I may sound biased, but my mama’s zucchini bread is the absolute best (sorry, banana bread). Here I share a fun twist on her delicious recipe because I’m a firm believer in infusing our lives with as much fun as possible (being a grown-up is serious enough as is). As a kid, I loved Cinnamon Toast Crunch for breakfast, and my brother and I would fill our bowls to the brim and go to town. So I decided to add this fun crunchy topping to the World’s Greatest Zucchini Bread, and I dare you to make it and not grin from ear to ear while eating it!

　　This recipe was excerpted from 'Everyday Grand' by Jocelyn Delk Adams. Buy the full book on Amazon.

　　

Ingredients

Makes one 9 by 5 inch loaf

　　

For the Cinnamon Toast Crunch topping

2 Tbsp. Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal

　　2 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar

　　1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

　　½ tsp. ground cinnamon

　　Pinch kosher salt

　　1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

　　

For the zucchini bread

Nonstick baking spray

　　1­1⁄2 cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour

　　1¼ tsp. baking powder

　　½ tsp. baking soda

　　½ tsp. ground cinnamon

　　½ tsp. kosher salt

　　¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

　　2 large eggs, at room temperature

　　1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar

　　½­ cup (110 grams) vegetable oil or other neutral oil

　　1 tsp. vanilla extract

　　2 cups (300 grams) coarsely grated zucchini (1 large or 2 medium), squeezed of excess liquid with your hands

　　

Step 1

Make the topping: In a small resealable bag, lightly crush the cereal into smaller pieces of varying sizes—you should have small crumbs and larger chunks in there. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt, and stir to combine. Drizzle in the butter and, using your hands or a fork, mix until the topping looks like wet sand, then set aside.

　　

Step 2

Make the zucchini bread: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease an 8 by 4 by 2-inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray and line it with a piece of parchment paper, leaving at least a 2-inch overhang on both longer sides.

　　

Step 3

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg until combined.

　　

Step 4

In a large bowl and using a handheld mixer, beat the eggs on high speed until frothy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat on high to incorporate, about 1 minute.

　　

Step 5

With the mixer running on medium-high speed, add the oil in a steady stream and beat until the mixture has the thickness and texture of mayonnaise, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla and beat until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just to combine. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the zucchini just until combined—the batter will be very thick.

　　

Step 6

Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Evenly sprinkle the topping over it.

　　

Step 7

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean and the loaf starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then use the overhanging parchment to lift the bread from the pan and set it on the rack. Let cool completely, ideally overnight, before slicing and serving (letting it rest really helps set the bread’s texture).

　　Everyday Grand copyright © 2023 by Jocelyn Delk Adams. Photographs copyright © 2023 by Brittany Conerly. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House. Buy the full book from Amazon or Clarkson Potter.