Sorry, banana coconut muffins. I’ve found some one else.
It’s not you, really. It’s me.
No wait—it’s actually not me. Is it ever?
No. Blame our breakup on the fact that you just can’t compete with a bar made entirely from heavenly almond butter. No flour? No cup of sugar? No stick of butter? Nope. Just incredibly moist, perfectly sweet, indulgent zucchini bread spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg in the form of cute little bars because I didn’t feel like putting it in a loaf pan.
Usually when something sounds too good to be true, it is.
Usually.
I dare you to enjoy the other three percent exception part of that rule when something does indeed sound and taste too good to be true but is in fact here right in front of your eyes staring you in the face saying EAT ME.
It’s obvious that I’m mildly obsessed with almond meal and almond butter. The versatility of almonds just gets me. I still find it fascinating that they can be used so successfully in baking. The unparalleled moisture and flavor boost is one thing, but come on…the increase in protein, fiber and healthy fats is what continues to blow my mind.
Gluten-free goodies are super trendy right now in case you haven’t noticed. Yes, many people are intolerant to gluten so they have to explore options other than traditional wheat flour. Yes, many people follow a paleo diet, thus eliminating grains, sugar, dairy and embracing almond flour like it’s the best thing since sliced bread. Which it is. Moral of the story: whether you follow a gluten-free diet because you need to or because you’re channeling your inner caveman, that’s your business.
I’m not gluten intolerant nor am I channeling my inner cave woman. I just love me some almond buttahhhh and the health benefits that come along with it. So don’t run for the hills because these have a “paleo” label. I just did that so those who do follow that diet could easily find this recipe. But you have to promise you won’t call the paleo police since these have 1/4 cup pure maple syrup. Kay thanks.
Paleo Almond Butter Zucchini Bars
-inspired by Elana’s Pantry’s delicious Paleo Breakfast Bread
- ¾ cup creamy almond butter
- 1 heaping cup grated zucchini (1 medium zucchini)
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup (or honey)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ ½ cup chocolate chips
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Spray an 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Stir together almond butter, zucchini, egg, maple syrup and vanilla in a large bowl until combined.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients (except chocolate chips) and stir. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
And that, my friends, is officially my newest favorite blog recipe. 100%.
Yum, this looks good! I’m going to need to pick up a zucchini soon!
Stephanie @ Legally Blinde recently posted…Veggie Bake
Add it to your grocery list, Stephanie! These are a must-make 🙂
Alexis recently posted…Paleo Almond Butter Zucchini Bars
These look yummy.. can you suggest something to bind it other than one egg..egg replacer or another idea would be welcomed
Hmmm you could try a flax or chia egg (1 tbsp flax/chia mixed with 3 tbsp warm water. Let it “gel” for 5 min.)
These bars are A-MAZING!!!! I wish I had doubled the batch– they are that good! Thanks Alexis for another great recipe! 🙂
Wahhhooooo!!!! I love a good success story 🙂 I wish I could come to Chicago and bake with you guys!
You had me sold on these with the title! I have made chocolate zucchini muffins before, but I love your addition of almond butter. These sound super tasty :).
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl recently posted…Tempeh and Veggie Burritos
I lovelovelove chocolate zucchini muffins! I always make the ones from Happy Herbivore and add chocolate chips. Beyond heavenly.
Those are exactly the muffins that I was referring to! Happy Herbivore rocks :).
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl recently posted…Fruit Pizza Whole Wheat Pancakes
Haha great minds DO think alike! Love me some happy herbivore 🙂
Alexis, these sound fantastic! I love baking with zucchini. And almond butter – how can you go wrong? one of my favorite butters 🙂
Sally recently posted…Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Chocolate Chip Frosting.
Thanks, Sally! I’m pretty much head over heels in love with them…there’s no denying it. You’re right–you really can’t go wrong with almond buttah!
thanks for the sneak peek! Christen and I made them Sunday and they are beyond good!! I just wish we had made two batches!
Any time, Care. I’m so glad you liked them!!
These look delicious!
Matt @ The Athlete’s Plate recently posted…Maddie
Thanks, Matt! They’re darn tasty.
I just can’t get my head around green monsters but hiding veggies in a zucchini bread? Now THIS is something I am on board with! Do you think subbing in peanut butter for the almond butter and honey for the maple syrup would work? I’m trying to work with what ingredients I currently have at home!
Khushboo Thadani recently posted…A yum weekend
I wondered about the peanut butter thing, too! I wouldn’t recommend subbing because the magic thing about almond butter is its ability to NOT make things taste like super almondy. It just makes them super moist! I think using peanut butter would turn these into peanut buttery zucchini bread, which doesn’t sound too fabulous to me. I also don’t know if the texture would work. So basically I’d recommend sticking with almond butter but let me know if you try it out!
I know this post was from a few years ago, but I substituted peanut butter for the almond butter, since it was the only kind I had on hand, and they still turned out fabulous! The peanut butter didn’t overpower the taste at all and they were as soft as could be!
what a great idea: zucchini and almond butter! i’m sure the flavors complemented each other! i just made granola bars (not Paleo) with almond butter, yielding great results.
Yummmm I’m excited for that granola bar recipe!
Well hello sweet and delicious Browuffin…. That’s my word for Brownie & Muffin! Ha Ha Ha! These look JAM PACKED with health and loads of fiber to keep you FULL and… REGULAR! Weeee! 😉
GiGi Eats Celebrities recently posted…Angelina Jolie and Kale: Separated At Birth
Hahah Browuffin–I love it!! These are most definitely jam packed with a goodie or two 🙂
These look amazing! I gave up sweets for Lent so these look like the perfect thing to satisfy my cravings 🙂 What else do you recommend adding to these bars besides the chocolate chips?
These will definitely satisfy your craving, Amber! Feel free to just leave out the chocolate chips. They’re a yummy addition but they’ll still taste fabulous without them! I bet coconut would be good too.
Hi! Just made these and they are outrageous! I have such a sweet tooth and try to eat as clean as possible and this was the perfect treat. Mine came out a bit mushy though. Are they suppose to be like that? Any suggestions?
They are a bit mushy by nature but you could definitely increase the baking time by five minutes or so! Mine were super moist as well. So glad you liked them 🙂
I’ve been excited to try out this recipe for a while and I finally did….delicious! The only thing I did different was that I added 1 heaping Tbsp. of cocoa powder because I only had a few chocolate chips and really wanted the chocolate flavor. I’ll definitely make these again.
Fabulous idea to add cocoa powder! This is one of my favorite recipes on the blog for sure 🙂
These are great! I have made them five times in the past month! I have been having a chocolate craving, so today I added 1/4 c. cocoa powder to the mix. Delish!
I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying them, Elisabeth! Great idea to add cocoa powder, too! YUM.
Alexis recently posted…Chocolate Chia Peanut Butter Bites
Made these three times already and loved them! I made them with a quarter cup each of chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut…cannot get enough! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Fabulous to hear, Fiona! OMG–the addition of chocolate chippers, walnuts and coconut sounds amazing. I’ll have to try that soon!
These are in the oven right now… Yeah!
Hope you love ’em, April!
I do, so so much! I am already plotting when to make my 2nd batch (which I will share with my work friends – the first batch, all mine!). My fiance has been gobbling them up – so that is a true testament to how delicious they are. So easy to make and made our apartment smell divine. New favorite recipe! You rock! Love your blog. 🙂
That makes my day, April! Thanks so much for the sweet comment. They really do make the apartment smell fabulous!
I made these last night and they were delicious!–I used honey instead of maple syrup I am on a gluten free diet and have been trying a variety of new recipes–this is a keeper. I brought one to work for my boss to try and he loved it too. Thanks for the recipe.
That’s so great to hear, Missy! They’re such a fab treat. Glad to know your boss enjoyed ’em, too 🙂 Baking with almond meal and almond butter is the best discovery, especially for those who eat a gluten-free diet.
OMG Thanks! I love this website and I can’t wait to try the recipes!
Thanks so much! Hope you like them 🙂
I’ve made these several times now and tried them with sunflower butter–if you haven’t tried it, it’s fabulous!
I’m overjoyed to hear that, Missy! Since TJ’s has been out of almond butter forever, I’ve been using sunflower butter way more. I love the flavor, so I’ll have to try it out!
Thank you, Alexis, for sharing your expertise and your love of healthy food. I love that I stumbled onto you!! My dessert the last two nights consisted of your strawberry-chia seed pudding, and your zucchini almond butter bars. My only issue is that these recipes taste so good that I need to be careful and not chow down on too much of this delicious healthiness!
Thanks for your sweet comment, Dennis! You are SO welcome. I really need to whip up a batch of that chia pudding…it’s been too long!!
These came out great–very interesting flavor. I added a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder. YUM. Thanks for posting the recipe!
Glad to hear they turned out well! Adding cocoa powder sounds like a delish addition 🙂
What an awesome recipe! How do you store them and how long do they last? I need a yummy healthy go to snack for my 2 year old and this sounds perfect!
I made these vegan by using a flax egg, and they turned out perfectly!!
I’m so glad to know that works! Thanks, Kendell!
LOVE these babies. Made them twice so far. The first time, I squeezed out the extra water from the zucchini and they seemed a bit dry. The second time, I just threw the shredded zucchini in and the bars were so moist. Thank youuu
Fabulous–so good to know!!
These look delicious! Will veganize and free it of sugar and hopefully have it taste/look just as good!
x
Hope they turn out well!! Enjoy 🙂
I just found this recipe on Run To The Finish under Almond Butter Recipes and I am in love! I’m going to the store to buy almond butter immediately because these HAVE TO HAPPEN. I’m not even Paleo or Gluten Free or any of that jazz, they just look really gooey and yummy and guiltless. Thanks for sharing and I love your site!
Kathryn @ Chicks Dig Running recently posted…Strawberry and Mint Summer Salad
Hey Kathryn! So glad you like the recipe! I’m not paleo/gluten-free either, but it’s always so fun to experiment 🙂 Enjoy!
Am I missing something? Just made these, followed the recipe to a tee and ended up with warm mush at the end (incredibly tasty mush but mush all the same). Even cooked it for an extra 5mins. Is there meant to be almond meal in this as there is none listed in the ingredients?
Hmmm I haven’t heard of this happening before. The recipe usually works as is! Not sure what happened here :/ I hope it works out next time!
I just wanted to say thank you! and I think I am officially in love with these muffins. I wandered over here from Pinterest and this post was featured on the page… I clicked and it was lust at first sight 🙂 then I actually made them since I had all the ingredients and the relationship blossomed…. I may never look at another snack bar muffin again…
There is no way these can be healthy. They have all the warmth and comfort of my Moms zucchini loaf with a LOT less of the guilt! I attempted to make my own almond butter with my vitamix for the recipe and even though I would call that part of the venture a fail (basically made almond meal with coconut oil to hold it together) I still used it and it was still amazing. I’m glad I read the comments before trying because I was going to use PB instead but that probably would have been pretty weird and over powering. I am currently moderately obsessed with your blog, and have about 15 tabs open with different recipes I can’t wait to try! Thanks for sharing 🙂
They ARE in fact healthy! I’m so excited that you liked them! Enjoy the 15 other ones 🙂
Oh. My. Gosh. These bars are to DIE FOR!!!
Yayy!!! I’m so glad they turned out well for you, Barrie!
Hey Alexis!
I was just wondering, if I wanted to make this in a loaf pan, at what temperature and for how long should I bake it?
Thanks in advance! 🙂
could I sub in mashed ripe bananas for the syrup/honey? If yes, how many (1/4c)?
Could you replace the honey with mashed bananas instead
Made these this morning and it was a hit with my kids and coworkers. Just fyi – I didn’t strain the zucchini and I used honey. I had to cook it maybe 10 minutes longer than the recipe said in my convection toaster oven. But it was well worth the wait. I love me some almond butter!
I’m not sure these will last long enough in my house for me to test this out, so I was wondering if these freeze well. I want to take a double batch for my sons bake sale, but they require that the items freeze and defrost well. 🙂
I have no doubt they would freeze and defrost just perfectly! And trust me, if I don’t freeze the goods that come out of my kitchen they’d be gone within hours 🙂
I’ve frozen them before and it worked fine! I freeze pretty much everything 🙂