There was a squabble the other night over what to have for dessert. We had made grilled chicken for dinner, so naturally the kids wanted s’mores (as they do anytime there are open flames around) and The Professor and I wanted brownies (with vanilla ice cream for me, thankyouverymuch).
Sides were immediately chosen, parents against kids, with no one budging an inch. The Professor announced that whoever could answer two questions of the opposing team’s choosing could get their desired dessert.
We went first. “Louisa, what is the name of the first Latina Supreme Court Justice?” I realize this may seem a little far reaching for a child of 7 but we had just been discussing this mere seconds before the dessert debate broke out so it was more a challenge to the child’s memory. She couldn’t remember. “Lupina?” Hiro offered. No.
Second question: “Who was the President of the United States that we read about at the museum today?” “Oh, oh, oh, Abraham Lincoln!!!” Right. Score: 1-0.
Now it was the kid’s turn. Louisa asks, “Who was the first President of the United States?” Ahhhh, I see brownies in my future, “George Washington”. 1-1.
Then Hiro breaks out with, “Who was the first dinosaur?” Whaaaaaa???? Shit. The Professor says the first dinosaur name that pops into his head, “Tyrannosaurus Rex?” “No!” Hiro says confidently, “T-Rex.” Okay, even though that’s the same thing we admit we have no idea who the first dinosaur was. He also asked who was the first blue president, I’m assuming he meant something else. He accepted Barack Obama as an answer.
I don’t remember all of the remaining questions but this went on for three more rounds before we realized we didn’t know who the 25th President of the United States was (William McKinley) and they won. I still ate my brownie.
The kids had s’mores. I think they just wanted to make sure they were getting something that was guaranteed not to have zucchini in it (the brownies did, and they were delicious, I used this recipe if you want to give them a try).
Admittedly I’ve been sticking zucchini in anything and everything due to our gargantuan squash bushes teeming with zucchini and yellow squash. I’ve also been making loaf after loaf of zucchini bread which led to the creation of this recipe whose secret lies in the mashed avocado used in place of the fat. I’ve been playing around with avocados in baking and have found the texture to be a bit chewier than a normal sweet bread but they give an added richness that lends an almost silky mouthfeel. Try to use Haas avocados for the best results, they are the creamiest, sweetest variety.
If you are scrambling (like I am) to use up all the zucchini here are some of my other favorite summer squash recipes:
- Zucchini Basil Soup from Epicurious
- Quick Pickled Zucchini from 101 Cookbooks
- Zucchini Crumble from Sarah of The Yellow House and Food52
- Grilled Polenta with Zucchini Salsa from Brooklyn Supper
So Happy You Are Loving This Recipe!
Here’s what Tatiana Says:
“This is delicious. Made it exactly as the recipe states. Yummy!!”

Zucchini Avocado Bread Recipe
How to make tender, delicious zucchini avocado bread without any added fat by using mashed ripe avocado instead of butter or oil. Bread can be also baked in three mini loaf pans. Reduce baking time to 30-40 minutes. Any type of summer squash can be used here, I've had excellent results with yellow or green squash. Bread can be cooled then wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 3 months or stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup ripe avocado flesh (about 1 large avocado)
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon packed lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (about 1/2 medium zucchini)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F and line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Spray the parchment with baking spray and set aside.
- Combine avocado and eggs in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Whisk in brown sugar and lemon zest.
- In a separate medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until incorporated. Dump flour mixture into avocado mixture, add zucchini, and stir with a rubber spatula until moist throughout. Mixture will be very thick.
- Scrape into the prepared baking pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean about 50-60 minutes.
One More Thing
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What a great combo of flavors… and lovely pics from your children helping you in the kitchen.
Thank you so much Denise! It may seem quaint but my real plan is to get them cooking for me as soon as possible. 🙂
hey sis, this bread looks and sounds tasty. and if my buddy david can be trusted, he says it is delicious! i neglected to plant zucchini this year, otherwise i’d give the recipe a go, and i like the idea of using avocado for the fat. one of my favorite zucchini recipes is a chocolate-walnut-buttermilk-zucchini cake. remind me to share recipe with you. xo
I’m so happy David tried the recipe and he liked it. Your cake sounds phenomenal, please share the recipe when you get a minute.