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Lately I’ve grown wary of leaving my car unattended.
Our quiet small-town life has been interrupted by repeated incidents of people breaking into vehicles and unloading a bounty of oversized zucchinis. Every time I step into the post office, church or the little grocery, I sometimes return to find my car doors open and huge zucchinis—seriously, femur-sized—scattered across the seats.
Some neighbors dash off after depositing their haul; others leave notes: “Help! I can’t deal with these anymore! I know you don’t waste any produce.”
Even my Amish friends join the zucchini prank by leaving them on top of cars or tucking them onto the bumpers of buggies. It’s not uncommon to see half a dozen arm-sized zucchinis tumble out of a wagon as it grinds up a steep hill. Everyone is on zucchini alert.
It really feels like a zucchini apocalypse.
My friends are right—I hate wasting produce—so I sneak zucchini into as many dishes as possible. My kids now cautiously fork through their food, searching for telltale signs of green. If they ever realized how much zucchini they’re eating in this luscious bread, they’d be shocked.
My double chocolate chunk zucchini bread is the ultimate disguise: rich, cake-like, deeply chocolatey and packed with shredded zucchini. It slices like a decadent loaf, and it can also be baked as muffins—perfect for disguising vegetables in portable treats.
Cook’s Notes
- Quick breads turn out best when you avoid overmixing. Stir just until the dry ingredients are incorporated; the batter should not be perfectly smooth.
- If you don’t have chocolate chunks, substitute an equal amount of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips.
- This recipe is ideal for using up the giant summer zucchinis—save the small, tender ones for dishes where their delicate texture is key.
Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Rebecca Lindamood
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
- 2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini, gently pressed
- 1 1/4 cups chocolate chunks
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a standard loaf pan or the wells of a 12-muffin pan.
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In a large bowl whisk the eggs, honey, melted coconut oil, vanilla and brown sugar until smooth. Add the dry ingredients—salt, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, all-purpose and whole wheat flours—and stir until no dry pockets remain. Fold in the shredded zucchini and chocolate chunks until evenly distributed.
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Transfer batter to the prepared loaf pan or divide among the muffin cups. For a loaf, bake 65–75 minutes, testing for doneness—a tester may come away with a little melted chocolate but should otherwise be clean. For muffins, begin checking at about 18 minutes and bake until set.
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Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then turn onto a rack to cool completely before slicing. Muffins can be enjoyed warm. Store leftovers tightly wrapped at room temperature.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you use if desired.
did you make this recipe?
Tag @foodiewithfam on Instagram and use #foodiewithfamily so I can see your results!
Note: This column originally ran in The Traverse City Record-Eagle on September 12, 2013. I’m reprinting it here because the bread is that good.