Are you ready for this?

So….here’s what happened. We were in search of some homemade ice cream while we were in Vancouver (naturally). The hunt led us to a little shop called Edible Canada. But this wasn’t your typical cheesy souvenir shop. This was chock-full of delightful gourmet foods, sauces, oils, and these salts from Sea to Sky Seasonings. Traveling back to the States with ice cream was, unfortunately, not an option. Luckily, this little box o’ salt was a suitable substitute.

When zucchini arrived in our CSA bag a few weeks ago, I couldn’t resist taking this salt out for a test drive. I started with a basic King Arthur recipe and adapted it to my liking. You don’t need special salt to make this recipe sing – you can try adding just a pinch of chipotle powder to the batter and then sprinkle a mix of salt, cinnamon, and cocoa powder on top. Twist your arm, I know.

Choco Chip Chipotle Zucchini Bread – adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup agave
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon Sea to Sky chocolate, cinnamon, chipotle sea salt, separated
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F; lightly grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.

2) In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, agave, oil, sugar, and vanilla until smooth (by hand or in your electric mixer).

3) Add the flour, sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon chocolate cinnamon chipotle sea salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon, mixing until well combined.

4) Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips.

5) Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining chocolate cinnamon chipotle sea salt on top.

6) Bake the bread for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Everything about this recipe works. The chocolate chips are the perfect amount of sweetness and the cinnamon lends some spice. And then there’s the salt. Ohhhh the magical salt. It lends this subtle sweet-salty-smokiness to every bite.

Are you drooling yet?

Oh yeah.

Next time you see a fresh zucchini at the market, you know what to do!