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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour for a gf version)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (if desired)
- Directions−2 large eggs (or flax egg for a vegan option)
- Granulated sugar (or coconut sugar) 1/2 cup
- ¼ cup oil of choice (or melted coconut oil)
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- One medium zucchini, grated (enough to equal 1 1/2 packed cups of shredded + squeezed out water)
- 1 cup dark or semi-sweet dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray or parchment paper.
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and powder, salt, and cinnamon if using.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Combine in a separate bowl with eggs or flax egg, sugar, oil, applesauce, and vanilla mixed until well combined.
- Add Zucchini: Add the shredded zucchini and stir into the wet ingredients. The zucchini really should let off lots of water to be able to keep the bread from getting too moist.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Slowly mix in the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until just combined. Mix until just combined; do not overmix the batter.
- Fold in Chocolate Chips and Nuts: Fold in your chocolate chips and chopped nuts, if using.
- Bake the bread: Spread the batter in an even layer into your lined loaf pan. Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out not wet but only slightly damp.
- Cool and Serve: Let the bread cool in its pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to completely cool. Slice and enjoy.
Tips and Variations:
- Gluten-Free Option: A gluten-free all-purpose flour blend can be used to make this recipe without sacrificing texture.
- Vegan option: Replace eggs with flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flax seed mixed with 5 tbsp water) + Use dairy-free chocolate chips to make it vegan-friendly.
- Sweet Bread: Use 3/4 cup sugar for a sweet bread or add an extra handful chocolate chips
- Storage: Keep zucchini bread in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for a week. You can freeze it too for up to 3 months.
- Serve: This bread is best eaten by itself, or with a smear of almond butter or peanut butter on top, you could even dollop some whipped cream for dessert. Just warm it up a little bit and that chocolate flavor will sing.
Nutrition Information:
- Calories: You will get 338K calories with this meal.
- Protein: An amount of 6 g of protein is obtained with this meal, in which protein is very important for muscle repair and growth.
- Fat: An amount of 32 g is served, which helps you to keep on the diet track.
- Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are the fuel source of the brain; here, 47 g of carbohydrates is obtained.
- Sugars: A 20g of sugar is contained here depending on the fruits and honey used.
- Fiber: 4 g of fiber is obtained here.
- Cholesterol: 47 mg of cholesterol is obtained here.
- Sodium: 358 mg of sodium is used.
This Chocolate Zucchini Bread is a way to sneak some more veggies into your diet and would not want to compromise on flavor. And since it is rich, moist, and super chocolatey, a balance of indulgence with health. Zucchini adds so much fantastic moistness and tenderness to the bread but doesn’t taste like any vegetable, which was a major win both with my kids and for grownups. This recipe is so easy and goes down a treat; whenever you choose to have it breakfast, snack, or dessert, you can happily make it.
