Zucchini Bread with Cranberries and Pecans

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's that time of year. Zucchini is being passed from neighbor to neighbor and there is a good chance you'll end up with a surplus of it on your kitchen counter if there are vegetable gardens and friendly gardeners in your area. I have a hopper full of recipes for zucchini, but when I was gifted with two large specimens, I decided to look for new ways to prepare them. I found this recipe on What's Cooking America and it sounded so good that I simply had to give it a try. I keep cranberries in the freezer, so I actually had everything I needed to make this colorful bread on hand. This is an extremely easy bread to make and it can be made by anyone who has two bowls and a wooden spoon. I think those of you who give this recipe a try, will like the tart play of the cranberries and sugar in this sweet bread. The zucchini keeps it moist and the bread can be stored at room temperature for several days if it is well wrap. It will freeze for up to a month before it starts to dry out. I really like this simple quick bread and I think you will, too. Here is how it's made.

Zucchini Bread with Cranberries and Pecans...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of What's Cooking America

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground nutmeg
3 eggs
2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini squash
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour two 8.5 x 4-inch loaf pans.
2) Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Set aside.
3) Beat eggs in another bowl. Add shredded zucchini, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract and mix well.
4) Add egg mixture to flour mixture and gently stir until flour has been mixed in. Gently fold in cranberries and pecans.
5) Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing bread from pan. Cool completely before slicing. Yield: 2 loaves.

                    

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