They'll never guess the secret ingredient that makes this chocolate chip zucchini bread so moist and delicious is zucchini, but it is! Zucchini is often used in baked goods like muffins, bread, and cakes because it adds moisture and texture.
Zucchini is almost ninety-five percent water and has very little flavor of its own. When you add shredded zucchini to the batter, it releases moisture as it bakes. That produces steam that helps keep whatever you are baking with it moist and tender.
The zucchini in this chocolate chip zucchini bread also adds texture and fiber to the bread, and the natural pectin in zucchini helps to keep this and any baked goods from getting dry and crumbly.
Zucchini also boosts the nutritional content and helps us feel good about eating this decadent, chocolatey treat!
The ingredients are simple and readily available!
This is the time of year when zucchini grows so vigorously, you may have friends or neighbors begging you to take some of it off their hands!
There’s a joke in Nebraska that you should keep your car locked in late summer or find zucchinis all over your back seat! I think you should grab some instead and make several loaves of this bread because it freezes so beautifully!
This is one recipe that works well when the zucchini gets really big. Just cut out the seeds from the center and shred the rest. Don’t peel them because much of the nutrition is in the skin and is invisible in this deep, chocolatey loaf!
This recipe is EXTRA good because it contains butter AND oil, so it’s super tender, and cocoa AND chocolate chips, so it’s a chocolate lover’s dream come true!
Combine the eggs, melted butter, oil, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Whisk until it’s smooth and well-blended.
Adding your salt and leavening with the wet ingredients ensures they’ll be thoroughly distributed and can make this a one-bowl recipe! Yay for fewer dishes! I’ve been using this lazy trick for years without missing a beat. Raise your hand if you’re in favor of fewer dishes to wash!
Now stir in the flour and the cocoa until it’s nice and smooth, but don’t overmix! A few stubborn little clumps of brown sugar won’t hurt a thing!
Now stir in the zucchini and the chocolate chips until they’re mixed in evenly, but save a handful to sprinkle on top of the loaf before you pop it in the oven!
Spoon the batter into the greased pan and sprinkle those chocolate chips over the top. What? Did you forget to save some? Heck, add a few more! What’s extra chocolate among friends?
Bake for 50-60 minutes. It’s such a dark batter you can’t tell if it’s browning. Poke a toothpick into the middle of the loaf. If it comes out without any gooey batter, you’re golden. That toothpick may have a little melted chocolate chip, and that’s okay!
I often bake quick breads in smaller loaf pans because they are so giftable! This recipe will yield two medium loaves in pans approximately 3.5 inches by 7.5 inches. To accommodate smaller loaves, reduce the baking time to 35 minutes. Monitor the loaves closely during the last 5-10 minutes to prevent overbaking. The "toothpick test" is still a very good indication of a good bake!
Take the pan out of the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for fifteen minutes or so. Run a skinny knife around the edges of the bread and carefully remove it from the pan. Let the bread cool the rest of the way on the wire cooling rack. It’s so hard to wait for it! The kitchen smells heavenly as it bakes!
The chocolate chip zucchini bread will keep on the counter, wrapped in plastic wrap, for three or four days. I found this bread freezes beautifully! I sliced it before freezing it in a zippered freezer bag to indulge in it one delicious slice at a time.
Here's a recipe for moist, rich, deep double-chocolate zucchini bread that is simply divine!
I often bake quick breads in smaller loaf pans. This recipe will yield two medium loaves in pans approximately 3.5 inches by 7.5 inches. To accommodate smaller loaves, reduce the baking time to 35 minutes. Monitor the loaves closely during the last 5-10 minutes to prevent overbaking. the "toothpick test" is still avery good indication of a good bake!
We love quick breads around here because they offer almost instant gratification when craving some sweet bread. Here are some of our most popular quickbread recipes: Rustic Rhubarb Bread, Cake Mix Pumpkin Bread, and Easy Cinnamon Bread.
Did someone sneak a zucchini in your back seat or your locker? Here are some amazing ways to use it! Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake, Best Zucchini Bread, Zucchini Gratin, and Zucchini Brownies!
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Love GB (Betty Streff)
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