I know this may come as a shock, but I actually do know how to bake with things with ingredients like flour and milk and butter.

I feel the need to clarify this because up until now I’m pretty sure almost every baked good on this site fell into the category of “without” foods – gluten-free, dairy-free and, some might argue, taste-free.

I obviously disagree on that last point.

But sometimes I feel the need to mix it up. My soul yearns for the days before we compulsively self-diagnosed with celiac, or discovered lactose intolerance, or realized dessert was bad for us.

Also, I was a guest over 4th of July weekend and needed a packable hostess gift. And did you know a loaf bread is one of the most space-efficient baked goods to bring on a plane, firm enough to hold up through a 5-hour delay packed into the invisible space under the seat in front of you?

Now you know.

I thought it would be poor form to show up empty-handed so I brought Deb’s zucchini bread, jazzed up with dark chocolate chips. One interesting discovery: I smugly thought I could save myself some time and energy by spiralizing my zucchini instead of grating it. In retrospect, unless you have a blade that yields angel-hair-like strands, you’re going to end up with zucchini bread that’s just a bit too, well, zucchini-y.

In other words, stick to the recipe on this one.

Chocolate chip zucchini bread
(From Smitten Kitchen)

Maybe my loaf pan is big but while Deb’s yielded 2 loaves, I only got one – and enough batter left over to make two muffins and call them a birthday present for my roommate

3 large eggs
1 cup olive or vegetable oil, I used vegetable
1 3/4  cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt*
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.

Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans generously for easy loaf removal. If making muffins, line muffin tins with paper liners.

Beat the eggs with a whisk in a large bowl, then mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips in a separate bowl.

Stir dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.

Bake loaves for 60 minutes,** plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. If making  muffins, cook time will be more like 20-25.

*The first time I made this I had no problem with the salt. This time around it was decidedly salty! I thought that was kind of weird. Next time I’ll only use 1/2 a teaspoon.
**I’m realizing now that my oven may be particularly hot, because mine took more like 40.