery case at the grocery store when I was a kid.

Like the yogurt, these muffins are super decadent — I ate way too many of them in way too short of a timeframe. Buttermilk makes them nice and tender (almost, but not quite, like a cupcake) and espresso really brings out the flavor of the chocolate. The cinnamon is the perfect accent to make them really unique.

Enjoy them with yogurt, a cup of espresso, and a handful of fresh blackberries for a perfect breakfast!

Liberté  cappuccino yogurt will be arriving in stores later this summer. Here’s a link to their product locator so you can find a retailer near you: https://liberteusa.com/Product-Locator

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Chocolate Cinnamon Muffins

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 170kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder optional
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 5 tablespoons melted butter cooled
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar

Instructions

• Heat oven to 400ºF. Line 12 muffin cups with liners.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, espresso (if using), and salt. In a second bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs. Pout the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients; mix until just combined. The batter will be very thick.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup almost to the top. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Nutrition

Calories: 170kcal | Protein: 3.6g | Fat: 6.3g | Fiber: 1.8g

I have a terrible habit of buying fruit to have as an afternoon snack and then forgetting all about it and leaving it on the counter every morning. By the end of the week it’s brown and bruised and I’m lucky if I actually ate any of it at all.

A while back I was about to throw out a particularly sad looking bunch of pears, when I started to feel guilty about wasting so much food. For a second, I wished i had bought bananas so I could throw them into the freezer for smoothies or bread. Then I decided to see what would happen if I tried to make a quick bread with pears instead of bananas.

The result was spectacular!

The bread is tender and cake-like, with the subtly floral flavor of pears in every bite. It’s crowned with a crisp crumb topping scented with spicy cardamom, and it’s completely addictive.

I’ve made it three times now, and it’s so good that I don’t always want to wait for the pears to soften. The bread is still tasty if you use firm pears, but the texture is better is you let them get a little soft first.

Now, what should I do with that bag of grapefruit that I impulse bought last week?

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Pear Cardamom Quick Bread

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 24

Calories 200kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe Bartlett or D'Anjou pears
• 1 ⅔ cups sugar
• ⅔ cup coconut oil liquid
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups Gold Medal® all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the crumb topping

• ¼ cup Gold Medal® all purpose flour
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 tablespoons cold butter

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350ºF. Line two 8-inch loaf pans with foil.
• Shred the pears on the coarse side of a box grated, discarding the stem and core. Gently squeeze the shredded pears and pour off any excess juice.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded pears, sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• In a second bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the pear mixture; stir to combine. Pout the batter into the prepared loaf pans.
• In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup flour, brown sugar, and cardamom. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles wet sand. Sprinkle the crumb topping in an even layer over the top of the bread.
• Bake for 40-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories: 200kcal | Protein: 2.8g | Fat: 8g | Fiber: 1.3g

Almost everyone I know makes corned beef and cabbage for Saint Patrick’s day dinner, but how many of you also make Irish soda bread? It gets overlooked pretty often, but it’s one of my favorite Saint Patrick’s Day foods.

This year, I decided to try something a little different and cross my favorite soda bread (which is slightly sweet and loaded with raisins and caraway) with a traditional brown bread. The result was fantastic! Whole wheat flour gives the bread a nutty, toasty flavor and steel coat oats give it a great, rustic texture. Slathered with Irish butter and sprinkled with a touch of sea salt, it’s great with your meal or on its own for breakfast.

Irish soda bread is a quick bread – it uses baking soda instead of yeast, so you don’t need to wait for the dough to rise. It only takes a few seconds to mix up, and then about a half hour in the oven. It really couldn’t be easier!

The dough is also really forgiving. It’s pretty hard to mess up! You don’t even need a bread pan; I baked mine right in my cast iron skillet.

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Whole Grain Irish Soda Bread

This whole grain Irish soda bread is a cross between classic soda bread and a brown bread recipe. It's a quick bread that's packed with healthy grains!

Course 15 Oatmeal and Breakfast Grain Recipes

Cuisine Irish

Keyword Irish soda bread, whole grain soda bread

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Additional Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 151kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1½ cups whole wheat flour
• ½ cup steel cut oats
• ½ cup sugar
• 2½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups buttermilk
• 2 eggs beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter melted
• 1 cup raisins

Instructions

• Heat oven to 425ºF. Grease the bottom of a 9 inch round baking pan or oven proof skillet.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, oats,, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. Mix until just combined. Stir in the raisins.
• Form the dough into a boule and place on the greased pan. Use a serrated knife to cut an "x" into the top of the bread. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked throughout.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 263mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g