Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread

After a long absence, I’ve got some new recipes to share. The summer thus far has been lovely and warm here in the southwest. And as a result, quite a few of our friends have had lots of spare veggies to give away from their gardens! We were gifted with a gorgeous zucchini, so the obvious thing to make (along with our leftover Easter chocolate) was a hefty loaf of dark chocolate zucchini bread. Here is what you’ll need:

1 cup plain flour

• 1/3 cup cacao powder
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups chopped or shredded zucchini

First, combine all dry ingredients which includes flour, cacao powder, both sugars, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. The reason why I used cacao powder as opposed to traditional cocoa powder, is because that’s all I had. It is essentially raw and not roasted. This creates a darker and sometimes bitter flavor, but works nicely in this recipe. However cocoa powder, which is roasted, can be used as well if that’s what you have.

You can then add the dark chocolate chips to the dry mixture. As you can see, I had almost an entire dark chocolate bunny left from Easter, so chopped up 1/2 cup of his ears and threw that it instead. If you’re not too keen on dark chocolate, milk chocolate works just fine.

At this point make sure you have your zucchini ready. Usually, shredded zucchini works well in making a quick bread. I decided to use the chop function in my blender as I didn’t have a grater or shredder, and that worked just as well. Just remember to drain out a bit of the liquid.

Next, in a separate bowl, beat both eggs. I tend to beat them well before adding to any mixture so they are smooth, as this can ensure a more incorporated mixture later on.

Next, measure out the coconut oil and vanilla into another bowl. To this, add the chopped or shredded zucchini. Then throw in the beaten eggs and mix it up. You can actually use any type of oil,  like canola or vegetable, but I used coconut as this is what I had in my pantry. Just remember to make sure your eggs are room temperature and that the coconut oil is melted or softened. If the eggs are really cold, it will solidify the coconut oil which can make it difficult to mix evenly.

Once the liquid mixture is combined, incorporate it with the dry mixture, and stir well.

Grease and/or line a bread tin and pour the mixture in.  Let it rest while you preheat your oven to 180 C / 350 F.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean.

Once ready, take it out of the oven and let it cool completely. Because it will be very moist, this ensures that it won’t break apart as much if you try to cut a piece.

And there you go! Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread, perfect for eating on a warm summer day. It came out moist, gooey, and very satisfying. I enjoyed it as it was, but I can imagine it would taste great with a drizzle of vanilla or coffee flavored icing. Have fun trying this recipe with your summer bounty. And as always, thanks for reading and Happy Eating!

July 28, 2017December 5, 2017 by bristolcandi Tags: bread, chocolate, delicious, loaf, summer, sweet bread, treats, zucchini 2 Comments