Cinnamon Spice Zucchini Bread

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and coat a 9×5 loaf pan with butter spray.

2. In a stand mixer, beat the eggs, oil, and sugars until light and thick, a few minutes. Add the applesauce, orange zest, vanilla, and bourbon and beat until combined.

3. Place the shredded zucchini in a kitchen towel (or a stack of paper towels), and gently squeeze out any excess moisture. Stir the squash into the wet mixture.

4. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and mix until just barely combined. Don’t overmix! Gently fold in the pecans and cinnamon chips if using.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60-75 minutes, until a cake tester (i.e. toothpick!) comes out clean. It’s a good idea to rotate the pan halfway through.

6. When it’s cool enough to handle, turn the bread out onto a cooling rack to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

Note: I ended up with a bit of extra batter, so I filled about 2 muffin cups with the extra, and pulled them out after about 30-40 minutes. They’re great for testing for poison while your bread is cooling!!

Optional: You can always swap All-Purpose flour with the whole wheat.