Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread Recipe

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread Recipe

Cook Time:  40-55 minutes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 12

One of my favorite things about summer and early fall is the abundance of fresh vegetables—and zucchini is always at the top of my list. It’s easy to grow in the garden, adds excellent moisture to baked goods, and can be used in both savory dishes (like zucchini fritters or zucchini pie) and sweet treats (hello, zucchini bread!).

Vegetables weren’t always a hit in our household. When our children were younger, I became an expert at hiding veggies in their favorite meals—pureed, finely chopped, or disguised as “herbs” whenever little green or red specks raised suspicion. (Let’s be honest: the youngest child and my husband were the harshest critics.)

Fast forward to today, and while our children have happily embraced vegetables, my husband is still a little funny about anything “green.” I tell him, ‘Honey, they’re herbs; try it.’ Thankfully, zucchini bread has been the great equalizer. When zucchini is combined with sugar, flour, Cherchies Apple Butter Spread, and warm spices, those ‘green specks’ transform into something truly delightful.

This recipe has become a family favorite, and I usually double it—because a single loaf disappears in no time with a family of five.

Whether you’re baking for picky eaters, seasoned veggie lovers, or someone still on the fence about “green specks” in their food, this zucchini bread is proof that with a bit of creativity—and a lot of flavor—it can win anyone over.

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have tried this recipe. Come back again for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

Follow us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Ingredients

• 1 cup grated zucchini (about one medium zucchini)

• 2 large eggs, room temperature

• 1/2 cup Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread (could substitute vegetable or canola oil)

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon (tsp.) pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp.) salt

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp.) baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp.) baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) lemon zest (could substitute dried lemon zest)

• 1 tablespoon (tsp) ground cinnamon

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum (I’ve tried various Gluten-Free flours, but Pillsbury’s blend is my favorite, with the Cup for Cup brand being a close second; if your flour already includes xanthan gum, omit it). We have also made this recipe with equal amounts of all-purpose flour. (**I’ve learned it is best to use the spoon and level method).

• 1 cup of chocolate chips (or walnuts or raisins for something different).
  
  

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Lightly coat a 4x8-inch loaf pan with gluten-free cooking spray.

Grate one medium zucchini to make 1 cup—no peeling or squeezing needed. (I like to use the grater attachment on my food processor, but a hand grater works just as well).

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, apple butter, sugar, and vanilla.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the salt, baking soda, baking powder, lemon zest (if using), cinnamon, flour, and chocolate chips, stirring until the mixture is well combined.

Gently fold in the shredded zucchini, and pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake on the center rack for 40–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. (Every oven is different.)

Allow the bread to cool fully before cutting into it.

**Note: For best results, measure flour using the “spoon and level” method. Gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup, then level it off with the back of a knife. Avoid scooping directly from the bag or container, as this can result in using too much flour and negatively impact your recipe. Also, do not pack the flour down or tap the measuring cup.

Recipe adapted from- Mama knows gluten-free

Enjoy!

Fresh Zucchini Pie Recipe

Fresh Zucchini Pie Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time:  65 minutes

Difficulty:  Easy

Serves 8

Is zucchini growing out of your ears this Summer? Our garden has abundantly provided us with a plethora of zucchini this summer. As mentioned in my recent post, aside from stir-fries, sauteeing, fritters, zucchini bread (more on that in another post), or even giving to neighbors, I needed another recipe to share with you to use up our bounty. Introducing our Fresh Zucchini Pie Recipe!

This garden-fresh recipe features, you guessed it, ZUCCHINI, mushrooms, eggs, cheese, Cherchies® Lem ‘N Dill and Cherchies® Garlic Seasonings, and an unusual hash brown pie crust. We have tried other recipes without using Cherchies® Seasonings, and the result is not the same.

This easy recipe would be perfect for brunch, “Meatless Monday,” dinner, or any time you have a hankering for fresh veggies, cheese, and potatoes. Serve this zucchini pie with our Cranberry Spinach Salad for a complete meal.

Thank you for stopping by! Comment below if you have tried this tasty recipe. Come back again for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products. Family and picky husband approved;)

Follow us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 cups frozen loose-pack hash brown potatoes, thawed (*You can also make your own hash browns. See Note below).

• 1 beaten egg

• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.) Cherchies® Lem’n Dill Seasoning

• 2 cups thinly sliced zucchini

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms

• 1 TBSP. margarine or butter

• 3 beaten eggs

• 3/4 cup shredded Swiss or cheddar cheese

• 1⁄2 cup milk

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp.) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning

• 2 teaspoons (tsp.) snipped fresh oregano

• 1/4 teaspoon (tsp.) salt

• 1/4 teaspoon (tsp.) pepper

• cooking spray

*Note: This time, we made our own hash browns with gold potatoes that we had on hand and our food processor’s shredding attachment for this picture. Before we assembled this pie, we soaked the potatoes in cold water to avoid turning brown and then drained them on a clean dish towel.

Preparation

Combine one egg, onion, and Parmesan cheese in a large mixing bowl. Stir in potatoes. Transfer the potato mixture to a 9-inch pie plate or a 10-inch quiche dish. Pat the mixture in the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Bake uncovered in a 400° oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden. (I accidentally cooked my crust too long for the photo).

Cool slightly on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350°. In a large skillet, sauté zucchini and mushrooms in butter until crisp-tender. Cool slightly. Arrange the zucchini mixture atop the crust.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the remaining three eggs, cheese, milk, Cherchies® Lem’N Dill and Garlic Seasonings, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour the zucchini mixture into the hash brown crust. Bake in the oven at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes until the filling is set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Fresh Zucchini Pie. Enjoy!

Amazing Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Amazing Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Serves: 6

Summer is almost upon us, and do you know what that means? Fresh vegetables and fruits will soon be abundant, especially strawberries. Even though strawberries are found year-round at grocery stores, their peak juiciness season here in the United States is between April and June. Summer strawberries are special. Since nothing screams summer more than juicy ripe strawberries, making a classic dessert such as strawberry shortcake is the perfect confection to welcome Summer's arrival.

This delicious recipe features a moist, flavorful almond cake and sweet strawberries tinged with Cherchies® Strawberry Butter Spread.

I remember growing up and having strawberry shortcakes often, but instead of homemade cakes or sweetened biscuits, my mom used the pre-made sponge cakes found at the grocery store and whipped cream from a can. Boy, have things changed. Although I fondly remember those little cakes, making things from scratch is much better. This almond cake is naturally gluten-free and can also be dairy free, with some tweaks in the whipped cream (*see note), so it is ideal for those with specific food allergies. And, what shortcake would not be complete without a cloud of homemade sweet whipped cream (so much better than store-bought cans of “whipped cream”)?

So, celebrate Summer's arrival and make this decadently refreshing dessert. This quick and easy recipe will become one of your family's favorites and is perfect for Mother's Day, brunch, July 4th, summer BBQs, or anytime you crave sweet strawberries and creamy, dreamy whipped cream.

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have made this delicious recipe. Come back again for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

Follow us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

*Note: This recipe is gluten-free. Some dairy-free whipped topping products are available at your local grocery store. There are recipes on the internet for homemade whipped cream (dairy-free) using coconut milk, but I have yet to try them.

Cake Ingredients

• 4 eggs (room temperature)- separate yolks and egg whites into two different bowls

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) orange zest

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour

• 1/2 cup sugar

Strawberry Filling Ingredients (adjust portions according to guests)

• 1 pint of strawberries, washed and sliced (reserve 3 strawberries, cut in half with stem for garnish (optional)).

• 1/2 jar Cherchies® Strawberry Butter Spread

Homemade Whipped Cream Ingredients

• 1 cup cold heavy cream or cold heavy whipping cream

• 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) good vanilla extract

Cake Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” cake pan with parchment paper, cut to the size of the pan, and spray with cooking spray.

Separate egg yolks from egg whites into two separate medium bowls. Add the sugar to the yolk bowl, and beat on high with a hand mixer for 3-4 minutes. Add the almond flour and orange zest. Mix to combine. Set aside.

Beat the egg whites for about 2 minutes on high until soft peaks (or little white mountains when beaters are lifted up) form. “Room-temperature egg whites whip faster than cold egg whites, and room-temperature egg whites whip into a greater volume than cold egg whites. So make sure your egg whites are at room temperature before starting”.- Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Carefully fold the egg whites into the batter and mix until just combined. Add batter to a lined and greased baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until the toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool the cake completely. Prepare the strawberries as directed below.

While the cake is cooling, place the bowl and beaters you plan on using for the whipped cream in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. The colder the cream, bowl, and utensils, the more successful your homemade whipped cream will be.

Strawberry Filling Preparation

Mix the strawberries and Cherchies® Strawberry Butter Spread in a medium bowl and set aside.

Whipped Cream Preparation

As mentioned, begin with cold everything, cream, bowl, and utensils (beaters). The bowl and the beaters are an added step, but I find that doing so makes the lightest, airiest whipped cream.

This recipe comes together in minutes, so if you are using your stand mixer, do not be tempted to walk away. The result could be an overwhipped cream. Whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla in your cold bowl on medium-high speed until it is soft and billowy rather than curdled and grainy. If you are nervous about over-whipping, don’t be. Feel free to check on it often. You are looking for medium cream peaks, which means when you lift the beaters out of the bowl, they should look like little white mountains that hold their shape.

Assembling the strawberry shortcake

Now comes the fun part, eating! Cut the cake into individual portions. Add the strawberry mixture to each portion, and dollop with a generous amount of the whipped cream. Garnish each with the reserved strawberry slices for a pretty presentation. From this…

To this! Enjoy!

Baked Apple Cider Donuts Recipe

Baked Apple Cider Donuts Recipe

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Difficulty: Easy

One of the fondest memories I remember growing up was Apple Cider Donuts from our local orchard. It was always a special treat when my parents would bring home a bag full of them for my sister and me to enjoy. The ones from the orchard were deep-fried and dredged in cinnamon sugar, so the outside was crisp and sweet, yet the inside was fluffy and moist. Yummy!

Fall is notorious for everything apples, apple cider, applesauce, apple butter, and so much more. We will not even touch on pumpkin spice (that’s for another blog post). I am always looking for new recipes for Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread, and I ran across this recipe for Baked Apple Cider Donuts, which I adapted from littlespicejar.com. Even though most foods deep-fried are incredibly decadent, I prefer the baked version, and these melt-in-your-mouth donuts will not disappoint. The donuts were nicely crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle, with the perfect cinnamon/sugar richness to round out your taste buds, just like I remember, sans all the calories.

So the next time you have a craving for the flavors of Fall, whip up these Baked Apple Cider Donuts for your family but grab some for yourself because they will disappear right before your eyes.

Comment below and let us know if you made this tasty recipe.

Thank you for visiting, and please come back again.

Donut ingredients: (adapted from littlespicejar.com)

• 2 cups apple cider

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 large egg

• 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted

• 2/3 cup light brown sugar

• 1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup half and half, mixed with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar)

• 2 tablespoons Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  For the cinnamon-sugar coating

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preparation

1. Begin by simmering the apple cider in a small saucepan over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until it reduces down to about 1/2 cup. Pour the apple cider into a small bowl and refrigerate while you prepare the donut batter.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray a donut pan (we used a silicone donut pan from Wappa) with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt, set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the egg, melted butter, and brown sugar, whisk until smooth. Then, add in the apple butter, vanilla, buttermilk, and concentrated apple cider.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until combined.

5. Either pour the batter by the spoonful (about 3/4s of the way full) into the prepared donut pans (We used Wappa silicone donut pans) or add batter to a large ziplock-type bag and snip off the end with a pair of kitchen scissors for a make-shift pastry bag. If you go this route, you will need to squeeze the batter into the donut pan. In either case, make sure to not overfill.

6. Bake donuts for 9-12 minutes or until done. Insert a toothpick into a donut and remove. The toothpick should come out clean.

For the cinnamon sugar coating:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon together. Dip the tops of each donut into the melted butter then coat with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat with all the donuts. For best results, donuts should be eaten the same day but they can be stored for up to 2 days if tightly wrapped and kept at room temperature.

   Enjoy!