Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread

Two all-star summer ingredients, lemon and zucchini, make up this deliciously moist loaf. It's great

paired with vanilla yogurt for breakfast, as a snack, or event dessert!

This loaf is flavorful as is without the use of lemon extract. Massaging the lemon zest into the sugar before adding any other ingredients brings the lemon flavor to life by releasing the oils of the peel.

If you prefer a stronger lemon flavor, you can add the additional lemon extract noted in the recipe. Since some people don't love the flavor of extracts, and unique flavors such as lemon can be hard to find, I wanted to create a recipe that works well either way!

Ingredients

• 1/2 granulated sugar

• 1 lemon

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract*

• 1 medium zucchini, grated

• 1 2/3 cup All-Purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp poppy seeds

• *optional: 1/2 tsp lemon extract

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9x5 in loaf pan by greasing it and lining it with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, add the granulated sugar and zest of the lemon. Massage until well combined.

3. Add brown sugar, olive oil, eggs, milk, vanilla extract and the juice of the lemon. Add the lemon extract here if using. Whisk until combined.

4. With a paper towel or cheese cloth, squeeze the liquid out of the grated zucchini.

5. Add the zucchini to the large bowl.

6. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds.

7. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not over mix.

8. Pour batter into your prepared pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

9. Let cool before slicing.