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Tender Brown Butter Zucchini Bread with Crunchy Walnut Streusel

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A tender zucchini bread enhanced with nutty brown butter and topped with a crunchy walnut streusel, perfect for cozy fall baking.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (browned to a nutty golden color)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs (room temperature)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional but recommended)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 medium zucchinis, unpeeled)
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts (toasted lightly if desired)
  • ¼ cup brown sugar (fine texture)
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (cubed)

Instructions

  1. Brown the butter: Place 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently as the butter melts, foams, then starts to brown with nutty brown specks. Remove from heat immediately and let cool slightly.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper with an overhang for easy removal.
  3. Wash and dry zucchinis. Shred to yield about 2 cups. Gently squeeze out excess moisture with a kitchen towel.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 ¾ cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon salt.
  5. In another bowl, whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract and browned butter (cooled).
  6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in two batches, folding gently with a spatula until just combined. Fold in shredded zucchini evenly.
  7. Prepare walnut streusel: Mix chopped walnuts, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in cold butter with fingers or pastry cutter until coarse crumbs form.
  8. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth top. Evenly sprinkle walnut streusel over batter.
  9. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. Tent with foil after 40 minutes if browning too quickly.
  10. Cool bread in pan for 15 minutes, then lift out using parchment overhang and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Notes

Do not overmix the batter to avoid dense bread. Squeeze excess moisture from zucchini to prevent sogginess. Use cold butter for streusel to achieve crumbly texture. Tent bread with foil if browning too fast. Bread improves in flavor after resting a day. Can substitute gluten-free flour or vegan butter as needed.

Nutrition

Keywords: zucchini bread, brown butter, walnut streusel, fall baking, quick bread, autumn dessert, moist zucchini bread

Find it online: https://spoonmira.com/tender-brown-butter-zucchini-bread-recipe-with-crunchy-walnut-streusel-perfect-for-fall/