Chocolate Chip Bikini Bread

This is the first year that I have been able to grow my own garden. I was a little worried at first that I would not know what to do with all of the produce. Usually when I think of produce I think that you need to hurry and eat it up before it goes bad, right? But what do you do when you have a million zucchini, cucumbers and everything else and only the Mr., baby and I to eat it? My solution? Get Creative! I absolutely LOVE bread. I mean seriously who doesn't? Today I had a huge one of these hanging out in my garden:

And what else to do with it but BAKE it into bread! We have been going through Zucchini bread like crazy at my house. The Mr. sure does love it and so do I. I prefer to call it Bikini bread although in no way does it help you look better in a bikini. Sorry for the deception. My Bikini bread got its name last summer. I was baking some bikini bread with my sis and my two cute nephews asked what we were making. We told them Zucchini bread and the way the heard it was "Bikini Bread". And the name has stuck with it ever since.

First you wanna start with all your ingredients. It is just easier when you get them all out before starting.

In a seperate bowl combine dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and baking soda.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended.

Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, chocolate chips, and orange zest and juice.

Stir in dry ingredients in three batches until well combined. Prepare loaf pans. Make sure you spray them well. It also helps to dust them a little with flour to really make sure the bread comes out of the pan nice and clean. Place in the oven and bake at 350 for about 48 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. And... ENJOY!

I LOVE love love the orange zest in this. It totally makes the bread. If you don't have an orange you could certainly use a lemon instead. (I have tried it and it is still delicious).

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 bag (2 C) semisweet chips
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed orange juice

Directions

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Grease and dust (2) 9 by 5-inch loaf pans.Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and baking soda.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, chocolate chips, and orange zest. Stir in dry ingredients. Pour into loaf pans.
Bake for 48 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool on a rack in pans for 15 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and cool completely on a rack.
Oh and... I know it is Thursday but I am still gonna rock a braid in my hair!

XOXO,
Whitney